Kim Russell – Chairman Southern Farming Systems. The Soil-Water Debate

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

HRZ FOCUS AREA ( mm rainfall)

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 Zealand and 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.

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

Water- Rainfall or Irrigation Potential Yield Actual Yield Yield 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)

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.

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

Current Rooting depth Improved Rooting Depth 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”  Nanno particles and other left field technologies 3. Structuring “deeper softer soils”

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.

A value Chain approach.

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

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

AgriFocus Field Days – October

Introducing our speakers.