Facts about

20 ed of th em We onth Ragwort Senecio jacobaea Eco Ag towards sustainable farming Eco Voice - issue 19 Give the footy the boot for the Go Organic Festival 2005 Ragwort, in the Asteraceae or daisy family, is at its most obvious in autumn when its masses of bright yellow flowers can be seen on roadsides and farms. This is the time of year for local farmers and councils to be particularly alert to the need for ragwort control. It is a biennial herb that reproduces from crowns, roots and seeds. Seed dispersal is via wind, water, animals, farm and logging equipment, vehicles, hay and clothing. Most seeds fall within 20 m of the parent plant but occasionally may be dispersed over distances of a kilometre or more. Ragwort displaces pasture. It contains toxins that can cause fatal liver damage to cattle, horses, goats and deer. It reduces butterfat, milk and meat production, and can taint the flavour of milk and meat, and even honey. It can be harmful to humans if ingested in sufficient quantities, or when weeded out by hand over an extended period. After its accidental introduction from its native regions of Europe and Western Asia last century, this weed has become a major pest in the high rainfall areas of Australia and New Zealand. An effective biocontrol was introduced into affected areas in the 1980s. The caterpillars of the ragwort flea beetle, Longitarsus flavicornis, eat the roots of the weed, thereby killing the plants. In New Zealand, Landcare Research experiments have shown a 95% reduction in ragwort within two to ten years of the beetles’ release. Thanks to these beetles, ragwort, once a serious invasive weed, has been reduced to a mere nuisance. Sources: Department of Primary Industry in Australia and Landcare Research in New Zealand. IFOAM Congress Committee. Back from left: Rob Bulfield, Jan Denham, Andre Leu, Tim Marshall & Rod May Front: Lauren Ellis & George Devrell Andre Leu, Chair, Organic Federation of Australia Bernward Geier, Jan Denham, IFOAM IFOAM’s Director of Congress Convenor International Relations Ian Doyle, Media Coordinator, IFOAM 2005 If the 2005 AFL grand final is not your cup of tea, then show your true colors and get involved with the Go Organic Festival 2005. It will be a celebration of healthy food and beverages, stimulating music and great ideas and information about sustainable living. The festival will be held in Adelaide Botanic Park on 24 and 25 September and is a ready made showcase for the organic community. It is a free public event expected to attract 20,000 people over the two days. The centrepiece will be South Australia’s, and probably Australia’s, largest Farmers’ Market including producers from many South Australian food producing regions. Entertainment will include musical performances from the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement (IFOAM) member countries, an extensive speaker program, and practical demonstrations about sustainable living. The sustainable living program is extensive, including making compost, growing organic produce, cooking and tasting organic food, information about certification, and how to live more sustainably. The Go Organic Festival 2005 is a family friendly event that celebrates all sectors of the organic community. It will be an excellent opportunity to sell product and deliver information direct to the wider community about the long term benefits of organics and sustainable living. ABC TV’s Landline and Gardening Australia programs, and 891 ABC Adelaide have been invited to participate, with the National Association of Sustainable Agriculture, Australia (NASAA), supporting the event. The Go Organic Festival 2005 is being held in association with the 15th World IFOAM Congress at the Adelaide Convention Centre and the 150th birthday celebrations of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens. ‘The Go Organic Festival 2005 is a once only opportunity for producers to showcase their products to regular and prospective consumers from metropolitan Adelaide’, Go Organic Festival 2005 Manager Darren Humphrys said. ‘It will also raise the profile of the growing organic movement in Australia and provide a forum to discuss important issues of sustainability though the Go Organic Festival 2005 speakers program’ More info: Darren Humphrys ifoamfair@internode.on.net or 08 8352 7099. Registration and information brochure at the IFOAM World Congress website www.nasaa.com.au/ifoam2005 IFOAM contact: Ian