Every so often I do get some satisfaction that my thoughts on the future of cropping could very well be true.
The seriousness of the current gulf war affects all parts of our farming systems, particularly fuel supplies and urea production. Urea, with its 46 per cent nitrogen content, is our major source of nitrogen for our farming systems.
I did suggest a couple of weeks ago that some farmers could plant high-biomass legume crops like faba beans or even soybeans and use them as a mulch-type crop to reap the huge benefits of residual nitrogen.
A good crop of faba beans with an expected yield of four to five tonnes per hectare could leave behind 150 kilograms per hectare of nitrogen if mulched.
Of course, this is not all immediately available to the next crop, but it does become available over time as faba bean plant parts and roots break down in the soil.
Chickpeas are much less of a nitrogen contributor, but do more in this aspect than mungbeans.
To reiterate however, all of these big residual nitrogen benefits mentioned here only come about if the plants are mulched into the soil, not harvested for the grain.
If you harvest any of these legume crops, then it basically halves the residual nitrogen numbers and, as a result, their benefits.
So, is it worth it to use precious stored moisture in the ground to grow a big biomass legume crop, only to not harvest the grain and instead work it back into the soil profile?
That is a debatable subject and it comes down in part to the hope of normal fuel and gas supplies returning soon.
Farm managers and their agronomic advisors also need to crunch some savvy numbers when considering this approach.
Dare I say it, we will all need the weather to cooperate for the next 12 months or longer.
In the meantime, the very popular and informative Winter Crop Planter workshop at Inverai Hall north of Warra, originally planned for March, was postponed due to flooding until 9 April with a 10am start.
Please RSVP to myself at paul@pulseaus.com to take part in this day of expert discussions with hardware displays and machinery talks.
