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"Without Fertiliser we wouldnt be able to farm up here"

Story Added : 17th February 2010

When Pindar farmer Lindsay Olman surveys his 2800ha (7000ac) property these days he’s filled with memories of changing technologies through the years.

From rudimentary combine seeders pulled by kerosene-fuelled tractors to today’s sophisticated four-wheel drive prime movers and technologically-advanced air seeders.

But all the technological advances would count for nothing in the absence of fertilisers.

Having started his farming career in 1949 at Tenindewa working for his parents and brothers followed by share farming experiences throughout the Mullewa district, Lindsay finally settled in 1968 on his own farm at Pindar where he was among a handful of young farmers with the pioneering spirit to successfully establish a vibrant wheat-growing district in true dryland conditions where the head naturally inclined to the North West looking for welcome rains.

His early memories of using phosphate fertiliser bought from the then Cumming Smith company, the forerunner of CSBP, was that it was the key building block to successful crop establishment.

“We used big rates (of phosphorus) opening up new land to bring it into production quickly,” he said. “That why we got good results from the first year.

“We used about a bag an acre and when trace elements came along yields got even better.

“I think that because we used high rates early on, we gradually built up a bank of P (phosphorous) to the extent that today we don’t use as much P, probably six to 12 units of P to the hectare.

“In 2008, for example, we used 28kg/ha of MAP on our wheat and it yielded an average 3t/ha and wherever we had a high P bank the P showed up better in drier years and we got better crops.

Lindsay recalls that in the early days, he had trouble in one year when the stored fertiliser went hard.

“We had to use a gelignite stick to blast enough for two days and you pulled it down with a front-end loader and ran over it break it up.
“But because a lot of it was still lumpy we had to use a star picket to push it through the mesh over the auger in the 5 n 1 bin.

“It was good stuff but we did have a bit of stress, particularly with the compound fertiliser and we used to light a bonfire near the shed to keep the shed warm so the fertiliser wouldn’t get damp and set hard.”

The high quality and low critical humidity of today’s compound fertilisers such as Agras means such practices are no longer necessary.

Even with today’s technology, Lindsay still prefers the “age-old” method of granular fertiliser down the tubes.

“I prefer to deep band the nitrogen between 75mm and 150mm (3-6in) depending on soil conditions and I have found that it is the best way to encourage plant roots to get down into the profile,” he said.

“The other aspect of deep banding is that you’re keeping the fertiliser away from the weed seeds.”

Urea is deep banded at rates between 40 and 50kg/ha with DAP metered with the seed between 40 and 50kg/ha.

According to Lindsay, today’s fertilisers are easier to use and can be made more area specific with blends.

“When Agras came out we thought it was a beauty and that CSBP has really nailed it because it gave us a blend with all the sulphur and trace elements we needed.

“Agras also came to be known as the answer for some of our soil diseases because of its acidity.”

“In the early days we tried anything we thought would get us a better yield so we did our own blending using copper with Triple Super and adding a bit of nitrogen.

According to Lindsay, maintaining a good fertiliser bank is the key to good yields on his property.

“We always put back what we take out to keep the fertilisers at the right levels,” he said.

“Generally at the start of the season, I assess how I think it’s going to do and what soil moisture I’ve got before I make decisions on what fertiliser inputs I think the crops need to grow.

“It’s a simple rule of thumb but a calculated one because without fertilisers we couldn’t farm up here.”