Reduced tillage

The Soil Wealth ICP team has been busy setting up a new network of demonstration sites around the country for the next five years. This will include 10 vegetable sites, aligned with VegNET regions, and four melon sites.

We’re excited to share an update on two confirmed vegetable demonstration sites in Victoria’s south-east and Gippsland: Skye (Butler Market Gardens) and Tarwin (Schreurs & Sons).

Hort Connections 2023 special edition: Soil Wealth ICP panel session at the Annual Vegetable Industry Seminar (AVIS), weed management technology set to be showcased in Queensland, rapid spread of DBM insecticide resistance, Trade Show highlights, Soil Wealth ICP collaborators celebrated at the Horticulture Awards for Excellence and upcoming events.

In this edition: Veg and melon growers to benefit from Soil Wealth ICP Phase 2, Soil Biology Masterclass registrations, Vic veg innovation days showcases Soil Wealth ICP cover crop trial, Bathurst growers prepare for winter cover crops, upcoming events and webinars, demonstration site news from VIC and new resources from VicVID 2023, Biological Products Database updates, and plant sampling for nutrient analysis webinar recording.

In this edition: See our cover crop trial at VicVID, Soil Biology Masterclass registrations, using soil health to manage soil borne disease risk,upcoming events and webinars, demonstration site news from NSW, resources on Phase 2 achievements and meet the Soil Wealth ICP team.

RMCG and AHR have delivered the Soil Wealth ICP project to the Australian vegetable industry on behalf of Hort Innovation. Phase 2 of the project (2017-2022) has now been completed.

Watch this video to find out the highlights from Phase 2 including grower engagement, training and events, demonstration sites, communication products and resources, and progress towards industry outcomes.

In this edition: Tips to correctly identify veg insects, guidance on handling fresh produce exposed to floodwaters, upcoming events and webinars, demonstration site news from WA, resources on reduced till and strip-till for vegetable and potato growers and meet the Soil Wealth ICP team.

Brothers Ed and James Fagan run their 1,400-hectare farm on the banks of the Lachlan River near Cowra, NSW.

The Fagans have been involved with the Soil Wealth project since 2014. They have embraced considerable change, with benefits as well as some difficulties along the way.

Mulgowie Farming Company is an Australian owned and operated vegetable grower and packer.

In collaboration with Soil Wealth ICP, Mulgowie trialled strip-tillage combined with their existing cover cropping practices at their Maffra farm, 220km east of Melbourne.

Their primary goal was to use strip-tillage to improve soil health characteristics like water infiltration and water holding capacity, to improve crop health and yield, reduce costs and ultimately improve profitability.

This guide summarises and provides easy access to useful resources developed by the Soil Wealth and Integrated Crop Protection project from December 2017 to February 2023.

The Three Ryans in Manjimup, Western Australia, first became involved with the Soil Wealth ICP project in 2019 with the goal of improving their soil health by trying cover cropping combined with strip-tillage.

Fast forward three years and, despite some hurdles along the way, the Ryans have adopted the use of cover crops and strip-till more permanently in their operations.

In this episode of InfoVeg TV, produced by AUSVEG, project leads Carl Larsen from RMCG and Gordon Rogers from Applied Horticultural Research provide an overview of Soil Wealth ICP Phase 2 and what it aims to achieve for the Australian vegetable industry.

In this InfoVeg Radio podcast, produced by AUSVEG, project leads Carl Larsen from RMCG and Gordon Rogers from Applied Horticultural Research provide an overview of Soil Wealth ICP Phase 2 and what it aims to achieve for the Australian vegetable industry.

In this edition: Share your thoughts on Soil Wealth ICP Phase 2, upcoming events and webinars, WA and SA field walk wrap-ups, resources on area wide management of lettuce viruses and irrigation management and meet the Soil Wealth ICP team.

On 27 June, a group of growers and industry members attended an inaugural field walk at the Soil Wealth ICP demonstration site in the Northern Territory.

Hosted by grower Jeremy Trembath in Katherine, the demonstration site has focused on improving soil health and building soil resilience to weather events, particularly during the wet season, to prevent erosion and to protect soils.

To achieve this, Jeremy has used cover crops and reduced tillage in preparation for his sweet corn cash crop, and has utilised an integrated approach to pest, disease and weed management.

In this edition: Precision agriculture in vegetable production resources, a new approach to release beneficials, an updated snapshot of soil carbon, upcoming events and webinars, Top End field walk showcases soil health improvements and meet the Soil Wealth ICP team.

