Tully Sugar Ltd trials healthy soil options
Reef Trust grant helps region’s farmers find right mix for their crops
TULLY Sugar Limited is trialling several new soil and fertiliser additives to find new ways to improve soil health in the region.
Last year, the agriculture subsidiary applied for grant funding through Round 2 of the Australian Government’s Reef Trust IV Repeated Tender program.
This grant will fund the further evaluation of a range of soil additive products to determine their potential value to Tully growers.
These results will be shared with producers all over the region.
TSL Farm manager Sean Hodgson said the results of the trials would help with making commercial decisions that have long term impacts for the farming enterprise and ultimately also the environment.
“It’s still early days but we are seeing some positive signs with some products. We are keen to keep testing these products while adjusting our nitrogen rates. We’re grateful the Australian Government has provided financial support to enable us to achieve an outcome that has such wide ranging potential benefits” he said.
Cane Productivity and Development Manager Greg Shannon said TSL is looking for ways to improve their farming systems and supporting growers to do the same to get a handle on the various types of soil and fertiliser additives now available.
“We started working four years ago on a small scale with several companies who are interested in determining how effective their products are in the Wet Tropics,” he said.
“While the basics such as a good calcium program, the right cane variety in the right place, RSD and Pachymetra management and good fallow works just fine, it is worth testing if these additives can provide something else to our farming systems.”
“Now with this Repeated Tender funding we can evaluate these products on a much larger scale, across a more diverse range of soil types and microclimates on our own farming operation.”
“This will provide evidence for our farm manager and other growers to make informed decisions about using some of these products.”
WTSIP Extension Officer Alex Lindsay, who supported TSL with their tender application, says the results of these trials will be interesting to many growers.
“Soil health is vitally important to long-term sustainability but it has become a bit of a marketing buzzword with many products making claims,” he said.
“However, there isn’t much reliable evidence to say how well these products work in the Wet Tropics and what the likely economic returns will be.”
“It’s great that Tully Sugar are prepared to undertake these large scale trials and are willing to share their information with growers.”
The Reef Trust IV Repeated Tender program is part of the Federal Government’s $260 million Reef Trust investment aimed at improving water quality and coastal habitat along the Great Barrier Reef.
The program focuses on farmers in the Wet Tropics and Burdekin regions to reduce nitrogen loss to the Great Barrier Reef.
Soil run-off can often make it’s way into the Reef catchment, particularly during the wet season.
It is important for farmers to consider the impact of soil additives to the ecosystem.