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Table 2 Tolga farm management practices

From: High performance of a low input, mixed western Australian farming system: public policy implications from the case of Tolga farm

Conventional broadacre

Phase, liming (incorporated), synthetic fertilisers, herbicides, minimum tillage, livestock supplementary nutrition licks

Conventional but unusual

Livestock proportion, livestock genetic performance, lime application volumes, refurbished equipment, crop selection (frost and livestock synergies), livestock infrastructure, crop grazing*, reefinating

Conventional in other industries but not widely practiced in broadacre

Sap testing and foliar application (mister) especially traces and calcium (horticulture), silage (dairy), kelp (horticulture / turf / home gardening industries)

Unconventional

No insecticide sprays / only re-active fungicide applications / no chemical groups B, N and I / crimp roller** (plant control) / plant nutrition applications (cape weed & crop grazing utilisation) / tillage radish (soil compaction / observed to be a good companion to clover***) / confined feeding to reduce BCS over 2nd trimester (twin & triplet bearing composite ewes BCS 4 to 3) / SOA (in solution) + molasses to speed residue breakdown before seeding / banded liquid Ca at seeding

  1. *https://www.publish.csiro.au/an/pdf/AN15850
  2. **https://www.mytengineering.com.au/products/rollers/myt-crimper-roller
  3. ***Personal observation by Brendon Savage
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Sustainable Earth Reviews

ISSN: 2520-8748