In this edition: Update from Hort Connections 2022, entomology and IPM short courses, upcoming events and webinars, insights from demonstration site growers at the Annual Vegetable Industry Seminar, biological products resources, onion diseases webinar recording and meet the Soil Wealth ICP team.

The Annual Vegetable Industry Seminar, held ahead of Hort Connections 2022 in Brisbane, attracted a room full of growers on Monday 6 June.

Presentations included a grower panel from the Soil Wealth ICP project which discussed the cutting-edge practices and technologies that are key to improving productivity, profitability and sustainability in the Australian vegetable industry.

Soil Wealth ICP team members Dr Gordon Rogers and Carl Larsen facilitated the discussion with growers who currently or previously hosted demonstration sites as part of the project. The growers shared why they became involved in Soil Wealth ICP, the areas of soil management and plant health that their demonstration sites focused on, as well as the challenges they have faced and what’s next for their farms.

In this edition: Integrated weed management manual for vegetable growers, biostimulants market to boom by 2026, upcoming events and webinars, demonstration site news, improving phosphorus uptake efficiency in potatoes, strip-till resources and meet the Soil Wealth ICP team.

This four-part Carbon Series from the Soil Wealth ICP project breaks down the practicalities of carbon farming for vegetable growers and looks more closely at soil carbon management.

Part 1 provides an overview of carbon farming and its relevance to Australian vegetable growers.

This four-part Carbon Series from the Soil Wealth ICP project breaks down the practicalities of carbon farming for vegetable growers and looks more closely at soil carbon management.

Part 2 delves into soil carbon and carbon sequestration.

This four-part Carbon Series from the Soil Wealth ICP project breaks down the practicalities of carbon farming for vegetable growers and looks more closely at soil carbon management.

Part 3 discusses carbon emissions in vegetable production.

This four-part Carbon Series from the Soil Wealth ICP project breaks down the practicalities of carbon farming for vegetable growers and looks more closely at soil carbon management.

Part 4 takes you through carbon accounting and the Emissions Reduction Fund.

After 30 years of growing vegetables in southern Queensland, Rob Hinrichsen is well placed to assess the impact of soil health on his farming operation.

Rob founded vegetable production and packing company Kalfresh with his father in the Fassifern Valley, with the operation having expanded considerably over the years to supply produce year-round.

The passion Rob brings for growing healthy, tasty, nutrient-rich food centres around healthy soils.

In this edition: Announcement of our 2022 focus topics, carbon management on vegetable farms webinar recording, upcoming events and webinars, demonstration site news from Western Australia and Victoria, new resources on sorghum cover crops, managing soil-borne diseases in vegetable crops and meet the Soil Wealth ICP team.

In this short video update, Soil Wealth ICP team member Carl Larsen explains how practical approaches such as cover crops and reduced tillage is complementing precision agriculture trials at our demonstration site in Koo Wee Rup, Victoria.

Carbon is the main component of soil organic matter and helps give soil its water-retention capacity, its structure, and its fertility. The management of carbon is not only important for soil health and productive vegetable crops, but is also increasingly important in carbon markets and reducing the effects of climate change.

Watch industry leading researchers, practitioners and growers who tackle some of the most important questions about carbon management on vegetable farms during this webinar.

Farming in the Northern Territory is notoriously challenging: it takes resilience and perseverance to battle the weather and soils.

The Soil Wealth ICP team is working with Jeremy Trembath to establish a new demonstration site on his farm in the Northern Territory. The site aims to build greater resilience to heavy weather events and soil erosion using cover crops, strip-til, soil biology inputs and non-chemical weed control.

In this edition: Soil Biology Masterclass videos, demonstration site news from the Northern Territory and Victoria, a fact sheet on the potential of biochar in vegetable production and meet the Soil Wealth ICP team.

With a strong focus on innovation and sustainable farming practices, Mulgowie Farming Company has teamed up with Soil Wealth ICP to take their soil management to the next level.

Soil Wealth ICP team members Kelvin Montagu and Marc Hinderager look into breakdown of organic matter, agrochemicals and impact on soil biology.

Soil Wealth ICP team member Kelvin Montagu looks at the linkage between key soil functions and soil biology, and the interactions between plant roots and soil biology.

In this global scan we look at some of the changes affecting the integrated crop protection tools available to vegetable growers by examining what is happening elsewhere, globally and in other sectors.

In this edition: new weed management guides for growers, an update on Australia's agvet regulatory system review, upcoming events and webinars, demo site news from Tassie, a new guide on preventing leaf and stem diseases and more.

