Mrs Daly said farmers were beginning to understand the importance of retaining stubble residues to increase soil carbon levels and to aid the overall nutrient cycling and suppression of disease.

"From an environmental perspective it is important we put this carbon back in to the soil rather than into the atmosphere," she said.

"Only stubbles digested by microbes are transformed into valuable plant growth substances and then further reconfigured by enzymatic activity and the Stubble Converter program provides necessary fungi to perform this essential step."

Stubble that is not digested by microbes, she said, was oxidised and of little benefit to the soil or the environment, with many no-till, no-burn farmers finding stubbles were not being digested and laying intact on the surface of the soil, not adding any beneficial carbon or bio-mass to the soil.

"The Stubble Converter program has been formulated using nine species of hardy, drought-resistant cellulose and lignin-digesting fungi," Mrs Daly said.

"The fungi inoculum is brewed and blended with humic acid, molasses and urea and sprayed on stubbles after harvest making it ready to apply when you take delivery."

Stubbles treated in this manner are more palatable to grazing livestock as the nutrients and proteins are more easily assimilated, she said, adding that stock health and condition can be maintained when grazing on digested treated stubbles.

"With many farmers harvesting and starting to plan for the 2012 sowing season it is now the time to assess what options are available for the disposing of unwanted stubbles in a beneficial and sustainable manner," she said.

"Choices to date have been limited with many farmers not having sowing equipment to 'go through' the retained stubble and (therefore are) 'sticking a match' in it.

"Fortunately the Stubble Converter program breaks down these hard residues into a manageable, valuable soil addition, making it easier to sow through.

"Burning is now not only unnecessary but in the near future may be environmentally illegal so now is the time to utilise your stubbles by implementing healthier farm management practices."

n For more information on the YLAD Stubble Converter program email sales@yladlivingsoils.com.au or contact (02) 6382 2165.