“A long time ago I read a question on the back of a fertiliser bag, which said ‘will you and your family still be farming in 200 years’ time?” Frank says.
“That really stuck with me, and an interest was sparked in me to make sure the land would be a viable farm well into the future.”
Frank operates The Horseshoe dairy with his brother Robert, sister-in-law Lanore, and niece Christine. When the Burgess family took over in 1980, they were determined to make improvements to the land to improve soil health to support optimal pastures.
“Dairy cows need pasture or good quality silage and to grow that quality, the soil needs to be stable and healthy,” Frank says.
Planning ahead
Implementing effective soil management plans helps improve nutrient levels and plant availability and reduces the dairy industry’s environmental impact. According to the Australian Dairy Sustainability Framework, soil and nutrient management plans have been adopted by 59 per cent of farmers.
The first step for the Burgess family was constructing contour banks to combat erosion, with about 150 metres built across each of the 120 hectares on the 350-hectare property.
Where previously, ploughing and cultivation were common, the Burgesses shifted towards minimum tillage, reducing use of chemicals to combat weeds, all enhancing soil health.
“We have red soil here and because the soil particles are so small and compact easily, zero tillage is difficult to achieve,” Frank says.
“With less frequent ploughing, there's less damage to soil structure, and less exposure of our soil biology.
“Maintaining a healthy level and diversity of soil biology has been a big focus for us, so anything we can do to improve this aspect of our soil has to be of benefit long-term.”
Since adopting their own soil and nutrient management plan from 2012, the Burgesses have looked towards matching soil inputs and outputs, recognising the tremendous level of nutrient removals that occur with forage production.
“There is no such thing has a free lunch when it comes to growing forage crops on our soils,” Frank says.
Frank says there will be a continued effort to improve soil health wherever possible, leading to good pasture for silage production. Soil testing plays a big part in soil health improvement, as the results help determine which fertilisers are needed.
Biodiversity focus
Grants have allowed for certain areas of scrub country to be fenced off from any mechanical disturbance, specifically to encourage biodiversity in the area.
At times, these grants have come with bonuses such as a complementary water trough in a neighbouring paddock. The Burgesses further improved water management, with the installation of an automatically radio-controlled switch for one of the bore pumps, based on tank level.
“When the tank is full, the pump switches off automatically; when levels drop, it turns on. It’s early days, but we expect this to save a lot of water,” Frank says.
Previously, a timer was used to turn the pump on and off, but water use needs to vary with changing weather, meaning this method had its problems.
“The pump really has to run based on levels, rather than time, so we expect a huge saving from this new switch,” explains Frank.
As an example, he hopes to start applying pelletised lime with an airseeder, rather than incorporating the product and disturbing the soil.
Dairy farming can have positive impacts on biodiversity and the ecosystem through land management practices and protection of natural resources. The Burgess family is an example of this.
“We don’t know what the future will hold, but if we don’t take sustainability seriously, we probably won’t be here for very long,” Frank says.
To find out more about how Dairy Australia supports farmers to better manage climate and environment, visit dairyaustralia.com.au/climate-and-environment or contact your regional office.