AHR’s Marc Hinderager and Soilpack Services’ Ian Packer are teaming up to deliver a webinar on soil organic matter, soil biology and the challenges and complexity of estimating mineralisation rates in soils.

The vegetable industry has a growing interest in soil health and beneficial soil microbes, including mycorrhizal fungi. While there is a need for practices that help to boost the beneficial fungi in Australian vegetable crops, getting the benefits under commercial field conditions is not easy.

This case study examines why and how vegetable growers can boost beneficial mycorrhizal fungi in their crops. It also shares the results from a trial which looked at the potential of cover crops, together with commercial mycorrhizal inoculants and reduced soil tillage, to increase the beneficial fungi in vegetable crops.

In this edition: a new weed management guide for wild radish in the vegetable industry, nominate a leader in plant health and soil management at the Hort Connections National Awards for Excellence, farm walks to go virtual in Victoria and resources on reduced tillage.

There are many factors that contribute to strong environmental stewardship in the vegetable industry, and improving soil management and plant health is an important component of business sustainability. But when it comes to finding evidence of the strengths and gaps of your growing operation, it can be difficult to know where to start.

This article from our Partnership Network member EnviroVeg explains how the program can help growers identify these opportunities and take action to ensure their vegetable growing business is environmentally responsible.

In this edition: The future of integrated weed management technologies, demonstration site news from NSW and Victoria, new resources on healthy soils, blackleg in potato and drone regulations podcast.

Being part of a grower group has many benefits. It helps to be on the forefront of new developments in vegetable production and talk to other growers to share successes, challenges and support each other with new ideas.

A group of young growers have joined the Warren Improvement Group in Western Australia to provide a fresh focus on improving vegetable production in the Manjimup region. This case study explains more.

In this edition: Good Soils Guide, seasonal outlook for February to April, demonstration site news from Manjimup, Western Australia and Werribee South, Victoria, and new resources on choosing cover crops, organic soil amendments and spray rig calibration.

There are various ways to reduce erosion, including reducing how much water runs off and the speed of that flow.

This fact sheet provides information on a trial conducted at Forthside Vegetable Research Station at Forth in north western Tasmania, which compared three treatments with a control (no treatment) to reduce the amount of water moving down a hillslope.

Vegetable growers in Australia can now access a comprehensive online resource to improve all aspects of soil health on-farm and increase the efficiency and profitability of their businesses.

The Good Soil Guide is a free online encyclopaedia specifically designed for growers and industry to use in the field. The resource was developed in the United Kingdom as a collaboration between Yorkshire Water, Yorkshire supply chain consultancy Future Food Solutions and soil scientist Neil Fuller.

Integrated Weed Management (IWM) is vital for getting on top of weed problems in vegetable production, or for keeping the farm relatively weed-free. This webinar will look at the capacity of both summer and winter cover crops to out-compete weeds during non-cash cropping periods, reduce the weed seedbank and improve soil health.

Integrated weed management (IWM) is vital for getting on top of weed problems in vegetable production. It involves combining all appropriate weed control options in a coordinated, supportive and flexible way. A key outcome of effective IWM in vegetable production is the reduction of the weed seed bank (the number of viable weed seeds present in the soil) to ensure that the weed burden is minimised.

Read how snow pea grower Kim Ngov found a solution for his weed management challenges using ryegrass as an inter-row cover crop.

Koo Wee Rup Grower Group - Cover crops and strip tillage in organic production with Dr Kelvin Montagu (27 October 2020)

In this edition: New guide to brassica biofumigant cover crops, seasonal outlook for vegetable growing areas, demonstration site findings from Manjimup, Western Australia and Koo Wee Rup, Victoria, and new resources including a poster on the ins and outs of variable rate application.

With assistance from the Soil Wealth project team, the Three Ryans, located at Manjimup, WA, decided to try the cover crop + strip till combo to see what benefits there are for their vegetable farm. So, an on-farm strip till demonstration plot was established in a broccoli crop. This has seen cost savings and soil benefits, compared to their conventionally grown broccoli crop.

In this edition: Get effective R&D support in a remote setting, demonstration site news from Victoria and Bathurst, NSW, and new resources on managing salinity in potato and vegetable production.

Agronomists, Dr Pieter Van Nieuwenhuyse and Marc Hinderager, discuss the outcomes from a case study carried out on a pumpkin farm in Bathurst, NSW. You will hear how inter-row ground cover may assist you in suppressing weeds and a more integrated approach, using cover crops and strip-till, might help you reduce the use of herbicides. And not disturbing the soil, will result in better water infiltration rates and moisture retention.

