Kevin Wilkinson - DPI Victoria

Kevin Wilkinson
Statewide Leader, Ecosystems Analysis Department of Primary Industries, Parkville
PO Box 4166 Parkville,
Victoria, 3052, Australia
Ph: 03 8341 2412
Fax: 03 9347 6056
Mob: 0423 040 708

Expertise:

• Safe use of manures
  (fowl/chicken/poultry litter)
  
  
• Composting
  
  
• Organic soil amendments

Current work:
Investigating the economic and soil health benefits of using composted organic amendments in vegetable production.

Over the past 50 years, poultry litter has replaced stable manure as the principal low cost horticultural soil amendment on sandy soils. Poultry litter can improve crop yields 10 to 20% by increasing the water holding capacity of sandy soils and supplies essential plant nutrients and trace elements to grow our food crops.

Extensive studies of vegetable farms using poultry litter, did not detect any human pathogenic (disease causing) bacteria on any harvested leafy vegetable crops where the litter was incorporated into the soil prior to planting.

Growers using poultry litter in accordance with the following guidelines can be confident their produce will be safe for human consumption :

• Only purchase poultry litter and organic products from HACCP accredited suppliers.
  
  
• Store litter as far as possible from mature crops, packing sheds and environmentally sensitive areas.
  
  
• Raw litter should be incorporated into the soil prior to planting.
  
  
• Avoid side-dressing crops with raw litter within 60 days of harvest.
  
  
• Certified composted litter can be side dressed until 14 days before harvest.
  
  
• Litter handling and application procedures should follow a HACCP program.

• VG 01049 final report - extract, September 2003
  
  
• Poultry Litter - DPI Victoria factsheet, October 2004

VG 99016 Benefits of composted soil amendments to vegetable production

Both urban communities and agriculture are also being challenged to implement ‘zero waste’ principals that include environmentally and socially acceptable recycling of their wastes.

This report discusses the potential for using organic wastes to the benefit of both horticulture and the wider community.

• VG99016 - Benefits of compost to vegetable production - extract, May 2005
  

Composting factsheets:

• What is Compost ?
  
  
• Benefits of Compost
  
  
• Starting to use Compost
  
  
• Safe Suppliers of Compost
  
  
• Safe use of Compost