Farming Pathways
Being part of a 2 day conference in WA. Dr Christine Jones asked Martin to talk about the seed grading aspect of growing a Multi Species.
Click on the photo to watch the' ‘Farming Pathways’ video
Martin telling a seed grading story.
Martin has a unique way of expressing himself and the stories he tells are both comedic and serious at the same time. He also has the ability of going down worm holes discussing an area that is linked with the question at hand and then popping up to encompass the holistic breadth of the topic before coming back to the subject to answer the question. If you get a chance I strongly suggest you join a field day where he is talking because it is a lot of fun and a real mind altering process.
4 way mix BEFORE grading
Daikon Radish graded from a 4 way mix
Oats graded from a 4 way mix
Lupin also graded from a 4 way mix
Growing a MS mix means there are several opportunities open to you. There are a lot of variables depending on what you are trying to achieve. In this case the 4-way mix was grown and then graded into separate categories; some were used as seed and some joined the commodity market. There was always the ability to keep some as feed in case a neighbour needed to use the feedlot.
Growing a MS cash crop means that when the crop is looking poor there is the option to bring in livestock, either cattle or sheep. In this instance Darren brought the sheep in to graze the struggling sorghum.
Sorghum loves to be grazed, it doubles the root mass and produces much more vigorous growth above ground. The sorghum in these photos went on to produce a fantastic yield and the sheep did really well on the graze as well. I suppose you could say this MS mix produced 2 cash crops and increased the health of the soil. Win, win, win.
A question that is often asked: What happens when the different species ripen at different rates?
What is often seen is that they usually ripen collectively. Martin has noticed that the barley is an exception to this rule. It tends to ripen a lot earlier than the rest of the mix. However, it uses the other crops as protection until harvest time.
Look how short the barley is compared to the oats, lupin and Daikon radish.
Even with the genetic manipulation to grow shorter varieties of barley Martin just sets the header on low and it all ends up in the box.
As you can see by the photo the barley is half the height of the rest of the MS species so at harvest because the header is set so low there is less height to the standing cover and more chaff created. I would like to see a variety that is taller so harvest is more economical.
What I have learnt over the years is that it isn’t the plant that has the issue, it’s us. Crops lodge because they are weak, it is a mineral issue, not enough calcium. Calcium is tricky for plants to up-take when we artificially apply it. So we need to create the ideal environment in the soil for calcium to be available. Mychorrizal fungi helps the plant to exchange the calcium in the soil into the roots of the plant.
I am a big believer in Calcium being far more important than a Nitrogen application but the secret is to make sure the conditions are right in the soil for maximum uptake of available Calcium. I’m talking about adding a synergistic plant that enhances mychorrizal fungi in the soil rather than applying it via the mechanical means. Try oats and sunflowers as a starter.
Listen to a couple of John Kempfs podcasts when he talks about the importance of Ca over N.