Introduction

All farming soils in Australia will eventually require replacement of key nutrients. Each time a crop is grown and harvested, a number of kilograms of each nutrient is lost to the soil as either a grain, fibre, hay or other product. Every tonne of a given product contains nutrients from the soil. As an example, a tonne of wheat grain may include:

Pasture Kropper

Grazing BestPrac has collaborated with Multifarming Systems and Simplicity Air Seeders Australia to develop a cutting edge pasture planting unit that can assist landholders and rehabilitation services to regenerate degraded land. The 5 metre unit in this video is based in central Queensland, Australia and has the capacity to apply pasture seed, cereal seed, granular fertiliser and liquid fertiliser/ compost teas/ amendments all in a single pass.

This machine has folding wings and :
a low 6-7 hp per tyne requirement to pull and has an
engine driven air seeder blower
electric motor pump for liquid
a BNS easyflow distribution head.

It is essential to conduct soil nutrient analysis, microbial analysis and match nutrient requirements to balance the soil before planting seeds. This will guarantee success.
For more information call Grazing BestPrac 0438 395 255.

Watch the video of the "Pasture Kropper" in action.

Compost

Composting is the breakdown of any organic material (ingredients) into a crumbly, dark, soil-like product in which none of the original material can be easily identified. Various organic waste materials produced
by farming such as husk, effluent, vegetable waste, stubble and so on can be used to produce compost.
The types of composting include:
• Vermicomposting—use of composting worms
• Static Pile composting—slow (6 - 12 months) degradation of plant wastes—such as adding mulch to soil – can be used in the backyard or on-farm.
• Aerated or Thermophilic composting— Generally this uses a compost turner to create rapid breakdown of organic material (6 – 10 weeks) where the compost pile gets hot and sterilises seed and pathogens.

BENEFITS OF COMPOST
One of the most important benefits of composting is the addition of carbon back to the soil along with the nutrients and microbiology contained within it. Organic matter provides shelter and food for soil life, increases water holding capacity and increases stability of the soil so it becomes more resistant to erosion and compaction. Compost:
• adds organic carbon (C)
• protects soil from erosion
• increases soil structural stability
• improves moisture holding capacity
• increases water infiltration and reduces water runoff
• adds nutrients (as slow release)
• encourages a wide range of soil organisms.
Another big plus is to create a compost that is nutrient balanced to your soils. During the heating process, many nutrients can be added to the compost including – Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Sulphur, Potassium, trace minerals, fulvic acid, other food sources and clay products.

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE A GOOD COMPOST
The rules of composting are the same whether you are making a small pile for your own garden or a large
windrow for commercial production. The key elements needed when making good thermophilic compost are described in the following section.
Aeration
To ensure air can move in the compost heap it is important to turn the pile regularly, allow air to flow around and throughout the pile and include a range of different sized and shaped materials. However, the large pieces of woody material will take much longer to break down than smaller ‘chips’.
Moisture
Ideally, water content should be 50 to 60% (it feels like a moist sponge but no water comes out when you
squeeze it with your fingers). To make sure the pile stays wet enough during the composting process you
may need a water supply to keep moisture up to the pile.
Organic ingredients
Good compost must have a balance of carbon-rich (woody material) and nitrogen rich (green leafy matter
or manure) materials. Select the correct mix to give a carbon: nitrogen (C:N) ratio of about 30:1.
Temperature
You will need to ensure the temperature does not increase above 65 degrees centigrade.