MORE than 85 per cent of South Australian grain producers are taking action on environmental sustainability, according to an inaugural report.
In 2022, South Australian growers were surveyed specifically on environmental sustainability credentials and attitudes at farmgate level for the first time.
The responses were collated for Grain Producers SA’s (GPSA) South Australian Grain Industry Environmental Sustainability Baseline Report.
GPSA chief executive officer, Brad Perry, said the baselining survey was completed by 120 grain producers across the state.
“This initial survey is an important step in looking at how South Australian grain producers are approaching environmental sustainability on-farm,” Mr Perry said.
“Consumers, financiers, and markets through the global supply chain are increasingly demanding more sustainable grain and as the peak representative body for South Australian grain producers, we want to be able to better understand where we can provide education and support for producers to take advantage of these demands.
“Almost half of the respondents believe sustainability will be critical to their market access in the next five years, while more than 50 per cent surveyed want the South Australian grain sector to take the lead on sustainability.
“The survey found that serious challenges remain with carbon farming, with 61 per cent of grain producers surveyed stating that either they weren’t sure or don’t believe carbon farming is an important issue.
“On the flip side, only 6 per cent of those surveyed are using remote sensing to make application decisions, meaning that this is a big opportunity for more technology adoption to increase productivity.”
As far as practical applications on-farm are concerned, the survey found that 44 per cent of respondents believe having access to genetically modified (GM) crops is important to achieving sustainability objectives, and 55 per cent consider growing legumes to be part of their sustainability practices.
When it comes to soil and crop nutrition, 15 per cent of respondents said they use split nitrogen applications and 12 per cent use soil analysis to optimise nutrient application.
The full report can be read online by visiting the website.