Digital Commons Network^™

Nutrient Recovery Via Anaerobic Digestion Of Supermarket Food Waste And Re-Use As Fertiliser In Potting Media For The Urban Retail Market; A Proof Of Concept Using Digestate And Biochar, Bede Mickan, Somayeh Zarezadeh, Sasha Jenkins, Aitian Ren, Zakaria Solaimon, Megan H. Ryan

The State of Soil Science in WA

Food waste can be diverted from landfill and utilised via anaerobic digestion (AD) to produce biogas. The liquid by-product of AD is commonly referred to as digestate, and this can be an organic certifiable biofertilizer. Digestate in Europe is frequently used in agriculture, though is not commonly used in the urban retail market. Biochar is another organic matter which can adsorb and retain the nutrients, and also could decrease the adverse effects of high nitrogen content of soil.

Food Waste Can Be Diverted From Landfill And Utilised Via Anaerobic Digestion (Ad) To Produce Biogas. The Liquid By-Product Of Ad Is Commonly Referred To As Digestate, And This Can Be An Organic Certifiable Biofertilizer. Digestate In Europe Is Frequently Used In Agriculture, Though Is Not Commonly Used In The Urban Retail Market. Biochar Is Another Organic Matter Which Can Adsorb And Retain The Nutrients, And Also Could Decrease The Adverse Effects Of High Nitrogen Content Of Soil, Edward Arnold Griffin, Karen Holmes

The State of Soil Science in WA

Soil information is critical for efficient and sustainable agricultural management. However, there is typically a hiatus between soil information which government agencies charged with supporting agriculture develop and deliver, and the information land managers can easily use for management in the paddock. This hiatus is largely due to (1) differences in the spatial scale of information needed by these different groups, and (2) communication-style inhibiting soil science information into management advice. We outline and evaluate a ‘three factor functional soil classification’ based on soil texture, depth, and gravel content for south-western WA, referred to as Profile Texture Classes (PTC).

Bioenergy And Carbon Farming Opportunities In The Pilbara, Robert Sudmeyer, Kim Brooksbank, David Rogers

Bulletins 4000 -

The Pilbara region covers 270 000 square kilometres of north-west Western Australia. Its main agricultural land use is pastoralism, with beef cattle grazing native pastures. Currently, only 24km² is under irrigation, with irrigated fodder the principal crop, but this could expand to 100km². This expansion has the potential to significantly broaden the economic base of the Pilbara.

Irrigation and the opportunities for changing land use and management may facilitate greater participation in the carbon economy by Pilbara land managers. Bioenergy feedstocks could be sourced from purpose-grown crops or agricultural wastes. Carbon farming activities may be facilitated by …

Biomass Scoping Study: Opportunities For Agriculture In Western Australia, Kim Brooksbank, Mitchell Lever, Harriet Paterson, Melissa Weybury

Bulletins 4000 -

This report aims to provide a summary of national and international activity in the use of agricultural by-products for the production of bioenergy and biofuels. The summary is primarily an internal report for the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA), but will hopefully be of some value to industry proponents that are interested in pursuing the opportunities provided by what are currently low value agricultural waste products. We outline three processes for obtaining energy from these by-products that may be appropriate for the farming sector in Western Australia (WA).

Carbon Farming In Relation To Western Australian Agriculture, Robert Sudmeyer, Jackson Parker, Tanmoy Nath, Ananda Ghose

Bulletins 4000 -

Carbon farming activities need to return multiple economic and environmental co-benefits to be attractive to land managers. This bulletin summarises concepts underlying carbon farming, how Australia accounts for greenhouse gas emissions and the potential for Western Australian land managers to participate in, and benefit from, carbon farming.

Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Meredith Fairbanks, David Bowran, Geraldine Pasqual

Bulletins 4000 -

Agriculture contributes 15.5 per cent of Australia’s emissions (Figure 1), largely due to methane, from ruminant livestock digestion, nitrous oxide from soils and carbon dioxide from fossil fuel use (Australian National Greenhouse Accounts 2011; ABARES 2011).

