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Re: double sowing barley & winter wheat! add alfalfa? (fwd) read about the following kind of method:



>>
>>comments: savings in tillage, savings (earnings?!) in humus, savings in
>>	  nutrients, environment less polluted by nutrients, better
>>	  overwintering conditions for winter crop. tests indicate crops
>>	  harvested are about the same size as those gotten using the
>>	  "conventional" method in finland.
>>
>People who use one pass broad acre techniques, supply nitrogen to the crop
>to compensate for the nitrogen lost to the growing plant by the straw. 
>breaking down. Leached nitrogen from this practice gets to our Waterways.

Hi. 
I would like to follow up the discussion with a report of WANTFA. West 
Australian No Tillage Farmers Association, given at the AGM of the Land 
Management Society of W.A. yesterday.

Membership has grown to 300 in just 2years.

The members of this Assoc. establish crops with only one sowing pass of the 
machinery . Mostly based at Esperance in the South East of W.A. these 
farmers are tackling the problems of wind erosion etc. and coming up with
exciting results. Rotations of wheat, lupins, wheat are producing crops
equivalent to the best results by normal cultivation. Canola results have 
also been excellent.

The trials on wheat after Pasture were significant in that yields were
increased by the addition of 40 kg of n/ha. The top yield in this trial
was 3.5 tonne per ha.
NOTE: In Wheat after lupins trials the REDUCTION of yield was 390 kg/ha
BY THE ADDITION OF 40 kg of n/ha.
The top yield in this trial was 4.32 tonne/ha.

The increase in earth worms in the cropped areas is also reported as
significant.

The only factor to cause concern, is that the control of weeds in this 
technique is the use of and cost of sprays.

The Newsletter I have, indicates that members may be touring North America
at the moment.

Copy's of the newsletter may be received by sending $A20 and writing to.

               WANTFA.
               c/-Kondinin Group
                  177 Great Eastern Highway
                     Belmont
                        Western Australia 6104

Regards,
          Vic
--
Victor Guest   V.G.Guest                      Perth, Western Australia
vic.guest@eepo.com.au                         3 McKee Plce Kingsley. 6026
                ----: Sustainable Agriculture :----   Tel. (09) 3092108
--: The Land Management Society & The Permaculture Association:----