Hello folks. Here is a link to the Groundswell Agronomy Report. This research was undertaken by the lovely Chris Houghton from Chis Houghton Agricultural. Enjoy!
Groundswell Final Agronomy Report
Showing posts with label Agronomy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Agronomy. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Groundswell Field Day - Goulburn District
Topic:
Agronomic evaluation of the use of composted urban waste in agriculture.
The Project:
The Groundswell project aims to have farmers and Councils working together to pull urban organic waste out of the cities and back onto agricultural land, reducing organic waste going into landfill and improving agricultural soils.
Background:
Through the City to Soil process residents in Goulburn Mulwaree Shire have been provided with a combined food scrap and garden waste collection which is composted at the Goulburn Waste Management Depot. Compost made through the project has been made available for three on-farm trials in the Goulburn district. See www.groundswellproject.blogspot.com for more information.
The trials:
The agronomic evaluation has been carried out by Chris Houghton Agricultural from Crookwell. The aim is to determine how the end product can be best used:
Why should you attend:
You will be able to see for yourself and discuss the trial outcomes of the agronomy evaluation to date. You will also be able to speak with the people involved in the project.
DETAILS
What the day will involve:
The day will start at Andrew Sieler’s property “Strathmere” (A on map below), at Yarra on the Federal Highway just south of the Hume Highway to the west of Goulburn. There will then be a visit to a cropping trial at Forest Lodge (B) on the Middle Arm Road, and then to the GMC Waste Depot (C) to see the compost being made. Finally we will visit another grazing trial and have lunch at Andrew Divall’s property “Narrambulla” (D), to the east of Goulburn.
Directions:
To get to Andrew Sieler’s property (A) on the Federal Highway, travel about 1.5 km south towards Canberra, and the gate is just before the Yarra “Rest Area”. Here will be a sign to get your attention.
Agronomic evaluation of the use of composted urban waste in agriculture.
The Project:
The Groundswell project aims to have farmers and Councils working together to pull urban organic waste out of the cities and back onto agricultural land, reducing organic waste going into landfill and improving agricultural soils.
Background:
Through the City to Soil process residents in Goulburn Mulwaree Shire have been provided with a combined food scrap and garden waste collection which is composted at the Goulburn Waste Management Depot. Compost made through the project has been made available for three on-farm trials in the Goulburn district. See www.groundswellproject.blogspot.com for more information.
The trials:
The agronomic evaluation has been carried out by Chris Houghton Agricultural from Crookwell. The aim is to determine how the end product can be best used:
- What happens when it is applied at various rates to agricultural land?
- Is it as a fertiliser or does it have a role as a soil conditioner?
- Does it restore soil carbon levels and/or lift moisture holding capacity or have any other unexpected benefits.
- What types of enterprises (pastures, crops, horticulture) is the compost best suited to?
- Are there any problems with its use?
- How available is the compost and where can you get it from?
Why should you attend:
You will be able to see for yourself and discuss the trial outcomes of the agronomy evaluation to date. You will also be able to speak with the people involved in the project.
DETAILS
- Date: Friday 15th October.
- Start time: 8.30am at Strathmere, Federal Highway, Yarra
- Finish: 12.30pm – 1pm at Andrew Divall’s property with a barbecue lunch provided by Goulburn Mulwaree Council.
- Travel: By private vehicles.
- RSVP: By 12 October via email on: leanne@chrishoughtonag.com.au or call/text Chris on 0409 816 433.
What the day will involve:
The day will start at Andrew Sieler’s property “Strathmere” (A on map below), at Yarra on the Federal Highway just south of the Hume Highway to the west of Goulburn. There will then be a visit to a cropping trial at Forest Lodge (B) on the Middle Arm Road, and then to the GMC Waste Depot (C) to see the compost being made. Finally we will visit another grazing trial and have lunch at Andrew Divall’s property “Narrambulla” (D), to the east of Goulburn.
Directions:
To get to Andrew Sieler’s property (A) on the Federal Highway, travel about 1.5 km south towards Canberra, and the gate is just before the Yarra “Rest Area”. Here will be a sign to get your attention.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
So which one is the compost one?
Chris our agronomist is busily calculating the yields from our two pasture and two grain trials. He says not to hold our breaths.....its been very dry and we may need to wait another season to truly see results in the soil and in the paddocks. Despite a terrible season of failed crops in the Central West region the wheat trial in Condobolin (picture taken in winter) did actually produce some wheat. Here we all are trying to work out which plots have compost on them and which plots have DAP and which have neither or both. Luckily you can't see our confused faces.
