[PPT] - Presentation Outline Speakers Experience 1. Opening questions 2. PowerPoint Presentation

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9/16/2019 1

Phil Mulvey

1.

Speakers Experience

2.

Opening questions

3.

Systems management – Types of systems; study of systems; evidence based practise

4.

Main influence on Climate Change - Small Water Cycle

5.

Key features of Restorative/Regenerative Agriculture

6.

Why is Australian and in particular WA landscapes different?

7.

What is the system problem with Australian Agriculture – Cropping and Grazing

8.

Increase farm ecological outcomes and revenue

9.

Define measuring success

10.

Presentation Outline

 B. Sc Agric (Soil Science), M. App Sc. (Hydrogeology,

Environmental Geology)

 Experience in Commercialisation

Holder of 2 patents
Founder or Co-founder of Environmental Earth Sciences, Waste Science,

EESI Contracting, 3D Ag, Green Property, Carbon Exchange, Carbon Measure and Centre for Contaminant Geoscience.

 Passion and Experience in fixing degraded land throughout the

world.

 Main expertise: landscape systems and applied biogeochemistry

Experience of Speaker

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9/16/2019 2

You are all more experienced in your fields than I. Thus my role is too:

 Challenge Convention for targeted future

research

 Encourage systems thinking and evaluation of

evidence based practice

Apologies Who do you work for?

 Does the Govt own the silos, railways, ports?

Beyond the normal taxes that apply to any business:

 Does the govt charge or receive income from

handling, and export of ag produce?

 Does the govt receive income from inputs to

farming or how the land is managed?

Who do you work for?

 Currently most institutional advice (and

research, marketing and publicity) is focused on greatest annual yield and not long term profitability of family farms.

 Why?  Should it continue to be so?

Who do you work for?

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9/16/2019 3

 What is the greatest proven impact on climate

change of the last 40 years?

 What will have the greatest impact on supply (ie

nonmarket impact) of WA (Australia and the world’s) agricultural production in the next 30 years

 Why?

Climate Change Causes Systems

 Closed (Kinectics of forward and reverse

reactions are equal – stasis)

 Near Closed (kinectics of reaction is slow

enough that most products of reaction remain together with sufficient time for reaction of correction to occur)

 Open (Kinectics of reaction faster than

mechanisms of correction) Example ASS/AMD

Systems

Evidence by Scientific Data

 Two types of data: measurement and observation

 Observation is just as important as

measurement

 Observation is quicker than measurement  Can we wait for measurement

Evidence based practice

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9/16/2019 4 Small Water Cycle

 Evapotranspiration locally provides moisture for

rainfall in same area or nearby

 Is responsible for 40-70% of rain  Responsible for most of the dew, fog, mist and

soft rain

 Magnifies impacts of the (Big) Water Cycle –

Regional and global climate

Small Water Cycle

Theoretical depiction of Rainfall Intensity verses raindrop size. (based on Florida data)

Loss of Small Water Cycle means less rain

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9/16/2019 5

Borrowed directly from Kravcik et al, 2008, Water for the recovery of climate



Borrowed directly from Kravcik et al, 2008, Water for the recovery of climate

 Great Dying – over 55 million (roughly 90% of

population) indigenous North Americans killed by disease

 Cropping and management by burning of savannah

f 56 million ha ceased and was returned to forest

and woodland (crop land) and huge wild fires of the 18th C

 Major reduction in sensible heat, increased latent

heat. Less heat and more rainfall (increase small

water cycle) over America. Huge cooling of continent and in parallel decrease in CO2 doubled the rate of cooling

Note: CSIRO (Rayner et al) Different view The Conversation June 26 2016

Little Ice Age of the 16th and 17th Century

utcome of first Genocide (Koch et al 2019)

My Key Conclusion:

1.

