Introduction

A partnership between Southern Rivers Catchment

Management Authority (CMA), the Department of Environment and Climate Change (DECC) and landholders in

the Southern Rivers region is demonstrating applications of composted recycled organics (RO) in land rehabilitation.

The project demonstrates potential uses for recycled organics products following best practice guidelines for the

using compost in land rehabilitation in three different

settings: rehabilitation of heavily eroded landscapes; rehabilitation of sacrificed drought feedlot paddocks; and

suppression of weed growth in coastal areas.

This case study examines the project two years after the

first demonstration sites were established.

The project identified a sheep property near at Mt Fairy

near Tarago where landholder Tim De Mestre was entering into a riparian management agreement with Southern

Rivers CMA. Tim showed an interest in the recycled

organics trial and offered to host a demonstration site on the property. As part of a drought strategy, Tim was taking

the approach of sacrificing a small number of feed lot paddocks in order to maintain ground cover on the

remainder of the property. The trial seeks to demonstrate the benefits of applying RO to a feedlot paddock to increase

the speed of recovery and longer term health, resilience and productivity of the soil.

What is being done?

Establishment of a demonstration site:

• Scarified paddock direct drilled with black oats and

fertilizer (plot 1 was drilled with oats but not fertilized);

• 5 trial plots of approximately 1Ha each with varying RO

application depths including control - total of 990m3 of product spread with tractor spreader pictured above.

• Application of RO in a 60/40 blend of 60% coarse mulch

and 40% fine soil conditioner

• Soil tests at yearly intervals

• Dry matter comparison within initial oat crop

• On-going monitoring of the site

Who is involved?

DECC Sustainability Programs Division - funding, technical

support and overall coordination.

Southern Rivers CMA - demonstration site sourcing and

establishment, ongoing monitoring of sites.

Merigan Pastoral Partnership - participation in the trial and ongoing monitoring.

Why this approach?

The beneficial properties of composted recycled organics are becoming more widely accepted and are accompanied

by the quality guarantee of an Australian Standard product.

A coarse mulch can reduce irrigation requirements, increase soil temperature, improve moisture and nutrient retention.

Soil conditioners have demonstrated improvements in soil structure, water infiltration, and water holding capacity of

the soil.

At Merigan, a feedlot paddock was to be brought back into

production through a three-year cycle of oats-oats-pasture.

In a time when farmers were being offered an increasing range of incentives and training to conserve ground cover

on the property this project presented an interesting opportunity.

What are the results?

At this stage in the rehabilitation of the paddock there have been some remarkable results. Although soil tests are

inconclusive as to the amelioration of paddock’s natural

resource, observations over the period of the trial have demonstrated a significant benefit from the application of

RO to the site.

Results include:

• Excellent initial germination;

• Dry matter test results showing increased dry weights;

per plant in composted plots;

• Observed increases in moisture available to plants in

composted plots and recorded increased flowering and seeding in these plots;

• A crop that provided a strong performing winter feed for

stock and was grazed heavily;

SOUTHERN RIVERS CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY

CASE STUDY

Drought Feedlot Rehabilitation Trial

What do the partners have to say about it? “Compared to other paddocks with similar history prior to the oats sowing in 2007, the production from the compost laid site has been exceptional.

Growth rates of plants during winter and spring of 2008 far ex-ceeded plant growth in areas that did not receive the compost treatment.

In our situation the compost application has clearly demonstrated rapid amelioration of an over-grazed landscape.”

James Whale, Manager

What are the lessons?

Manager James Swales admitted to over-

grazing the paddock during the 2008 winter. James was surprised at the rate of recovery of

the paddock and has attributed this success in part to the presence of compost.

The scope of this project allowed for limited scientific trials including soil testing and dry

matter weights. Grain from the various plots

was due to be measured using a GPS equipped harvester with the capacity to weigh grain from

a given area. Unfortunately this was not available at the time of harvest.

Additional testing of soil moisture and water holding capacity as well as the impact of RO on

the release of organic and chemical fertilizers

would enhance our understanding of how the cost-benefit ratio can be improved.

Project funding

Funding for compost product, transport and spreading was from the NSW Government.

Funding for fencing, tree planting, maintenance

and erosion control works was from a combination of landholders, NSW Government

and Australian Government.

• Excellent follow up germination from fallen seed -

to the degree that planned additional sowing could

be abandoned.

• The dry matter harvest results from six months

after application (taken from random 50cmx50cm

quadrant) indicate that at this stage, fertilizer has a greater impact on growth than the RO. Although

benefits of RO are clear with plots 2, 4 and 5 producing the greatest weights.

What are the challenges?

Long term results - it is anticipated that the benefits of

this application will be observed in this paddock for years to come.

Disclaimer The Southern Rivers

Catchment Management Authority (SRCMA) and project partners Depart-

ment of Environment and Climate Change (DECC)

have developed this case study for educational

purposes and have made a all reasonable endeavours to ensure the contents of

this case study are factual and free from error. The

SRCMA and DECC shall not be liable for any damage or loss, which may occur in

relation to any person taking action or not on the

basis of this case study.

Contact:

For further information please contact

Peter Pigott SRCMA Nowra peter.pigott@cma.nsw.gov.au

Tel. (02) 4429 4449 Fax: (02) 4429 4458

Dry matter per plant (average of two samples) (g)

0.00

0.20

0.40

0.60

0.80

1.00

1.20

1.40

1.60

1.80

Plot 1 Plot 2 Plot 3 Plot 4 Plot 5

These images demonstrate less cover in plot 3 where no compost was applied. Photos were take in random locations at a similar point on the slope of each plot.

Seed - No Fertilizer Compost @ 20mm

Seed + Fertilizer Compost @ 20mm

Seed + Fertilizer No compost

Seed + Fertilizer Compost @ 10mm

Seed + Fertilizer Compost @ 23mm