Vegetable grower, Michael Camenzuli, managed to grow pumpkins without the use of plastics. Instead, he used a cover crop (rolled and strip-tilled) resulting in cleaner pumpkins at harvest.

Cover crops and strip tillage live webinar panel session with a focus on cover crops, strip-tillage and slug and snail management.

Combining cover crops with strip-till is proving a winner for vegetable soils and crops. In the Cowra Case Study Part I, we detailed cucumber crop benefits. In Part II we dig a bit deeper to look at the soil health benefits from cover crop + roller crimper + strip-till which underpinned the outstanding yield result.

Grey pumpkins (var. Sampson) were planted the week of 4 November 2019, following strip tillage of terminated ryecorn and conventional tillage (rotary hoe) of terminated oats and vetch cover crop areas respectively. Clomazone herbicide was applied post- sowing pre-emergent (PSPE) at a rate of 0.4 kg a.i./ha and incorporated immediately with 25 mm irrigation water. A small control area was left untreated (no herbicide), both for the strip tilled ryecorn and conventionally tilled oats and vetch cover crop areas. A month post-sowing, most of the conventionally tilled area was inter-row cultivated.

Read this case study to find out more about the trial design, results and key take homes.

Cover crops + roller crimper + strip-tillage have proven a winning combination for a partnership between
Mulyan Farms’ Ed Fagan and AHR’s Marc Hinderager from the Soil Wealth ICP project.

Lyndon Orpwood from Simplot Australia (Bathurst, NSW) explains how strip-tillage has improved moisture retention and field productivity. The benefits include stubble retention, greater efficiency and reduced diesel usage.

Ed Fagan (Cowra, NSW) explains how strip-tillage and cover cropping compliment each other for a successful cucumber crop.

Hear from industry experts on how strip-till will save you fuel and time, increase soil organic matter, reduce erosion and compaction, and how fertilisers can be banded at multiple depths.

Dr Kelvin Montagu demonstrates the erosion control benefits of strip-tillage in vegetable production.

Jeff McSpedden from Bathurst explains how strip tillage has improved the productivity of sweet corn on hist farm.

Strip-till is a system of cultivation that works strips of soil where the crop will be planted or sown and leaves most of the soil covered and undisturbed.

Watch this video to find out more about the benefits and challenges of using strip tillage in vegetable production systems, as well as testimonials from growers.

Looking to reduce establishment costs, improve your soil and save some time? Then have a look at strip-till this year.

Read this article to find out more about the benefits of stip-till, improvements to soil health, challenges, and what growers are saying after using stip-till.

Strip-till is a system of cultivation that works strips of soil where the crop will be planted or sown and leaves most of the soil covered and undisturbed.

Read this fact sheet to find out more about the benefits and challenges of strip-till, as well practical considerations out in the paddock.

This guide summarises useful information developed by the Soil Wealth and Integrated Crop Protection (ICP) Phase 1 projects from 2014-2017, and where to find it. These resources are relevant to all major vegetable growing regions in Australia. The resources developed includes fact sheets (51), case studies (12), videos and apps (36), e-newsletters (32 editions), as well as demonstration site information. The main topics covered by these resources include crop management, pest and disease management, and soil, nutrition and compost.

All the resources in this guide can be found on this project website.

Six years ago, Rob Hinrichsen and his team at Kalfresh decided to focus on four key practices – controlled traffic, cover crops, soil biology and compost – to improve the soil health across their farms. The main drivers were to improve crop yield and quality, as well as the sustainability of the business.

Rob’s emphasis on softer tillage, boosting organic matter with compost and cover crops has helped the soil recover and support a healthy population of beneficial soil organisms. Rob supplements the naturally occurring biology by using specific beneficial organisms to improve the robustness of his farming system.

This case study provides insights into some of the main changes involving controlled traffic, cover crops and compost at the Kalfresh demonstration site in Queensland.

Join the Cornell SFP as they team up with Michigan State University and the University of Maine to offer three webinars and share the latest research on reduced tillage for organic vegetable production. Learn about practices that fit your operation, from permanent beds, tarps, and mulches, to cover cropping, strip tillage, and cultivation tools.

Reduced tillage can produce similar or better yields than more aggressive conventional tillage. It opens the door to improving soil health.

This case study outlines the pros and cons of reducing the intensity of cultivation in vegetable production systems. It is based on lessons learnt from three demonstration sites conducted as part of the Soil Wealth and Integrated Crop Protection (ICP) projects (2014 – 2016).

