An eight-year project by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development to improve fertiliser use on-farm and deliver environmental benefits has received national industry recognition.
The Whole Farm Nutrient Mapping project, which has soil tested and nutrient mapped more than 600 farms from Bremer Bay to Gingin, has been assessed as meeting Fertcare® standards.
Department senior research officer David Weaver said the recognition meant landholders taking part in the project could be assured that industry-recognised best practice was being used to inform better fertiliser decisions.
He said the scale of the project, which helped highlight where there was an excess or lack of nutrients on the farm, had been significant.
“After eight seasons, officers have mapped 661 farms, tested 14,100 paddocks and covered 170,000 hectares,” Mr Weaver said.
“The nutrient mapping team have left ‘no soil particle unturned’ to ensure the sampling, analysis and interpretation is consistently providing an accurate representation of what is happening in each paddock.
“The mapping is designed to lead to improved fertiliser use efficiency, a major cost on farms, and reduce the movement of nutrients off-farm into regional estuaries and waterways.”
Mr Weaver said whole farm nutrient mapping removed the mystique from soil test interpretation by presenting results in an easy to understand, colour-coded map for participating landholders.
He said being recognised as a Fertcare® Interpretation service provider involved a rigorous assessment process.
“This not only provides recognition for the team, but also assurance to farmers who are enrolled in a whole farm nutrient mapping program sporting the Fertcare® logo that standards in sampling, analysis and interpretation have been adhered to,” he said.
Landholders seeking specific fertiliser advice based on the nutrient maps are encouraged to obtain recommendations from one of the Fertcare Accredited Advisors on the project agronomic panel.
Funding for the Fertcare® assessment was provided by the Regional Estuaries Initiative to demonstrate the process was meeting industry standards.
Led by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation, the Regional Estuaries Initiative is a State Government Royalties for Regions program to improve the health of our regional estuaries.