Download Graham Shepherd Seminar Outline 16Aug13

Keys to Smart Farming – NutriSoil & BEST
Friday, 16 August 2013 – Baranduda
Farmers will learn the fundamental principles of building soil fertility, pasture quality and pasture conversion efficiency, and their
implications for productivity and sustainability which collectively have a massive effect on profitability. Such is the quality of
Graham's work as an advisor, he is a sought after lecturer/trainer in countries throughout the world.
Seminar Outline
● Introduction – the four key aspects of farming
● Are you farming for production or profit?
– rising agricultural debt levels
● The fundamental principles of soil fertility – the soil is a triune: physical, chemical and biological; the trick is to ensue
management allows them to work together.
● The physical condition of your soil and its implications
● The chemical condition of your soil and pasture and their implications
● The biological health of your soil and its implications
– Biological health report card and what it tells you
● Are we reading and interpreting our soil & herbage tests correctly?
Care that must be taken in the interpretation of the tests – physical, chemical and biological examples are given. Can using our
eyes bring clarity to what we measure?
● Are all fertilisers equal or do some get the job done better than others?
Are there such things as smart fertilisers, and are some deleterious to the soil?
● Do you use fertilisers to grow the plant, or do you use them to feed the soil to grow the plant?
● Economic benefits of using smart fertilisers
● Pasture quality
– nutrient content, Brix vs ME, pasture species diversity
– crude protein vs carbohydrates, nitrate-N levels and their implications
● Rumen functionality, feed conversion efficiency and animal health
● Clover performance – are your clovers nitrogen fixers or nitrogen feeders?
● Food quality
– Nutrient content of the foods we produce
● Grazing management – how all can be undone if grazing management is poor
● How to help drought proof your farm
● How to assess the condition of your soil visually ─ a brief introduction
Graham's Visual Soil Assessment (VSA) method is widely used as the preferred method of choice to quickly assess the
condition of the soil and performance of the pasture/crop. It is perhaps the single most useful tool available to land managers
today and brings together in an easy to follow manner the inter-relationships between soil, plant, animal health and production,
and their role in building farm profitability with reduced environmental effects.
● How to assess and reduce the environmental footprint of your farm
– Learn the fundamental principles of soil science and agronomy to reduce nutrient loss into the groundwater and waterways,
reduce greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, and build soil carbon.
– Can this be used to offset or counter an Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), a carbon tax and an emissions tax?