We will keep you posted.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Back to the land!
Please excuse our long hiatus- it has been a very busy few months for the Groundswell Project Team. We return to our regular broadcast with great tidings. Behold ......................
Last month 60 tonnes of finished compost were delivered to Goulburn’s two on-farm trial sites at Narranbulla near Marulan and Strathmere at Yarra (pictured above). Last year these two properties were selected from over 20 farms who expressed an interest in participating in the trials.
The trials involve farmers setting aside approximately 12 ha (30 acres) of land. Divided into three plots, one will be left unfertilised, one treated with super phosphate and the other with Goulburn’s City to Soil compost. Stock movements through these paddocks will be monitored over the next 12 months to determine changes in the DSE (dry sheep equivalent) of each treatment. Additionally, a small area has been fenced off on each site to undertake randomised plot trials. These will assess the effect of City to Soil compost on fodder yields and soil health.
In April an audit of the City to Soil bins showed contamination levels of 0.2%. This is an outstanding result and the Goulburn community should be really proud of that effort. The main source of contamination in the City to Soil bin is plastic bags. These can not be composted and need to be removed by hand, which adds to the cost of doing the composting.
Currently the City to Soil collection is diverting over 100 tonnes of organic waste from the landfill each month. How cool is that?
And how cool is this truck thingy?
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Farmers Join City to Soil
MEDIA RELEASE
CAP: (l-r) Agronomist Chris Houghton, City to Soil (Groundswell) Project Manager Simone Dilkara and Andrew Sieler ‘Strathmere’, Yarra, prepare for the on-farm trial of compost.
From City to Soil … farmers join unique composting trial
Andrew Sieler, who runs the 600 acre fine wool property ‘Strathmere’ at Yarra, said he joined City to Soil to both support efforts to reduce landfill and assess the benefits of compost in a farm environment.
"The project has a lot of potential to remove waste from landfill and put something back into soils at the same time," Mr Sieler said. "We don’t really use compost on a larger scale and it will be interesting to see what happens. If it turns out to be commercially viable for Councils and landholders then it will benefit everyone."
The second farm involved in the trial is the 800 acre Narranbulla Partnership at Marulan. Farm Manager Mark Hart, who runs Angus cattle at Narranbulla, said involvement in City to Soil provided an opportunity to further their interest in organic fertilisers and assess the viability of compost on a commercial farm.
"We have always been interested in organic fertilisers and when we saw an Expression of Interest advertised, we thought our property would be suitable for the trial," Mr Hart said.
The on-farm trial will involve both farmers setting aside approximately 30 acres of land. This will then be divided into three plots, with one left unfertilised, one treated with the commonly used superphosphate and the other fertilised with the City to Soil compost.
Agronomist Chris Houghton will oversee the trial and assess the stocking rate of each plot, measured in DSEs (Dry Sheep Equivalent). "The three plots on each property have a uniform soil type and pasture," Mr Houghton said. "Soil tests have been taken before the trial starts and we will assess each area for carrying capacity over the next two years. Both Strathmere and Narranbulla are ideal for the on-farm trials as they have large enough areas with consistent soil. Andrew and Mark are both happy to fence off around 30 acres for the trial to take place."
Mr Houghton said the Goulburn and Marulan communities had been very supportive of the City to Soil program. Organic kitchen waste, plus garden waste, has been collected from the Goulburn suburb of Eastgrove since July this year. Specially designed kitchen waste bins are now being delivered across the remainder of Goulburn and nearby Marulan.
"I have been really impressed with the level of enthusiasm shown by the community," Mr Houghton said. "City people are interested in the whole food cycle and feel that by having their organic waste composted they are contributing to the quality of food they receive and helping farmers at the same time. Particularly with the drought we have seen in recent years, City people know that farmers do it tough and want to help."
Goulburn Mulwaree is one of four Councils involved in the City to Soil Project, which is being implemented through a project known as Groundswell. The other Council areas involved are Lachlan, Palerang and Queanbeyan.
Groundswell is funded by a $1.96 million grant over three years from the NSW Environmental Trust.
MEDIA INTERVIEWS:
Please contact:
Agronomist Chris Houghton on 0409 816 433.
City to Soil (Groundswell) Project Manager Simone Dilkara on 0447 273 099.
