Current Recommended Practice a DIRECTORY for BROADACRE DRYLAND AGRICULTURE
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Landscapes & Industries KNOWLEDGE Current recommended practice A DIRECTORY FOR BROADACRE DRYLAND AGRICULTURE Craig Clifton, Camille McGregor, Roger Standen & Simon Fritsch Current recommended practice A DIRECTORY FOR BROADACRE DRYLAND AGRICULTURE Craig Clifton, Camille McGregor, Roger Standen & Simon Fritsch Authors: Craig Clifton, Camille McGregor, Roger Standen & Simon Fritsch Published by: Murray-Darling Basin Commission Level 5, 15 Moore Street Canberra ACT 2600 Telephone: (02) 6279 0100 from overseas + 61 2 6279 0100 Facsimile: (02) 6248 8053 from overseas + 61 2 6248 8053 Email: [email protected] Internet: http://www.mdbc.gov.au ISBN: 1 876830 69 7 Cover Photo: Lisa Robins © 2004 Murray-Darling Basin Commission This work is copyright. Graphical and textual information in the work (with the exception of photographs and the MDBC logo) may be stored, retrieved and reproduced in whole or in part, provided the information is not sold or used for commercial benefi t and its source (Murray-Darling Basin Commission, Landscapes and Industries Program, Current Recommended Practice for Broadacre Dryland Agriculture) is acknowledged. Such reproduction includes fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968. Reproduction for other purposes is prohibited without prior permission of the Murray-Darling Basin Commission or the individual photographers and artists with whom copyright applies. To the extent permitted by law, the copyright holders (including their employees and consultants) exclude all liability to any person for any consequences, including but not limited to all losses, damages, costs, expenses and any other compensation, arising directly or indirectly from using this report (in part or in whole) and any information or material contained in it. The contents of this publication do not purport to represent the position of the Murray-Darling Basin Commission. They are presented to inform discussion for improved management of the Basin’s natural resources. Recycled Paper: Printed on Monza Satin Recycled, a new generation premium A2+ gloss coated recycled paper. It is produced with 50% recycled fi bre (15% post consumer and 35% pre-consumer) with the balance (50%) being oxygen bleached virgin pulp. MDBC Publication 01/04 Agroforestry Contents Animal condition management Breeding program Business and financial planning Introduction 1 This directory 1 Chemical contamination The Murray-Darling Basin 1 avoidance Tha Landmark project 1 Key broadacre land uses 2 Commitment to family Sustainable farming 2 Current recommended practice 3 Descriptions of current recommended practices 3 Community and industry participation 1. Agroforestry 7 2. Animal condition management 9 Crop rotation 3. Breeding program 10 4. Business and fi nancial planning 11 Effective management of labour and resources 5. Chemical contamination avoidance 13 6. Commitment to family 15 Environmental monitoring and benchmarking 7. Community and industry participation 16 Identification and 8. Crop rotation 17 protective management of cultural heritage 9. Effective management of labour and resources 19 10. Environmental monitoring and benchmarking 21 Incorporation or retention of perennial species in pastures 11. Identifi cation and protective management of cultural heritage 23 12. Incorporation or retention of perennial species in pastures 25 Integrated pest management 13. Integrated pest management 27 14. Knowledge and skill development 29 Knowledge and skill development 15. Management according to land capability 31 16. Managing for weather and climate variation 33 Management according to land capability 17. Nutrient budgeting 35 18. Occupational health and safety plan 37 Managing for weather and climate variation 19. Quality assurance 38 20. Retention and management of native vegetation 39 Nutrient budgeting 21. Soil conservation 41 22. Tactical grazing 43 Occupational health and safety plan 23. Tillage and stubble management 45 24. Waterway and fl oodplain management 47 Quality assurance Sources used in the preparation of current recommended practice documentation 49 Retention and management of native vegetation Soil conservation Tactical grazing Tillage and stubble management i Current Recommended Practice for Broadacre Dryland Agriculture Waterway and floodplain management Agroforestry Animal condition management Figure 1 Map of the Murray-Darling Basin showing the Landmark Pilot regions Breeding program Business and financial planning Chemical contamination avoidance Commitment to family Community and industry participation Crop rotation Effective management of labour and resources Environmental monitoring and benchmarking Identification and protective