TALK to Ben Morris about the key to sustainable farming and his response sounds simple enough - focus on crop rotations.

But there is more to it than that.

    AT A GLANCE
  • Who: Ben Morris
  • What: Cropping
  • Why: Rotations the key
  • Where: Toongabbie
  • Report: JOHN PARRY

The 31-year-old grain grower, from Toongabbie in Gippsland, has spent three months overseas on a Nuffield scholarship investigating soil improvement techniques to increase yields.

He found crop rotations were the most effective tool to improve soil structure, increase yields and control weeds and diseases.

"One of the most consistent findings around the world is that the best wheat crops are grown after legume crop." Ben said.

"Farmers in the drier regions of the US, such as Kansas, Oklahoma and North Dakota, told me their wheat yields improved after they started growing corn.

"Their best wheat was grown after corn followed by field peas."

Ben said the prevalence of no-till and controlled-traffic systems among leading growers had confirmed that he was on the right track introducing these systems in Gippsland.

"Based on what I have seen during my scholarship, I think improving my rotations with a four or five-year outlook and more diverse rotations will be the key to improving soils and better managing weed and disease problems.

"I can see some areas where I can do better and I have some emerging problems with root diseases and weeds."

Ben also looked at continuous cropping in regions that had summer rainfall similar to that of central Gippsland, which averages about 250mm from November to March.

And since his return home he has established a summer cropping trial growing corn, sorghum, soybeans and sunflowers.

Even if not as profitable as winter cropping, Ben expects the longer-term benefits from summer cropping will include improved weed control and disease management and better soil structure as many summer crops have a more vigorous root systems than winter crops.

Ben visited two long-term fertiliser trials at the Rothamsted Research Station in the UK that made a lasting impression.

The first had been continuously cropped with wheat for 150 years - one was fertilised with manure every year and the other plot had no fertiliser.

"The contrast was remarkable. The manured crop was outstanding and the unfertilised crop looked like it was struggling to survive drought conditions," Ben said.

"It hammers home the point about getting fertiliser right."

The second was a grass experiment on a site managed by researchers since 1856. Different plots within a field of grasses were treated with different fertiliser regimes and then cut for hay.

"The original aim was to identify how different fertiliser regimes affected hay yields.

However, it also showed how treatments affected the composition of grass and weed species, with clear differences according to the treatments used," Ben said.