BWD00024 - Maintaining profitable farming systems with retained stubble in Victoria and Tasmania

Crop residues or stubble play an integral role in soil health and nutrient cycling in broad acre cropping. For many growers, particularly in higher rainfall and irrigated areas, stubble can cause significant management issues that can affect their profitability. In these situations, many growers are forced to remove the stubble, principally through burning.

There are also many other problems or management issues that arise when stubbles are retained from one season to the next. Weeds, pests and stubble-borne diseases can cause significant problems in heavy stubble loads. Most of these issues have some management practices that can be employed which do not involve the removal of stubble. Stubble handling and trash flow the next season has been a significant challenge for growers.

Advances in machinery technology has meant there are alternative methods or practices that growers may employ to successfully retain stubble whilst minimising the issues that come with retaining stubbles. Growers have rapidly adopted or incorporated stubble into their farming system.

To ensure successful and longer term adoption of stubble retention, a greater understanding how stubble retention will change local farming systems. This understanding will improve grower and adviser awareness of strategies to minimise risks to productivity, profitability and sustainability.

This project will aim to increase grower awareness of these new technologies and extensively evaluate them to ensure they can achieve what they claim.

The project will be delivered by leading grower groups: Birchip Cropping Group (BCG), Southern Farming Systems (SFS), Victorian No Till Farming Association (VNTFA, Vic No-Till) and Irrigated Cropping Council (ICC) all who operate in the southern region of Australia. Combined, the consortium has over 1,500 farm business members which will allow the project to reach a much wider audience.

The project team will aim to increase the number of farmers retaining stubble, breaking the barriers for adoption by developing guidelines that minimise the negatives of retaining stubbles and maximise benefits. This will improve the overall profitability and sustainability of farming businesses and rural communities.