Farmer and fertiliser industry meetings were held in Busselton this week to identify ways to optimise fertiliser use and reduce nutrient loss off farms.
With over 70% of nutrients entering the Vasse Wonnerup wetlands from fertiliser use from beef and dairy grazing properties, farmers and the fertiliser industry are critical partners to improve water quality.
“We met with four of our young, progressive farmers in the morning to learn more about how they make their fertiliser decisions” said Bree Brown from GeoCatch.
“The farmers are keen to maximise pasture growth, particularly in short seasons like we have seen this year, but they are also keen to make sure their fertiliser stays on farm and doesn’t end up in our waterways” said Bree.
Soil testing, weather, price of feed and fertiliser and experience were all factors the farmers used to make their fertiliser decisions.
“GeoCatch are keen to support farmers make informed fertiliser decisions by supporting them through soil testing programs” said Bree.
Twenty farmers have signed up for this year’s soil testing program which will help identify opportunities to optimise fertiliser applications. To date, the program has tested over 40,600 Ha of land in the Geographe catchment.
The afternoon meeting was held with representatives from the main fertiliser companies, Western Dairy and the peak fertiliser body Fertilizer Australia.
A major focus of the discussions were improving consistency with soil testing methodology and terminology.
“Improving consistency is critical to improving farmer confidence in soil testing results” said Jeff Kraak from Fertilizer Australia. “We need to ensure we are working to agreed standards so the whole industry is working at best practice”.
An outcome from the meeting was for Fertilizer Australia to lead the fine tuning of standards for soil sampling in pastures in South West WA.
“The member companies of Fertilizer Australia and AFSA are very aware of their environmental responsibilities and have developed the Fertcare® program to provide training and improve skills and knowledge of people working in the fertiliser industry” said Jeff.
The Fertcare program aims to ensure high quality fertiliser advice is passed onto farmers, allowing them to optimise productivity whilst minimising environmental and food safety risks.
For more information on the Fertcare program visit www.fertcare.com.au