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NATIONAL LANDCARE
WEBINAR
Regenerating Australia’s Soil Health
Series
Hosted by the National Landcare Facilitator in partnership with Soils for Life
The NLF is an initiative of
NATIONAL LANDCARE
WEBINAR
“Regenerating Australia’s Soil Health ”
PART 3
How do we measure and extend effective practices?
Speakers: Tim Wright, Bill & Rhonda Daly, John Talbot
NATIONAL LANDCARE WEBINAR PART 2
Measure, monitor, extend…
BILL & RHONDA DALY
About ‘Milgadara’ Young
Purchased in 1911 by Harry Daly- now 4th
generation
1250 ha – 20 kms east of Young
Crop 300 hectares –
canola, wheat, oats, lupins
5500 sheep
-
-
Self replacing merino flock
Prime lamb enterprise
120 head steers traded annually
Rainfall 25” (when not in drought!!)
Sandy Loam – CEC 4-5
 Low calcium, magnesium,
phosphorus, zinc, copper, boron &
sulphur
 High potassium
Why we needed to change- soils were dead
•
Soil structure was declining with less water infiltration
and less water holding capacity
•
Soil compaction/hard pans at 20 cm
•
Soil minerals were imbalanced despite 24 years of
applying lime and 50 or more years of single super.
•
Soil organic matter levels were declining – 1.5% and
lower
•
No visible sign of larger species of soil life, earthworms,
dung beetles, fungi.
•
Increasing amounts of soluble fertilisers to achieve same
yields
•
Animal nutrition and health declining
•
Profitability was declining due to large chemical &
fertiliser bills
•
Negative impact of chemicals on soil and human health
•
Increase of resistant weeds, diseases and pests
2002
2003
5
Adopted management and fertility practices
that enhanced microbial activity
Production of on farm Humus Compost™
from agricultural waste and intensive animal
husbandry.
Reduced the use of soluble fertilisers in
cropping by 50%, added carbon to buffer any
negative effects
Stopped single super use and applied humus
compost mineral blends on pastures
Produced microbial compost tea for liquid
injection and foliar fertiliser
Replaced Urea applications with liquid
foliar fertilisers
Retained all stubbles using a Stubble
digestion program to break it down
Shortened rotations and introduced
minimum tillage
Rotational grazing was continued
Tree planting undertaken
Bio-dynamic principals introduced with
broadcast tower and radionics
How we changed
Extracted Humus Compost Tea
Extracted Compost Tea is a water based
solution/suspension of the microbes, enzymes, nutrients
and humus polymer (carbon) contained in compost
Microbial Liquid Injection
2003
Tree Planting
June 2 2013
Measuring and Monitoring
If you can’t measure it you can’t monitor it
1.
Observation - feet in the paddock, smell, taste, look
2.
Comprehensive soil and plant testing
3.
Root depth and root mass
4.
Crop yields and quality
5.
Penetrometer and refractometer
6.
Pasture – quality and diversity
7.
Animal performance -
8.
Profitability $
lambing percentage from birth to weaning, weight gain
yield of your carcass at time of slaughter, wool quality
Happy healthy family
Practical indicators of soil health
10
Nitrogen Fixing Bacteria and VAM
colonising oat roots
The greater the
microbial population in
the rhizosphere, the
greater the nutrient
absorption by the plant
11
May 2002
Rocky East
2010
Canola undersown with
Lucerne, Chicory, Arrowleaf
Clover & sub clovers
Rocky East - 2012
Paddock #2 - Comprehensive Soil Test monitoring 3 pools of nutrients
Test cost $143
Test cost $77
Paddock #2 – Soluble, Exchangeable & Total
1400
1200
Minerals in the total
1000
nutrient pool can
800
Soluble
600
Exchangeable
Total
400
become available if
robust and diverse
microbial activity is
200
encouraged
0
Phosphorus
Calcium
Magnesium
Potassium
Phosphorus Calcium Magnesium
Potassium
Soluble
2
775
79
139
Exchangeable
24
943
94
217
Total
237
1236
466
1011
Test cost $60.50
Benefits
Healthy living soils, improved soil structure and
greater water holding capacity
Fertiliser savings
Fuel savings
Improved plant health and vigor
Increased yields & quality
Increased lambing percentages and overall animal
health – less drenching, increased wool production
Reduced weeds, disease and pests
Increased soil organic carbon
2010 - Canola grown using Humus
Compost & biological seeding program
with compost tea Liquid Injection
15 units Nitrogen at sowing and an aerial
application of Twin N
Testing by DECC following a
three year trial by Dr Maarten Stapper
TITLE OF CURRENT
SESSION
10 cm top soil
built in two years
19
Benefits of Soil Carbon Increases
Organic Matter Increase
5t Compost + Minerals
Carbon Sequestration
% Organic Matter
2.3
We increased organic carbon by
.26% in the top 15 cm of soil, this
represents a 6 t/ha increase in
soil OC which equates to 22 t/ha
of CO2 sequestered
2.2
2.1
2
1.9
1.8
1.7
2007
2009
Water Holding Capacity
•1.88% OM = 300,800 litres
•2.23% OM = 356,800 litres
Increase of 56,000 litres water
retained per hectare
20
Berkshire Triticale crop undersown with
Arrowleaf Clover
Reduce mono cropping and supply ‘free’ nitrogen
6 t/ha dryland wheat grow with only
units of N (Conventional Industry
4
Practice use 54 units of N)
Nil Fungicides
22
Wool production increased in 2008 by 2 kg per head.
Premium paid by buyers for brightness, comfort factor
and low vegetable matter.
Profitability
Healthy happy
families
“We do not inherit the earth
from our ancestors; we borrow it
from our children.”
- Chief Seattle
Ideas for future measuring and monitoring of
carbon and nitrogen sequestration in soils
A systems approach using comprehensive testing* to
understand and support microbial activity that builds carbon and
nitrogen into our soil.
Suggestions for Emphasis:
• Biochemical Sequence—the importance of sulphur, boron and
silicon
• 10: 1C:N ratio in soil—a sign of living soil
• 6:1 N:S ratio in soil—a sign of self-sustaining soil activity
• Measure Urea, Nitrate and Ammonium (signs of excretory N
activity)
• Compare this to Total C and Total N (amino acid N is structural N)
* As developed by Environmental Analysis Laboratory (EAL) at Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW in
Soils for Life Field Day
‘Milgadara’ Young
Growing Soils-Growing Life
‘
July 24 2013
Please visit www.soilsforlife.org.au to register