To arrange an interview with Andrew Sieler, please call Simone Dilkara or Goulburn Mulwaree Council’s Communications Unit on 4823 4412 or 4823 4548.
CAP: (l-r) Farm Manager Mark Hart and Andy Divall from ‘Narranbulla’, with agronomist Chris Houghton and City to Soil (Groundswell) Project Manager Simone Dilkara on the site where compost will be trialled at the Marulan property.
CAP: (l-r) Agronomist Chris Houghton, City to Soil (Groundswell) Project Manager Simone Dilkara and Andrew Sieler ‘Strathmere’, Yarra, prepare for the on-farm trial of compost.From City to Soil … farmers join unique composting trial
Two Goulburn area farmers have volunteered for a unique composting program involving organic waste from households being used to improve agricultural soils. The farmers will establish trial sites to test the benefits of compost compared to unfertilised soil and land treated with superphosphate.
Goulburn Mulwaree Council is currently preparing the compost for use on the farms. It is collected through an initiative known as City to Soil, which involves organic kitchen and garden waste being collected from some 9000 households in Goulburn and Marulan on a monthly basis.
Andrew Sieler, who runs the 600 acre fine wool property ‘Strathmere’ at Yarra, said he joined City to Soil to both support efforts to reduce landfill and assess the benefits of compost in a farm environment.
"The project has a lot of potential to remove waste from landfill and put something back into soils at the same time," Mr Sieler said. "We don’t really use compost on a larger scale and it will be interesting to see what happens. If it turns out to be commercially viable for Councils and landholders then it will benefit everyone."
The second farm involved in the trial is the 800 acre Narranbulla Partnership at Marulan. Farm Manager Mark Hart, who runs Angus cattle at Narranbulla, said involvement in City to Soil provided an opportunity to further their interest in organic fertilisers and assess the viability of compost on a commercial farm.
"We have always been interested in organic fertilisers and when we saw an Expression of Interest advertised, we thought our property would be suitable for the trial," Mr Hart said.
The on-farm trial will involve both farmers setting aside approximately 30 acres of land. This will then be divided into three plots, with one left unfertilised, one treated with the commonly used superphosphate and the other fertilised with the City to Soil compost.
Agronomist Chris Houghton will oversee the trial and assess the stocking rate of each plot, measured in DSEs (Dry Sheep Equivalent). "The three plots on each property have a uniform soil type and pasture," Mr Houghton said. "Soil tests have been taken before the trial starts and we will assess each area for carrying capacity over the next two years. Both Strathmere and Narranbulla are ideal for the on-farm trials as they have large enough areas with consistent soil. Andrew and Mark are both happy to fence off around 30 acres for the trial to take place."
Mr Houghton said the Goulburn and Marulan communities had been very supportive of the City to Soil program. Organic kitchen waste, plus garden waste, has been collected from the Goulburn suburb of Eastgrove since July this year. Specially designed kitchen waste bins are now being delivered across the remainder of Goulburn and nearby Marulan.
"I have been really impressed with the level of enthusiasm shown by the community," Mr Houghton said. "City people are interested in the whole food cycle and feel that by having their organic waste composted they are contributing to the quality of food they receive and helping farmers at the same time. Particularly with the drought we have seen in recent years, City people know that farmers do it tough and want to help."
Goulburn Mulwaree is one of four Councils involved in the City to Soil Project, which is being implemented through a project known as Groundswell. The other Council areas involved are Lachlan, Palerang and Queanbeyan.
Groundswell is funded by a $1.96 million grant over three years from the NSW Environmental Trust.
MEDIA INTERVIEWS:
Please contact:
Agronomist Chris Houghton on 0409 816 433.
City to Soil (Groundswell) Project Manager Simone Dilkara on 0447 273 099.
To arrange an interview with Andrew Sieler, please call Simone Dilkara or Goulburn Mulwaree Council’s Communications Unit on 4823 4412 or 4823 4548.
CAP: (l-r) Farm Manager Mark Hart and Andy Divall from ‘Narranbulla’, with agronomist Chris Houghton and City to Soil (Groundswell) Project Manager Simone Dilkara on the site where compost will be trialled at the Marulan property.
Goulburn Mulwaree Council
LOCKED BAG 22 GOULBURN NSW 2580
Telephone: (02) 4823 4444
Fax: (02) 4823 4456
www.goulburn.nsw.gov.au
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