Winning farming system

摘要

The Central West Conservation Farming Association (CWCFA) based in NSW presents an annual award for conservation farming. Richard Langley, who farms at Greenethorpe, is the 2003 winner. He shares some insights on the evolution of his farming system as part of his property management plan to improve soil health and attain economic and environmental sustainability. Together with his father Lynton, Richard Langley farms Homestead View, a 633-hectare enterprise with 600 millimetres average annual rainfall at Greenethorpe, between Cowra and Grenfell. The farm soils are predominantly red podsolics and redbrown earths derived from granite and alluvials. The granite soils on the ridges are particularly high in coarse sand, making them erodible and susceptible to deep drainage.