Doyle on 0417 819 189 or dms@portal.net.au. Facts about farms and irrigation Tasmania reported the highest percentage, 48%, of agricultural establishments irrigating, and Western Australia reported the lowest percentage, 22%. During 2002–03, 43,774 Australian agricultural establishments applied 10,404 gigalitres of irrigation water to 2.4 million hectares of crops and pastures, an average application rate of 4.4 megalitres per irrigated hectare. After pasture for grazing, cotton was the next biggest water user nationally, accounting for 15% of the volume applied and 10% of the area of crops and pasture irrigated. Pasture for grazing was the predominant use of irrigation in Victoria and Tasmania. In Victoria, 1611 gigalitres, nearly two thirds of the volume applied in that state, was to pasture for grazing, accounting for 57% of the volume applied to pasture for grazing nationally. In Tasmania, the volume applied to pasture for grazing was nearly half the irrigation water used in that state. The crop with the highest average application rate nationally was rice, with a rate of 14.1 megalitres per irrigated hectare, more than three times the average application rate across all crops and pasture. The next highest national average application rate was cotton, at 6.5 megalitres per irrigated hectare. The most common source of irrigation water in Australia in 2002–03 was surface water, with 31,691 or 72% of irrigating establishments reporting it as one their sources. The most common irrigation method was surface irrigation, such as flood, furrow, basin, or border check. Nationally, 12,970 or 30% of irrigating agricultural establishments reported surface irrigation as one of their methods of irrigating, used on 1,344,000 hectares, or 57% of the area irrigated by all methods. The number of establishments reporting areas of land laser levelled for irrigation was 11,647 or 27% of all irrigating establishments, with 1,809,000 hectares levelled. New South Wales accounted for 59% of the laser levelled land, Victoria 21%, and Queensland 18%. Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2005. Water Use on Australian Farms 2002–03. ABS cat.no. 4618.0 promotion Tasmania reported the highest proportion of agricultural land irrigated, 4.9%, followed by Victoria at 4.4%. New South Wales was the largest irrigating state/territory, with 11,230 irrigating establishments applying 4,273 gigalitres, or 41% of the Australian total volume applied, on 939,000 hectares, or 39% of the Australian total irrigated land. Western Australia reported the highest average application rate of 6.5 megalitres per irrigated hectare. Tasmania reported the lowest rate at 2.4 megalitres per irrigated hectare. The most extensive use of irrigation in Australia was pasture for grazing. Nationally, 14,419 or almost one third of irrigating establishments irrigated pasture for grazing. Before and after: A healthy ragwort plant (right) and one attacked by ragwort flea beetles. Photo: Robert Lamberts, Crop & Food Research The Permaforest Trust Encourage green business tell your retailer or supplier you found them in Eco Voice! STOP WEEDING! Enjoy a weed free autumn BioGarden biodegradable weed mat Suppresses weeds Disappears naturally Leaves no harmful residues Fully certified biodegradable to European standard EN13432 The Permaforest Trust is a sustainability education centre and demonstration farm located next to the World Heritage listed Border Ranges National Park in Northern NSW. Our main focus is on practical skills in ecological restoration, organic farming, and permaculture while integrating important practices in community sustainability and personal sustainability. At Permaforest we practice ‘Integral Sustainability,’ an emerging holistic approach to sustainability promoting health and the development of self, culture, and nature. We offer full-time, residential study in Certificate 4 and Diploma in Accredited Permaculture Training (APT™). Programs are Austudy approved. For more information check out the website: www.permaforesttrust.org.au Adelaide Also available: BioAgri for horticultural and agricultural use Tours & Workshops Organic Vegetables & Poultry Workshop May 22 Ausasia Link Pty Ltd, Level 2 37 Bligh Street, Sydney 2000 http://ausasialink.com sales@ausasialink.com ph 02 8257 3338 fax 02 9475 0933 Tours by Appointment In New Zealand contact: ian@eco-grow.co.nz ph 0508 ECO-GROW Phone/Fax 08 8522 6450 www.users.bigpond.com/brookman