MEDIA RELEASE

Farming for water agenda at CANFA conference

The 2009 annual Conservation Agriculture and No-till Farming Association (CANFA) conference, held today in Dubbo, saw more than a hundred farmers, agronomists, scientists, researchers and associates learn how conservation farming practices continue to achieve greater yields and returns on less moisture.

In opening the conference, titled More crop for your drop, CANFA chairperson, Anne Williams said that the idea behind the annual event was for delegates to take home new ideas to help further refine conservation farming systems.

“As an organisation, CANFA is a group of like-minded farmers eager to listen to new ideas that challenge our thinking”.

“While no-till farming is proving to be rewarding financially to our members, we acknowledge there are many different pathways to achieving our goals. For a farmer to just start changing their method of farming may seem very daunting,” said Mrs Williams.

“We have all started on this road, some having been doing it for 15 years, others just starting out. Through organisations like CANFA, we can learn from each other.”

The “farming for water” message was reinforced by farmers in the conference program, including Matt McKenzie (Coonamble), Michael Pfitzner (Griffith) and St.John Kent (Jimbour, Queensland).

2008 Conservation Farmer of the Year winner, Matt McKenzie said the real impetus for change on his family farm occurred in late 2003 when he and his wife decided to return to the farm.

“With two families to support in continuing drought, we needed to ensure the business operated profitably and efficiently. The drought forced us to look closely at what we were doing. We want a system which would allow us to use every millimeter of rainfall no matter when it falls to lift our productivity and profitability.”

Griffith-based farmer, Michael Pfitzner said he has taken the approach that he cannot afford to have stored moisture used in anything but the winter crop.

“That means sheep have left the enterprise mix. I’ve found far too often that livestock compromise rather than compliment my cropping program.

“In 1994 I had the bad experience of feeding off a failed wheat crop only to have it blow out of the paddock, thus our entry into no-till farming and the first of many lessons learning the same thing.

Mr Pfitzner said, “This year is shaping up to be another year of below average growing season rainfall but looks like it will probably end up around the five year average of 172mm. Based on the French/Schultze method of water use efficiency (1/3 of summer rain + growing season rain less runoff and evaporation) we can expect a potential yield of 1.9 tonne/ha this year.

“To make a profit we either need to increase yields and/or reduce costs so my strategy involves saving as much moisture as possible to increase yield while at the same time reducing seeding rates to around 20kg and fertiliser to between 30kg and 50kg.”

Jimbour Plains-based cotton grower and chairman of the Conservation Farmers Incorporated (CFI), Queensland, St.John Kent presented information about how he farms for moisture.

“I constantly monitor soil moisture profile. For example, in 2005 the profile was 88% full to 120 mm. On the basis of this I knew I could grow a break even crop with little or no rain. Despite there being no effective rain from November on, the moisture in the soil was sufficient to produce three bales per hectare. As a risk reduction strategy, soil moisture profiling is hard to beat.”

With conservation farming practices in the spotlight at conference, eight farmers from the Central West, Lachlan, Murray and Murrumbidgee catchments are in the running for the top award of 2009 Conservation Farmer of the Year Award, to be announced tonight at the conference dinner.

For more information contact: Neville Gould, CANFA executive officer on 0427 452 488 or 02 6845 1044
Media contact: Kim Goldsmith, Ochre Communications 0419 439 923 or 02 6887 2288

Photo caption: Matt McKenzie, Michael Pfitzner, Anne Williams and St.John Kent at 2009 CANFA conference