• New fertiliser research could contribute to the sustainability and profitability of Australian agriculture
• A Charles Sturt University academic conducted the research to identify fertilisers that farmers used and their impact on crop yields
• The result is reduced cost of inorganic fertilisers and producing more food with less environmental impact

Research by a Charles Sturt University agribusiness academic explores on-farm variable inputs in southern NSW to establish the economic benefits of the use of organic matter in agriculture.

Associate Professor in Agribusiness Richard Culas in the Charles Sturt School of Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences in Orange conducted the study for the Soil Cooperative Research Centre (CRC). Professor Culas is also a member of the Charles Sturt Gulbali Institute for Agriculture, Water and Environment.

The research, titled ‘Assessing economic feasibility and benefits of adopting high-grade organic fertilisers recovered from waste streams’, identified potential organic fertilisers that farmers can use and assessed their impacts on crop yields, soil health and associated co-benefits.

Assessments were conducted on farms with three different soil types at Holbrook and Tamworth and, as a result, farmers net incomes have been estimated with and without carbon values.

“Organic fertilisers are increasingly being used in cropping systems to improve soil health and crop yields in Australia, however, their impact is complex and depends on a variety of factors, in particular their economic feasibility to use and any risk involved,” Professor Culas said.

“To estimate their impact, Agriculture Production System Simulator (APSIM) modelling was done.

“APSIM simulates crop growth, soil water movement, nutrient cycling, and soil organic carbon dynamics.”

Data was collected through crop yields and a survey of farmers in southern NSW.

The results showed that organic fertilisers, when combined with inorganic (chemical) fertilisers, could be used as substitutes for solely using the nitrogen mineral fertilisers in growing crops as these treatments sustained productivity while improving soil health.

“The outcome of this project makes a significant contribution to the sustainability and profitability of Australian agriculture by reducing the cost of inorganic fertiliser use and to produce more food with less environmental impact,” Professor Culas said.

“The framework and tools developed from this project can help farmers and industry to assess the multiple financial and environmental benefits that the use of organic fertilisers can bring.”