COMPOST use across NSW horticulture, cropping and livestock operations is fast growing on the back of reduced inputs and yield gains and increased interest in optimising soil organic matter and carbon levels.
More councils are offering a collection service for garden materials which is supplied to commercial businesses for processing into soil conditioners, mulches, top dressing and potting mixes.
New, tailored products are continuously being developed for agricultural applications and some businesses are sourcing raw waste materials from farms as well.
For much of the past decade, the Centre for Organic Research and Education (Core) has run a program targeting agricultural operations with the aim of lifting the adoption of recycled organic products in farming systems.
Called Sustainable Amendments for Agriculture (SAFA), the program's primary focus has been providing farmers with an opportunity to access recycled organic products at significantly reduced costs subsidised by industry members.
Material preparation, application rates, spreading technology, soil analysis and yield benefit monitoring is all part of the service.
"It's well known recycled organic materials can improve soil structure in various soil types, improve water holding ability and provide supplementary nutrients," said Core chief executive officer Chris Rochfort.
"With rising input costs, scarcity of available phosphorous, drought and declining yields, the SAFA program offers farmers a low-cost opportunity to address these and many other concerns."
SAFA started in the Nepean-Hawkesbury catchment where 120 farmers - mostly fruit and vegetable growers but also including everything from flower growers to graziers - have now opened their gates to deliveries of compost and mulch.
The Hawkesbury-Nepean catchment contains the main water supply for Sydney, along with providing significant environmental and recreational resources.
The alluvial, sandy soils in the region have been continuously and intensively farmed for 200 years and large areas have become degraded.
Farmers have been aware of the benefits of compost and mulch, but the big challenge to increasing its use on farm was affordability, Mr Rochfort said.
The compost supplied under the SAFA program was produced by Core members from garden organics.
Core said the feedback from farmers had been of reduced need for chemicals and water, less weed pressure, improved biodiversity in soil which in turn was increasing nutrient availability to crops and pasture and ultimately, lifted yields.
Such has been the success of SAFA this year, it has expanded to the Hunter region where about 20 farms are taking compost with the aim of improving soil health.
The program is also running in Victoria, where the main users are croppers and graziers - the hope is it will eventually run throughout NSW and into Queensland.
Shan Goodwin
Journalist for The Land on the North Coast.
Journalist for The Land on the North Coast.
