Ryan NT Discs: No-Till on a Real Farm

No-till cropping, compost extract and biological seed dressing are helping Chris Smith lower input pressure on a 2,400-acre farm at Natimuk, Victoria. Chris shows the mix, the compost system and the Ryan NT disc setup behind a more resilient cropping program. At Grass Flat near Natimuk, Chris Smith is working through the same problems many cropping farmers are facing: rising fertiliser costs, chemical handling risk, residue management, fuel use and the pressure to keep producing reliable crops in a difficult season. In this Farm Learning episode, Chris takes us through the practical changes he has made on his cropping and grazing farm, including on-farm composting, compost extract, biological seed dressing, seed inoculation, and the move to Ryan NT discs on a 10 m seeding bar. Chris shows how he makes a 20 L biological seed dressing using worm extract, kelp, humates, molasses and compost extract, and explains how that mix is used across four tonnes of seed. He also talks through the seed treatments and chemical inputs he has removed from his routine, why chemical handling was a concern, and how he is trying to build more biological resilience into the cropping system. The video also looks at his composting system, including coffee grounds, duck manure, bedding, hay, wood chips, covered compost rows, moisture management, fungal activity and the use of compost as a biological fertiliser source. Later in the episode, Chris explains why he moved from knife points toward Ryan NT discs, how the disc setup helps handle residue, why the tractor works less hard, and how he can cover more hectares in a day while reducing fuel pressure. This video is useful for farmers, croppers, contractors, landholders and anyone interested in practical no-till cropping, biological farming, compost extract, seed inoculation, direct drill seeding, disc seeding, soil biology, residue handling, lower chemical inputs and real-world regenerative agriculture in Australian dryland farming systems. Watch next on Farm Learning: Ryan NT disc seeding and residue handling:    • Regenerative Cropping That Survived Drought   Soil biology, compost and biological inputs    • Regenerative Farming That Works (Real Resu...   Regenerative cropping and lower-input farm systems    • Regenerative Agriculture Australia Real St...   Direct drilling, no-till seeding and machinery setup    • How Ryan Disc Seeders Changed No-Till Farm...   Subscribe to Farm Learning with Tim Thompson for practical, real-world agricultural education from farmers, contractors, researchers and rural problem-solvers. Share this video with farmers, croppers, contractors, landholders or anyone working through input costs, chemical handling risk, soil biology or no-till cropping decisions. Comment below with your experience using compost extract, seed inoculation, biological seed dressings or disc seeding systems. Details Location: Natimuk / Grass Flat, Victoria Guest: Chris Smith Farm type: 2,400-acre cropping and grazing farm Featured practices: No-till cropping, composting, compost extract, biological seed dressing, seed inoculation Featured equipment: Ryan NT discs on a 10 m seeding bar Key themes: Crop resilience, lower chemical inputs, chemical handling risk, soil biology, residue handling, reduced fuel pressure Supported by Ryan NT: https://ryannt.com.au/ #NoTillCropping #SoilBiology #RegenerativeAgriculture #Compost #FarmLearning Built from the supplied transcript timing. Check timestamps against the final edited upload before publishing. 00:00 The input-cost problem facing croppers 00:31 A fire-hit farm building resilience 01:55 Coffee grounds, compost and farm fertility 03:37 Replacing chemical seed dressing 04:14 How Chris makes the seed inoculum 05:52 Worm extract, kelp, humates and molasses 09:17 Adding farm-made compost extract 10:48 Why the mix is used fresh 12:43 Applying seed dressing to grain 14:03 Four tonnes of seed from one batch 14:22 The chemical inputs Chris removed 15:17 Pathogens, fungi and biological competition 17:25 Chemical handling and farmer safety 18:58 Building compost at paddock scale 19:38 Covering compost to conserve moisture 21:15 Turning fire-damaged timber into compost 22:27 Anaerobic inoculant and the first turn 24:08 Guano, calcium and fungal signs 25:32 Turning and covering the compost row 27:15 Ryan NT discs and lower fuel pressure 28:02 Why Chris moved beyond knife points 29:06 Cutting residue instead of dragging it 30:36 Three-bin seeding and multiple products 31:46 Soil throw, pre-emergent cover and speed 32:36 What farmers can take from this system 35:47 Safer farming and reducing chemical risk 37:39 Share this with someone changing cropping