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The Soil-Water Debate

The Soil-Water Debate. Kim Russell – Chairman Southern Farming Systems. . Kim Russell. 20 years in Irrigation farm management 10 years in agribusiness consulting in Australia and overseas Formerly Director of Zero Waste Australia

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The Soil-Water Debate

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  1. The Soil-Water Debate Kim Russell – Chairman Southern Farming Systems. www.sfs.org.au

  2. Kim Russell • 20 years in Irrigation farm management • 10 years in agribusiness consulting in Australia and overseas • Formerly • Director of Zero Waste Australia • Executive of the Australian National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage • Currently • Chair of Sothern Farming Systems • Shareholder in Eagle Foods (Tortillas, wraps and chapatti) • Consultant to Kagome in Australia and India www.sfs.org.au

  3. HRZ FOCUS AREA(500 900mm rainfall) www.sfs.org.au

  4. Southern Farming Systems Background • Southern Farming Systems (SFS) formed in 1995 by farmers who came together to find ways of making farming in the higher rainfall zone (HRZ) more profitable. • SFS now has nearly 500 members in five branches; Geelong, Streatham, Hamilton, Gippsland and northern Tasmania. • SFS maintains international affiliations and has a strong link with the Foundation for Arable Research in New Zealandand the Arable Group in the UK. • SFS is one of the largest farming system groups in Australia representing High Rainfall Zone Farmers and Increasingly- Irrigation Farmers in those regions. www.sfs.org.au

  5. The soil-water debate is as dynamic as the subject itself. • An excellent line-up of speakers with the knowledge and experience to inform this conference and the broader debate. • This debate is well advanced in Australia. Recent trips to India reveal it is hotting up elsewhere. • Water is scarce and getting more scarce. • But the soil-water dynamic is as much about water as it is about drainage. Without surface and internal drainage we will not have yield. • In the HRZ context if you cannot control the amount of water you MUST control the drainage. • Let me give you a perspective which comes from some years of irrigation experience www.sfs.org.au

  6. 1. Yield is still King! • The Yield Challenge- Narrowing the gap between potential yield and actual yields in the Southern Rainfall Zone (and in irrigation) Potential Yield Yield Actual Yield Water- Rainfall or Irrigation

  7. 2. Resource efficiency • Yield is king but we must not lose sight of the resources that we manage; • Water Use Efficiency • Macro niutrients including N,P and K • but also micro nutrient efficiency • We need to foster soil microbiology to enhance the above • the efficient use of on farm and off farm sources of organic matter (composting, stubble management, weeds) is critical to our soils • energy and field efficiency . With efficient use of these resources farms will remain sustainable.

  8. Of particular relevance- sources of organic matter. WCD Model (Wet-Compostable-Dry) Spectrum of organic Waste streams City City Household and C&I Organic Waste Categories Wet Compostable Dry Liquid Fertiliser Heat & Energy Heat & Energy Agrichar Compost Bio-products combined with suitable micro-organisms & micro-nutrients. Farms, State owned Land, Parks and Gardens. Soil

  9. 3. Structuring “deeper softer soils” How do we achieve deeper Softer Soils • Hardware solutions • Compost • Stubble incorporation, • crop sequencing (including pasture and livestock systems) and using roots to “break through”   • Nannoparticles and other left field technologies Current Rooting depth Improved Rooting Depth

  10. 4. A value chain approach- An example • Red wheat has a significant role in high rainfall cropping systems. • We need red wheat varieties in our tool bag to combat waterlogging and loss of nutrients. • We need to maintain the high yielding characteristics of red wheat as well as its tolerance to waterlogging • we also ned to take advantage of its characteristics for use in higher value markets than just stock feed. • Red wheat has significant potential in flat bread manufacture just like it has in the Americas, Europe, the middle east and Asia. The crops we grow need to have solid markets into the future.

  11. A value Chain approach. www.sfs.org.au

  12. 5. Bringing it all together with communication and technology. • GRDC variety trials targeting • Identifying soil characteristics • A DAFF project where Network of over 60 moisture probes used to monitor waterlogging • Working with the dairy and livestock industries to come up with better crop systems. • Field days, large scale trials • Monitoring and managing the R&D needs of our farmers. • Delivering results beyond our membership

  13. EXTERNAL COLLABORATORS GRDC CSIRO DPI Vic TIAR FAR NZ La Trobe University Adelaide University DAFF Local Catchment Management Authorities

  14. AgriFocus Field Days – October www.sfs.org.au

  15. Introducing our speakers. www.sfs.org.au

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