Humans are a keystone species in Holocene and should not be removed from the ecosystem

2. Uncontrolled reforestation is not desirable

Note: Removing human management and presence in conservation parks and broadscale reforestation are both key planks of the green movement since the 1990s

Little Ice Age of the 16th and 17th Century

utcome of first Genocide – Last week

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9/16/2019 6 Desertification and Collapse of Civilisations

Following development of Agricultural Land

1.

Clearing of trees for agriculture

2.

Expansion of agricultural and civilisation

3.

Increased variability in climate

4.

Loss of resilience of land

5.

Increased drought- loss of profitability, dust storms

6.

Increase of big floods and erosion

7.

Increase in civil unrest and wars

8.

Prolonged drought and complete collapse of civilisation as fighting increases and population moves away

Bible -10 Plagues and parting of the Dead Sea can be viewed as impact of agricultural induced climate change.

Pattern of civilisation collapse Loss of Small Water Cycle means less rain

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9/16/2019 7

Rabbit Proof Fence(s)

1.

Reduction in rainfall from 1940s to 1990s was 20% (Lyons 1996) west of the fence

2.

Reduction due to vegetation changes – bare ground(Lyons 1996) and vegetation roughage (Esau and Lyons 2002; Nair et al 2011)

Most clear cut impact on Small Water Cycle is WA

WA Wheat belt >30% loss

f effective rainfall in 50 years
Est. Gulf region >80% loss of

effective rainfall in 2000 years

Theoretical depiction of Rainfall Intensity verses raindrop size. Prediction for loss of rain as results of partial or complete loss of Small Water Cycle (based on Florida data)

Understanding Effective Rainfall Reduction

In Arid zones most rain drops formed never hit the ground let alone infiltrate or runoff. What hits the ground mostly runs off. Why?

1. Less Rain Forming – Small Water Cycle
2. Rain fall loss by evaporation before infiltration

Falling (air) – evaporative loss Close to ground – reflected heat and released heat – evaporative loss Hot ground – evap at ground surface Need bloody big drops to overcome these factors. Big drops cause

3. Less infiltration – Factors that promote runoff

Raindrop splash - enamouring and erosion Less porosity and enamoured surface reduces air release forming hot air pulse which holds water up), Aquaphobicity (less OM)

WA Wheat belt >30% loss

f effective rainfall in 50 years
Est. Gulf region >80% loss of

effective rainfall in 2000 years

Theoretical depiction of Rainfall Intensity verses raindrop size. Prediction for loss of rain as results of partial or complete loss of Small Water Cycle (based on Florida data)

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9/16/2019 8

Need an Agricultural Practice that:

1. Increased Rain formed
Reduces sensible heat (plants, mulches, E/T)
Increases landscape roughage (vegetation corridors)
2. Increased Rain onto the land
Reduce sensible heat
Increase soil aggregation
3. Increase Infiltration
Stop rain drop splash enamouring (Increase mulches and vegetative

covers)

Allow air to escape (increase aggregation, prevent enamouring- OM)
Increase aggregation (soil organic matter),
Increase surface roughage (plant litter),

While remaining profitable !!!

Restore Small Water Cycle in WA Key features of Restorative/Regenerative Agriculture

 Desertification  Reduction of Biodiversity  Monoculture – weeds, disease, pests, chemical residues and

eutrophication

Systemic Problems of Commercial Agriculture

 Frog in hot water

Myths

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9/16/2019 9

 Frog in hot water  It takes 10 000 years to grow an inch of topsoil

Myths

 Frog in hot water – Not true  It takes 10 000 years to grow an inch of topsoil

Weathering of parent material will take that long if you growing from the

bottom up

Less than 5 years if growing topsoil from the top down

Myths

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9/16/2019 10

Leading Trainer for Conservation Agriculture for NRCS

 Cover the soil with a living plant at all times  Don’t Till  Crop/Pasture Rotation for providing N and controlling weeds  Use chemicals (sprays) sparingly  Have ruminants or ruminant manure on land  Keep an eye on soil health  Measure