The Soil Wealth ICP team sat down with InfoVeg TV to chat about the project and its aim to communicate information about soil management and plant health to Australian vegetable growers to help the industry grow sustainably using healthy soils.

This webinar with Nematode specialist Dr Sarah Collins from Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development WA focused on the pest nematode, outlining the life cycles of the root-knot and root-lesion nematodes and how this can be used to target control measures.

The webinar also covered beneficial free living nematodes and how these can be managed and used as soil health indicators.

Members of the Soil Wealth and ICP team were recently interviewed for the Potatoes Australia magazine. The key message? Many of the soil health and plant protection practices relevant to vegetables, also apply to potatoes.

Click through to read the article.

The Vegetable SOILpak manual was developed by NSW Department of Primary Industries to provide soil information relevant to irrigated vegetable production in New South Wales. The manual aims to provide decision support for landholders and advisers, helping to maintain or improve productivity over both the short and long term.

The Soil Wealth and Integrated Crop Protection projects provide R&D extension services, products and communication on improved soil management and plant health to the Australian vegetable industry.

From 2014 to 2017, RMCG and AHR have delivered the projects for Horticulture Innovation Australia. Phase 1 of the projects have now been completed. So, what’s been achieved?

This fact sheet outlines key factors and the management options for the successful transition from cover crop to cash crop in vegetable production systems.

The Werribee demonstration site held its first farm walk on 2 September 2016, hosted by Andrew Fragapane. After three lettuce crops over 10 months it was time to have a look at how the crops and soils were measuring up under the conventional-, reduced- and minimum-tillage practices. With the number of cultivations at 23, 6 and 2, respectively, some big difference could be expected.

Despite the hard setting soils the reduced-till practice was coming out as a clear winner, maintaining yields and reducing tractor, fuel and labour costs, and allowing the soil biology to do some of the heavy lifting in building a more stable soil structure which the crop roots seems to be enjoying.

The Soil Wealth and ICP projects have managed a demonstration site at Kalfresh since early 2015.

The results from the demonstration site confirm that by following four principles in managing vegetable cropping soils, both soil condition and financial returns can be maximised. It’s a true win:win situation.

A healthy topsoil is a great asset to have, as this layer of soil contains the highest concentration of organic matter, micro-organisms, nutrients and biological activity. Lost topsoil can’t be replaced in a human’s lifespan. Therefore erosion, probably the biggest culprit in the loss of topsoil, should be effectively managed.

This fact sheet provides essential information on managing soil erosion, including reducing the impact of wind and water. The easy to read publication also guides decision-making on managing your irrigation system, controlling run-off water, covering exposed soil areas, improving soil structure and increasing cohesion between soil particles.

The Soil Wealth and ICP project team set up a “cover crop” trial there as a real farm demonstration to help growers adopt sustainable practices, and, importantly, improve their bottom line. The trial, near Cowra, in the Central West region of NSW.

All the cover crops resulted in higher yields than the fallow control. The highest yields in this trial were obtained with clover (+48%) and field peas (+36%), but ryegrass alone and compost were also effective in increasing yields compared to bare fallow.

Vegetable growers and advisors discuss how attending a master class has changed the way they manage soilborne diseases and influenced their business.

A summary of the importance of soil, soil science and good soil management from a Victorian perspective.

Missed the Bulmer Farm Walk on 21 May 2015? Catch up on reduced tillage options in vegetables in this video from Jeanette Servers of Good Fruit & Vegetable.

This video documentary showcases grower practices used to better manage sweetpotato pests in their Australian sweetpotato production systems. It was produced as a result of project VG09052 'Integration of crop and soil insect management in sweetpotato', which was undertaken by the Australian Sweetpotato Growers Association (ASPG inc).

This book is a practical guide to ecological soil management that provides background information as well as details of soil-improving practices. It is meant to give the reader an appreciation of the importance of soil health and to suggest ecologically sound practices that help to develop and maintain healthy soils.

This article from the Journal of Soil and Water Conservation discusses the outcomes of a long-term experiment comparing selected no-tillage grain cropping systems and a reduced-tillage organic system.

ONCE a thorn in the side of vegetable growers, insects and bugs are now being welcomed back into commercial crops.

A reduced till system on this Cowra vegetable farm delivered soil, cost and crop benefits.

NSW farmers, Ed and James Fagan explain how they developed a reduced tillage vegetable farming operation in Cowra, NSW.

Reduced till is a system change that relies on keeping the soil in a healthy condition through the use of permanent beds, controlled traffic, cover cropping and crop rotations rather than frequent cultivation.

Want to get an good overview of soil biology, then this video is a good place to start.