On The Land
8 April, 2022
Growers look to composting
THE technical aspects of composting and how soil health can improve through composting were the focus of a workshop in Walkamin last week.
Growcom hosted the Australian Organics Recycling Association’s (AORA) Compost in Agriculture statewide workshop which attracted 48 attendees who took the opportunity to learn about the technical aspects of compost production and to hear one of the best presentations to date around soil health, soil biology and how these are enhanced using composts.
“There is great interest in the horticulture industry of benefits to the crop and environment that compost brings,” Growcom Hort360GBR officer Phil Laycock said.
“Access to a consistent supply of quality farming compost is one of the factors limiting more farmers from experiencing the benefits of compost on their soil health, crop production and their ability to contribute to environmental stewardship.
“As well as presenting the latest knowledge to growers and industry extension officers about compost in horticulture this workshop presented an opportunity for all parts of the organic materials waste management and compost production chain to begin to discuss a regional approach to addressing the compost supply deficit.”
The event was sponsored by the Queensland Government, Queensland Farmers Federation and AORA and hosted by Growcom for the Dry Tropics and Tablelands regions.
Growers said they were interested in composting but now with the surging prices of chemical fertilisers, they see composting as an essential component of trying to rein in production costs and protect their soil assets.
The workshop was hosted under the Hort360 GBR program and presented by wellknown agronomist Mr David Hall.
Growcom’s Cairns-based HORT360 GBR and Reef Certifi cation Facilitator Phil Laycock said the day was a great success and all attendees took away new knowledge and enthusiasm.