Ray Archuleta

Conservation Agronomist, National Resources conservation Services, Kansas, USA

 Use Perennial vegetation and rainwater harvesting earthworks  Soil based strategies for high carbon soil; conservation

agriculture, agroforestry with perennial crops; managed grazing and silvopasture (Till acceptable in polycrops)

 Polyculture crops; - cover cropping, intercropping and

agroforestry. Moisture Loss not considered an issue

 Managed (Mob) Livestock integrated with cropping

Focus on plant species – not landscape, climate or soil systems

Eric Toensmeier

Lecturer, author and farmer in agroforestry and perennial crops, Yale University, USA

 Limited disturbance – Mechanical, chemical and physical  Armour Soil, in this cases it means keep the soil covered by

plants at all times

 Diversity – minimise extensive monoculture with crop and

pasture rotation to control weeds and provide N

 Living Roots – maintain living roots as long as possible

throughout the year

 Integrate animals into the system  Focus on profit not yield  Understand your context  Measure

Gabe Brown

Leading Farmer (with Ag Degree), author and Trainer, North Dakota, USA

Polyculture approach based on permaculture principles

 Earth Shaping and water management – Yeomans Keyline  Identify (key economic species) and replicate local savannah

biome for agroforestry including alley cropping farm

 Use a leader follower grazing system based on mob grazing

principle.

 Where possible grow plants and have animals adapted for your

soil chemistry

 Focus on profit not yield  measure

Mark Shephard

Leading Permaculture farmer, author and Trainer, Wisconsin, USA

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9/16/2019 11

1.

Management aimed at closed nutrient cycles

2.

Heavy focus on soil biofertility -Intensive organic fertilisation, use of compost teas and inoculums (Field Sprays 500 and 501)

3.

No use of agri-chemicals

4.

Varied site appropriate rhythmic crop rotation (N-fixing ). Tilling is acceptable providing followed by soil building phases

5.

Ruminant livestock is essential

6.

Though euro-centric (of 1924) local adaption encouraged

7.

Integration with community and further training is essential

8.

Strong theme of ethics, quality of life (for all things) and lunar (cosmic) rhythms

Biodynamics – Healthy conditions for all life

Follows Principles of a Near Closed System

1.

Maximise ground cover

2.

Retain water at source or in floodplain alluvium

3.

Use compost/manure/biostimulants (often externally sourced)

4.

Move away from monoculture

5.

Crop rotation (or undersowing) for N and weed control

6.

Mob grazing

7.

Reduce chemical inputs

8.

Retain improve maximise OM

9.

Manage times of plenty for times of shortage

10. Measure
11. Pasture cropping
12. Manage ecosystem and riparian corridors

Soil for Life – Farmer Interviews Australia

Summary of Case Studies key principles page 19 and 41

1.

Reduce sensible heat by maintaining ground cover at all times

2.

Aim to hold water at source/ infiltrate into land or flood into alluvium - which means maximise OM sequestration, which means for cropping, no till, controlled traffic, crop rotations etc.

3.

Maintain litter to slow runoff to increase infiltration (eg roughage

n interrow)

4.

Diverse crops or some aspects of polycropping (climate and Nutrient dependent)

5.

Have ecosystem corridors (agroforestry) of at least 100 m to increase air turbulence and thereby cloud formation

6.

Mob grazing principles (Are ruminants positive or negative in low charged clay environments??)

7.

Manage for Profit not yield

8.

Measure

Common basic principles

applicable to WA

Increase Revenue

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9/16/2019 12 Why is Australia Different? Why is Australia different? (Generalisation – Plate tectonics)

1. Evaporation greatly exceeds infiltration
2. Weathered landscape Vs eroded landscape (EU, USA)
Clays vs silts and sands
low charge clay minerals, more clay, more salt
Sesquioxides dominate
3. Little parent material of volcanic rock, or glacier till

(aeolian glacial till) Note: Central and Western Australia more highly weathered than eastern Australia

Charge is the link for aggregation

Higher the charge the more easy it is

to trap and retain OM

Increased rain more rapid build up of OM Shallow regolith over primary rock (volcanic and igneous)

– more P leading to more OM

Australia has none of these Therefore Australian soil less resilient and harder to restore

Why Australia different? What is the system problem with Australian Agriculture – Cropping and Grazing?

