HARVEST residue management was on the agenda when members of the Victorian No-Till Farmers Association met at Coromby recently.

Post-harvest stubble management and minimal soil disturbance are critical to locking in sub-soil moisture, the basis of no-till farming.

Forty farmers attended the day at Kevin and Wayne Adler's property.

Several members had their own harvesters to demonstrate differing residue management methods.

VNTFA member and agronomist Andrew Newall said successful sowing depended on harvest management.

"The importance of an even distribution of finely chopped chaff cannot be understated," he said.

"Uneven spread and long residue can tie up summer weed chemicals, prevent accurate seed placement and reduce emergence rates," he said.

Wayne Adler fitted a Redekop chopper to his Case 2388 header before last season.

"With last year's rain during harvest, just about all our cereals fell over, so we fed them all through the chopper. By the time cropping came around, the chaff was already breaking down. We kept a close eye on the residue, adjusting the vanes to make sure we had an even spread, and we avoided working into the wind."

This is the second year VNTFA members have met to discuss machinery and residue management.

Member Craig Schodde, of Coromby, said it was great to hear of other people's experiences. "I fitted a Redekop chopper in 2009 and the difference it made was immediate. I had been using controlled traffic methods for eight years, and the residue management was the last part of the no-till system I was missing," he said.

"We are all learning, and days like this, where we all get together, are a great way of learning from other people's experiences."

Minyip grower Michael Funcke fitted a Redekop chopper this harvest, and has been pleased with the results.

"Last season we got a 12-metre front, and so we needed to make sure we were spreading residue as wide as we were harvesting. The Redekop has been great, and has definitely spread residue the way I need it to be done," he said.