Project overview
Silage is an important strategy used by farmers to fill seasonal feed gaps, to manage pastures, and to provide high quality, low cost forage for cattle.
The TopFodder program aimed to up-skill dairy, beef and sheep producers in WA on successfully making, storing and feeding silage. The project also aimed to improve the quality of traditionally produced hay, further improving the quality feed in droughts.
Expected outcomes
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This project is funded by the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.
FAQs
Why SMART SPRAYS?
Smart sprays have the potential to reduce evaporation and redirect water for increased crop yield and profit.
Smart sprays components:
- Biodegrade in marine, soil, and compost environments into CO₂, water, and biomass.
- Do not degrade into microplastics in the environment.
- Reduce reliance on fossil fuels and have a decreased carbon footprint as no fossil fuel feedstock is used.
- Do not need to be retrieved from the field – they will biodegrade in situ.
The main component of SMART SPRAYS can be produced by microorganisms through the use of a wide variety of renewable feedstocks, like organic wastes, waste canola oil, brewers waste and glycerol, creating a circular economy.
What’s the different between plastics and bioplastics?
Plastics and bioplastics can be categorised based on their origin/feedstock (biobased vs. fossil fuel based) and their degradation properties (biodegradable vs. non-biodegradable).
Feedstocks
Fossil-based feedstocks: Derived from petroleum, natural gas, or coal.
Biobased feedstocks: Derived from plants, algae, or agricultural waste products.
Differences in degradation
Download the fact sheet to learn more about plastics and bioplastics.
What’s the different between compostable and biodegradable?
Biodegradable materials are those that can be fully broken down into natural substances, such as water and carbon dioxide, by naturally occurring microorganisms. In waste management, the term “biodegradable” is broadly used to describe materials that degrade either under composting conditions or in the natural environment. The key distinction is that compostable materials are designed to break down within a specific timeframe under controlled composting conditions, where factors like temperature, moisture, and microbial activity are optimised to accelerate decomposition and biomass formation.
Certified compostable
Compostable refers to a product’s ability to biodegrade into non-toxic, natural elements within a defined timeframe under specific composting conditions. Both fossil-based and bio-based bioplastics can be certified as compostable. However, compostability claims should only be made if the product has been certified to a recognised standard, such as Australian Standards AS 4736-2006 or AS 5810-2010.
Biobased bioplastic biodegradable
Smart sprays belong to this category.
Bioplastics made from bio-based feedstocks that fully break down into natural substances, either under composting conditions or in the natural environment. PHA bioplastics, in particular, are known to degrade effectively in both soil and marine environments.
Fossil-based bioplastic biodegradable
Fossil-based biodegradable plastics make up a relatively small category, which includes materials like PBAT and PCL. While PBAT is both biodegradable and compostable, improper disposal can still have environmental consequences, as its degradation requires specific conditions to occur efficiently.
Biobased bioplastic non-biodegradable
Bioplastics can be derived from bio-based feedstocks while remaining non-biodegradable. These materials are chemically identical to traditional fossil-based plastics.
Conventional plastics non-biodegradable
These materials do not biodegrade. In Australia, 2.9 million tonnes of plastic waste are discarded each year, with only 13% recycled, while the remaining 87% ends up in landfill.
Reference: State of Bioplastics in Australia, CSIRO, 2024 with permission.
Download the fact sheet to learn more about plastics and bioplastics.
News
- Article, De-risking the seeding program, Field Notes, Innovation Farmanco, PropaGATE, Regional Nodes, Showcase, Transformation Murdoch, Transformation Whole, X-hub Contour Consulting
Resources
- Podcast
- Podcast
- Podcast
Additional resources
- Find Better Hay & Silage resources on the Western Beef Association website: https://www.westernbeef.org.au/hay-and-silage
Collaborators
Project team
Professor Daniel Murphy
Murdock University
Cheryl Rimmer
Murdoch University
Samantha Vijoen
Murdoch University
Alex Gulizia
Murdoch University
Joseph Boctor
Murdoch University
Associate Professor Fran Hoyle
Murdoch University
Lucy Tomassini
SW WA Hub
Contact
Lucy Tomassini
Project Manager, Grower Group Alliance
lucy.tomassini@gga.org.au
Mary-Anne Glanzlowe
Extension Specialist and Knowledge Broker, South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub
mary-anne.glanzlowe@gga.org.au