This bulletin identifies current ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from Australian agriculture.

Crop Updates 2010 - Genetically Modified Crops, Nutrition And Soils, James Fisher, Désirée Futures, Peter Tozer, Mike Jackson, John Moore, Jamees Neilsen, Geoff Anderson, Wen Chen, Richard Bell, Paul Blackwell, Allan Herbert, Stephen Davies, Ross Brennan, Mike Bolland, James Easton, Ryan Guthrie, Rowan Madderm, Robert Belford, Wal Anderson, Ian Edwards, Reg Lunt, Bill Bowden, Nigel Metz, Peter Newman, Breanne Best, Chris Gazey, Joel Andrew

Crop Updates

GENETICALLY MODIFIED CROPS

1. Evaluation of the environmental and economic impact of Roundup Ready® canola in the Western Australian crop production system, James Fisher and Désirée Futures, York, Western Australia, Peter Tozer, PRT Consulting, Armidale NSW

2. Controlling wild radish (Raphanus raphanistrum) in Roundup Ready®¹ Canola: Outcomes from the Nufarm 2009 Roundup Ready small plot trial Program, Mike Jackson, Nufarm Australia Limited

3. Weed strategies for glyphosate tolerant crops, John Moore, Department of Agriculture and Food

4. Results of the 2009 Western Australia Roundup Ready® canola trials, Dr James Neilsen, Canola Systems …

Crop Updates 2010 - Crop Specific, Hugh J. Beckie, Wallace Cowling, T. N. Khan, K. Adhikari, K. Siddique, J. Garlinge, L. Smith, S. Morgan, C. Boyd, Ian Pritchard, Chris Veitch, Alan Harris, Tony Leonforts, Murray Blyth, Shari Dougal, Kristy Hobson, Ben Curtis, Doug Sawkins, D. Stephens, Ciara Beard, Kith Jayasena, Kazue Tanaka, Anne Smith, Brenda Coutts, Roger Jones, Jean Galloway, Pip Payne, Tess Humphreys, William Macleod, Ravjit Khangura, M. Aberra, H. Mian, Geoff Thomas, Dusty Severtson, Peter Mangano, Monica Kehoe, Madeline A. Tucker, Neil Barker, Robert Loughman, Larisa Cato, Ken Quail, Mohammad Amjad, Mark Seymour, Justin Kudnig, Mark Thompson, Anton Mannes, Michael Uttley, Chris Fletcher, Andrew Etherton, Nick Joyce, Kate Light, Peter Hamblin, Michael Lamond, Alan Meldrum, Wayne Parker, Steve Penny Jr, Sarah Ellis, Brenda Shackley, Christine Zaicou, Shajahan Miyan, Darshan Sharma, Ben Curtis, Greg Shea, Bevan Buirchell, David Harris, Bob French

Crop Updates

This session covers twenty four papers from different authors:

PLENARY

1. Challenges facing western Canadian cropping over the next 10 years, Hugh J Beckie, Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saskatoon,

Saskatchewan

CROP SPECIFIC

Breeding

2. The challenge of breeding canola hybrids – new opportunities for WA growers, Wallace Cowling, Research Director, Canola Breeders Western Australia Pty Ltd

3. Chickpea 2009 crop variety testing of germplasm developed by DAFWA/CLIMA/ICRISAT/COGGO alliance. Khan, TN1,3, Adhikari, K1,3, Siddique, K2, Garlinge, J1, Smith, L1, Morgan, S1 and Boyd, C1 1Department …

Climate Change Response Strategy, Anne Bennett

Bulletins 4000 -

Climate change and policies introduced to reduce emissions will affect the agricultural sector and will lead to social and economic outcomes.

In addressing the Western Australian Government's priority plan for the agriculture and food sector, the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia has a number of roles it can play to assist industry to adapt and respond to climate change.

This document provides a balanced and coordinated strategic direction for climate change activities by identifying and prioritising key actions to be achieved over the next five years. The strategy is split into four chapters: emissions abatement, carbon sinks, adapting …