Better soil, better turf: expanding sports-field markets for compost
AgEnviro Solutions helps rehabilitate turf using recycled organics compost.
AgEnviro Solutions
National environmental consultancy AgEnviro Solutions has received $350,000 in funding through the New South Wales Environmental Protection Association’s Waste Less, Recycle More Organics Market Development Grants Program.
The company will use the grant funds to demonstrate to sports field managers across the state how recycled organics composts can boost turf performance and to develop tools to support them in using it.
The project will showcase how compost can improve the turf performance on 150 of New South Wales’ “worst-performing” playing fields, as identified by the NSW Football Association.
As part of the project, compost made from recycled organic waste will be applied to turf on a trio of sports fields and one racecourse that will serve as ‘demonstration sites’, a showcase for expected “major improvements in condition” through the use of RO compost.
A key component of the project is disseminating technical advice to and developing procedures for sporting field managers, giving them easy access to the information they need to use recycled organics composts to maximise turf condition.
Comparison of composted and non-composted turf areas on a NSW sports field.
AgEnviro Solutions
Who are AgEnviro Solutions?
AgEnviro Solutions is a multi-disciplinary environmental consultancy helmed by Dr Mick Battam, who has a Doctorate in Agricultural (Soil) Science specialising in soil-water movement and more than two decades’ hands-on experience consulting on soils, irrigation and landscape assessment across Australia.
Dr Battam, also a licensed urban irrigation contractor, certified irrigation designer and certified irrigation agronomist, is the creator of the Footprint Calculator app for sports field managers and the Sydney Water Best Practice Guidelines for Holistic Open Space Turf Management in Sydney, 2011 He’s also the recipient of a 2014 award from AORA for 'Outstanding contribution to organics market development by an individual, processor or marketing organisation'.
The AgEnviro Solutions team includes qualified, experienced practitioners of landscape design, horticulture, arboriculture, irrigation, software engineering, education and training.
NSW EPA’s Waste Less Recycle More Organics Market Development Grant Program is distributing grants totalling $2.55 million over two years to support “the long-term expansion of the market in NSW for recycled organics that have been diverted from landfill”.