Breaking new ground by not disturbing soil
SOUTH Johnstone cane farmer Adrian Darveniza is breaking new ground, trialling zero-tillage fallow crops and plant cane.
Living in the Wet Tropics, the fourth-generation cane farmer knows only too well the effects of heavy rain on both soil and cane.
“We have very friable red soil on a hilly property and there is a risk it will wash away any time you work it in the wet season,’’ he said.
“A lot of farmers in this district have moved away from planting early, which gives us a 12-month crop at best.”
Mr Darveniza is comparing late and early plantings as well as zero and minimum tillage in a trial supported by Project Catalyst.
He is hoping the early planting will result in better yields due to the longer crop cycle, as well as time and costsavings that are already apparent.
He is also expecting water quality benefits, with the farm bordering the Johnstone River.
“I’m saving my topsoil and getting a better outcome for water quality and that’s an important bonus,’’ he said.
“The friable soils here still give us enough soil-to-cane contact with zero or minimum tillage – the soil crumbles easily and lumps that roll back into the small furrow are squashed with the press wheel.
“This wouldn’t work for all soil types but it’s looking promising in this area and could be explored in other types of soils that aren’t compacted and have had a light cultivation.”
Mr Darveniza presented his trial findings at the 2019 Project Catalyst Forum in Cairns this week. The forum attracted more than 200 cane farmers, researchers, scientists and agricultural industry representatives who shared “nextgeneration” farming practices to improve productivity.
Terrain NRM’s Project Catalyst co-ordinator Michael Waring said Mr Darveniza’s trial stood out because of his strong commitment to innovation.
“Adrian didn’t work the ground up at all for the soybean fallow crop last year and he has zero-tillage sections of the cane crop that followed,’’ he said.
“The trial consists of zerotillage and minimum-tillage plant cane that went into the ground in May, and minimum tillage plant cane from a late August planting.”