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9/16/2019 13

 European Template  Replaced by Modern Chemical Template  Mining organic matter, buffering capacity and structure

What is the system problem with Australian Agriculture – Cropping and Grazing

 Wheat/Canola/Wheat  Heavily dependent on Crop Protection Products (mostly

herbicides)

 Heavily dependent on Crop Protection Products Advisors (i.e.

free advice or is it) –focus on yield not profit… Banking Royal Commission

 Soil ignored or treated as a artificial growing medium  Environment collateral damage

Modern Chemical Template

 Signs emerging of farm system decline

Reduction in wheat quality &/or yield (5 year rolling average)
Increased fertiliser and chemical bills
using selective herbicides
Weed control issues
higher rates of chemical
not all weeds dying

Modern Chemical Template



N and P chemical fertilisers are almost entirely acids



OM is pH variable charge. Looses charge about 4.8. Glue dissolves, sorption lost



Buffering capacity effectively exported with farm produce



Loss of OM leads to massive charge in biota; N fixation replaced by conversion to gases.



Not fixed or reversed by liming (need to bring back charge)



Loss of glue leads to plough pans, hard setting, dispersion, erosion and topsoil loss……..i.e. loss of structure



We have been exporting OM, buffering capacity, and structure in our products….we have been mining our soil



Consequently OM has dropped from an Australian Average of about 2.5% to about 0.8% Heavily dependent on Crop Protection Products (mostly herbicides)

Mining Organic Matter, Buffering capacity and structure

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9/16/2019 14 Increase Farm Revenue Increase Revenue

Thus, in a degraded system, you increase revenue by managing: Organic matter Soil Moisture and Effective Rain Every thing else you do is about managing costs

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9/16/2019 15 Increase Revenue How do you increase carbon

1. Increase effective rainfall – cover soil with vegetation or

litter to reduce sensible heat and manage soil moisture

2. Provide N, P and S at ratios required (minimum acids)–

Legumes and pulses for N,

Manures, compost or crushed apatite and

basalt

3. Increase landscape roughage (ecosystem corridors)

The trick is doing this will remaining in the black

Measure Soil Carbon – in the Paddock How do you get square Clouds?

Increased profitability 400% “When you first started me down this road I didn’t realise that being consistently profitable and green were mutually supportive”

Philip Kerr, Farmer
1. No Till
2. Controlled Traffic
3. Interrow

planting, cover crop, supplies N

5. Thick eco breaks-

Landscape roughage

4. No bare ground

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9/16/2019 16 What about P

Problem with chemical fertilisers is that they are acids

Acids drop pH which reduces charge in WA soil
Reduced charge stops SOM glue working
Soil disaggreagates and OM oxidised off
Microbial community changes

Lime can only correct for pH and Al toxicity. Lime cannot restore Organic Matter or Living Matter complexity or OM pH variable charge

Providing organic P is not viable for a whole region

Record Grain Harvest – 12Mtonne. Exported requires 150 000 T of PO4 Too much for manure, and compost Research on high intensity crush of apatite (315000 tonne) and basalt (UWA 1998-2002)

Understanding Biochar Insitu burning of moist grass - Research

Grass fires – rapidly oxidisable char

Charged char, sorb DOM and promote

aggregation as well as cation sorption

Aggregation provide structure for

mycorrhiza to attack char and powdered rock

Define Measuring Success

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9/16/2019 17 Measuring Success

Mean 5 yr average profit Rainfall trend Vegetative cover OM tonnes per farm and map Population density

Who Do you Work For

Chasing Yield: Does not benefit: the farmer. Benefits; Agrichemical sales; machinery sales; transport companies; food manufacturers Chasing Farm Profit (reduce costs) Does not Benefit: Agribusiness Benefits: Farmer;