Advance Sowing
Encyclopedia
Advance Sowing is an agricultural
method developed by Bruce Maynard in 1996 in NSW, Australia
that allows the production of annual crops
from perennial
grasslands. It consists in dry-sowing crops directly into existing pastures without using tillage
, fertilizer or chemicals.
The rationale behind the method is to produce crops without simplifying the biodiversity
. All other commonly used sowing methods of cropping rely on eliminating some or all of the plant and animals present to create an advantage for the growing crop. Advance Sowing relies on complementarity of plant/animal interactions to produce biomass
that can be utilised directly for human consumption or fed to animals.
No Kill Cropping offers opportunities to expand the grain crop production throughout the world as an addition to the grazing resources that people depend upon. By using No Kill in areas that are already grasslands or are arid or highly erodible grain can be produced without risking ecological damage. Other advantages include the low capital costs involved and also low needs for outside energy intensive inputs.
No Kill Cropping is mentioned in the book "Here On Earth" by Tim Flannery, 2010. It is described as 'Zero Kill' or 'Zero Till' on pages 264 and 268. Flannery confuses the method by including the use of ploughs and also of the term pastures rather than grasslands that the crop is sown into. He proposes that the system has possibilities to promote "coevolution's capacity to increase biological productivity and ecosystem stability".
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
method developed by Bruce Maynard in 1996 in NSW, Australia
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
that allows the production of annual crops
Crop (agriculture)
A crop is a non-animal species or variety that is grown to be harvested as food, livestock fodder, fuel or for any other economic purpose. Major world crops include maize , wheat, rice, soybeans, hay, potatoes and cotton. While the term "crop" most commonly refers to plants, it can also include...
from perennial
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
grasslands. It consists in dry-sowing crops directly into existing pastures without using tillage
Tillage
Tillage is the agricultural preparation of the soil by mechanical agitation of various types, such as digging, stirring, and overturning. Examples of human-powered tilling methods using hand tools include shovelling, picking, mattock work, hoeing, and raking...
, fertilizer or chemicals.
Principles
Advance Sowing has 5 major principles:- SowingSowingSowing is the process of planting seeds.-Plants which are usually sown:Among the major field crops, oats, wheat, and rye are sowed, grasses and legumes are seeded, and maize and soybeans are planted...
is done when the topsoil is dry. - Coulter type sowing equipment must be used.
- No Herbicidesor pesticides are applied at any stage.
- No Fertilizers are applied at any stage.
- Grazing management must be good.
The rationale behind the method is to produce crops without simplifying the biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
. All other commonly used sowing methods of cropping rely on eliminating some or all of the plant and animals present to create an advantage for the growing crop. Advance Sowing relies on complementarity of plant/animal interactions to produce biomass
Biomass
Biomass, as a renewable energy source, is biological material from living, or recently living organisms. As an energy source, biomass can either be used directly, or converted into other energy products such as biofuel....
that can be utilised directly for human consumption or fed to animals.
No Kill Cropping offers opportunities to expand the grain crop production throughout the world as an addition to the grazing resources that people depend upon. By using No Kill in areas that are already grasslands or are arid or highly erodible grain can be produced without risking ecological damage. Other advantages include the low capital costs involved and also low needs for outside energy intensive inputs.
No Kill Cropping is mentioned in the book "Here On Earth" by Tim Flannery, 2010. It is described as 'Zero Kill' or 'Zero Till' on pages 264 and 268. Flannery confuses the method by including the use of ploughs and also of the term pastures rather than grasslands that the crop is sown into. He proposes that the system has possibilities to promote "coevolution's capacity to increase biological productivity and ecosystem stability".
External links
- Bush Telegraph, The Innovators Series #4: Working Off Farm ABC Rural, ABC Radio (Australia) 2004.
- Landcare Farmer. On Earthbeat ABC Radio National, ABC Radio (Australia), 8 August 2003.
- Keynote Speaker Australian Academy of Science's Fenner Conference, 2002
- Rosnay Organic Grazing. Land management service that advertises the use of this technique.
- Perkins, I., Gleeson, T., Keating, B. (2003) Futures: Review of farmer initiated innovative farming systems, Land & Water Australia, Canberra, pp. 17, 19-20, 22 and 50.
- NSW Farmers Association Sustaining the Land: Case studies of farmers working for our future In Conservation farming for increased profitability, pp. 30–31.
- Standing Committee on Natural Resource Management (2005) Standing Committee on Natural Resources Management: Better On-Farm Approaches to Salinity and Drought Management (Terms of Reference C and D)--Sustainable and Profitable Farming. New South Wales Parliament, Legislative Assembly, p. 71. Advance sowing recommended as a cropping approach.
- Gray, L. (2003)Lazy farming' lowers salinity risk, improves farm health. In Salt Magazine, No. 9, National Dryland Salinity Program, State Governments of W.A., S.A., Vic., N.S.W., Qld. and Tas., pp. 14–15.
- http://vimeo.com/4161906'No Kill Cropping - Sowing into Grassland by Bruce Maynard', VimeoVimeoVimeo is a video-sharing website on which users can upload, share, and view videos. It was founded by Zach Klein and Jake Lodwick in November 2004...
video]