Compost showing promising results for turf farmers recovering from floods

The Early Needs Recovery Project, funded by Local Land Services, is aimed at speeding up the recovery for farmers and save flooded turf.

The project began in November last year with five demonstration sites - three in the Hawkesbury basin, one at Berry and another at Taree.

Contractor Peter Conasch, Land Culture Consulting, who is delivering the project for Turf Australia, said it came about from many turf farmers being affected by floods.

"Turf farmers intensively farm and within that space soil is the key component to any sort of crop but having heavy soils on flood country leads to a lot of compaction," he said.

"Being a loam soil compaction is an issue which then creates runoff or infiltration, and we get further damage due to runoff but the crop doesn't recover because it basically gets sealed up with the amount of silt."

Mr Conasch said compost produced from green waste was applied at each site at various rates at planting time.

"We took soil tests to firstly figure out what is the chemical physical properties of the soil and then made recommendations to suit as to how much compost we need to add," he said.

"The addition of compost actually allows the soil structure to improve significantly in a short period of time but it also leaves a longer lasting legacy."

Mr Conasch said improved soil drainage was highlighted with recent rainfall at one of the Hawkesbury sites.

"We had a grower who was affected by the flood and we were standing on his paddock which had a metre of water on it 12 hours prior," he said.

"The compost allowed that floodwater to drain away a lot quicker than some of the control paddocks that we had with no compost applied to it."

Mr Conasch said they had seen other benefits including quicker turf growth, increased root biomass and improved soil structure long term.

"It is a two fold approach where we're getting extra vigour in the plant which then holds the soil which prevents it from running back down into the river," he said.

"It also provides that stability, then the recovery rate and the crop losses are reduced."

Bill Saliba had three trials on his farm in the Hawkesbury of compost applied in rates of 120 tonnes per hectare rate, 100t/ha and 20t/ha, as well as a control.

"The soil is that soft it's like new virgin ground," he said.

"It's nice and moist, the water has gone right down to the bottom."

While the project was focused on flood recovery Mr Conasch said it would benefit during dry times too.

"The compost is also a stabiliser so it holds water in dry situations but it also holds nutrient too," he said.

The project finishes this month and Mr Conasch said he hoped growers would work with their local consultants to implement on farm and think outside of their usual practices.