Farmer gets the best out of waste
Brookside farmer Stuart Mcilwrick is onto a good thing.
The beef finisher has used compost from the Bromley Living Earth plant as fertiliser for the last four years. And what’s more, he has convinced his neighbours to do the same.
Mcilwrick advocates that farmers can reduce their reliance on chemical fertilisers and still increase yield and production in what is becoming an environmentally sensitive area.
‘‘Because we live close to Lake Ellesmere and in an area with a high water table and a high number of spring-fed streams, we are very conscious of the impacts our farming has on the quality of local water and the lake,’’ Mcilwrick said.
‘‘About four years ago I started concentrating on the use of solid fertiliser and began looking for a sustainable product that could deliver nutrients into the soil while minimising losses through leaching into the water.
‘‘I tried a number of things before settling on the compost made from the collection of household green waste in Christchurch,’’ he said. Four years on, and Mcilwrick and his colleagues are using up to 7000 tonnes of the compost on their farms each year. ’’Neighbours have commented on how good our pastures look now we’ve started using the compost,’’ Mcilwrick said.
The Bromley compost processing plant converts more than 50,000 tonne of organic waste, collected in Christchurch’s organic wheelie bins, into compost and soil conditioner each year.
Research found the application of compost to agricultural crops and pasture contributed significantly to long-term yield and soil quality.
A Sustainable Farming Fund trial carried out by Plant and Food Research showed that compost increased the production of arable crops by up to 14 per cent over a three-year crop rotation.
Mcilwrick is now involved in the distribution, delivery and application of the compost in the greater Mid Canterbury region. ’’Application rates vary from 10 to 25 tonnes per hectare on pasture up to 50 tonnes per hectare on a specialist crop like winter feed on light free draining soil,’’ he said.
‘‘At 20 tonnes per hectare on pasture, reapplication isn’t needed for three years. With this in mind, farmers plan to treat one-third of their farms per year.’’
Mcilwrick says he is not an environmentalist. But he believes in the motto, ‘‘If you look after the land, the land will look after you.’’