management of cultural heritage Incorporation or retention of perennial species in pastures Integrated pest management Knowledge and skill development Management according to land capability Managing for weather and Map produced by MDBC climate variation using data supplied by AUSLIG (Geoscience Australia) Nutrient budgeting Occupational health and safety plan Quality assurance Retention and management of native vegetation Soil conservation Tactical grazing Tillage and stubble management ii Current Recommended Practice for Broadacre Dryland Agriculture Waterway and floodplain management Agroforestry Introduction Animal condition management Breeding program Landmark investigations are being undertaken in This directory Business and financial planning three pilot regions with contrasting land uses before This directory contains a list of land management considering their application to the whole Basin (Figure 1). practices currently advocated by industry and practised The three pilot regions are: Chemical contamination avoidance by leading farmers for the major dryland agricultural land uses (grazing and cropping). The directory is intended * Upper Goulburn-Broken catchment, Victoria – predominantly high rainfall (more than 600mm) as a reference for professionals in the fi eld: agricultural Commitment to family extension offi cers, rural educators, representatives grazing landscapes in the south and east of the of producer organisations and commodity councils, Goulburn-Broken catchment. The area includes community groups, researchers, consultants and most of the land south of the Hume Highway in Community and industry participation state agriculture and natural resource managers. The the Goulburn and Broken River catchments as well application of a recommended practice at a particular as the Kilmore and Broadford areas, north of the highway. time and place will need further information and detailed Crop rotation consideration. * Billabong Creek catchment, New South Wales – cropping and grazing landscapes of the upper The Murray-Darling Basin Effective management of labour Billabong catchment in southern New South Wales, and resources Dryland agricultural land use across the Murray-Darling between the Murrumbidgee and Murray Rivers. Basin is facing several major challenges: The pilot region extends downstream from the Environmental monitoring headwaters of Billabong Creek to Walbundrie. and benchmarking * continued expansion in the area affected by dryland salinity and a decline in water quality in the lower * Condamine-Central Downs region, Queensland – Identification and Murray River and some of the Basin’s other major cropping and grazing landscapes, largely within the protective management of cultural heritage river systems; middle reaches of the Condamine River catchment * an ageing farming population, with limited prospects in south-eastern Queensland. Incorporation or retention of perennial species in pastures for property transfer within farming families; The Landmark project is overseen by a steering * income earned by farming families, particularly in committee with membership drawn from rural industry broadacre dryland farming enterprises, is often organisations, including: Integrated pest management insuffi cient to maintain investment in the farm * Australian Forest Growers business and environmental management activities; Knowledge and skill development * most primary producers are price takers and * Australian wool industry have no mechanism to ensure prices they receive * Cattle Council of Australia for commodities refl ect costs associated with Management according to land capability sustainable management of natural resources; and * Grains Council of Australia * population drift in some rural regions, the loss * National Farmers’ Federation Managing for weather and of social and commercial infrastructure and climate variation declining development opportunities in small rural * Sheepmeat Council of Australia communities. Nutrient budgeting * Murray-Darling Basin Commission (MDBC) Without intervention, these trends are likely to continue and to result in a progressive degradation of the * Community Advisory Committee of the Murray- Occupational health and environmental, social and economic resources of the Darling Basin Ministerial Council safety plan Basin, and of the nation as a whole. * Australian Local Government Association The Landmark project Quality assurance * World Wide Fund for Nature. This directory was developed to inform the Murray- There will be three key outputs for the project as Darling Basin Commission’s (MDBC) Landmark project. Retention and management of a whole. The fi rst will be methods for assessing native vegetation Landmark is assessing the future of broadacre dryland biophysical, economic and social sustainability