Healthy Soils
Enquiries, information and comments to:
| Geelong Head Office Southern Farming Systems P: 03 5229 0566 F: 03 5229 4426 E: office@sfs.org.au |
Tim Johnston Healthy Soils Agronomist (Grains) Dept of Primary Industries, Victoria Cnr Little Malop & Fenwick Sts (PO Box 103) Geelong, 3220. tim.johnston@dpi.vic.gov.au |
MEDIA RELEASE: Soil Structure Day Great Success - 19th Sept 2007
Managing Soil Structure with Professor Gordon Spoor (UK) - event flier
Useful links:
- www.healthysoils.gov.au
- www.dpi.vic.gov.au/vro
- www.dpi.vic.gov.au/dpi/vro/vrosite.nsf/pages/soilhealth
Healthy Soils for Sustainable Farms is a programme funded by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry through the Natural Heritage Trust, in partnership with the Grains Research and Development Corporation and managed by Land & Water Australia.
Project Objectives:
- Improve farmers’ capacity to manage soil health issues
- Identify appropriate soil management strategies, both at a landscape and industry level
- Enhance, develop and deliver data and information packages for farmers
- Develop and promote industry based training packages
SFS will use 4 paired demonstration sites to characterize and monitor four different farming practices:
- Precision Agriculture
- Stubble Retention
- Biological Farming
- TBA
Southern Farming Systems, in collaboration with DPI Victoria, will be able to deliver much of the existing soil health information through farmer and adviser workshops in the higher rainfall zone. We want to make these workshops as relevant and time effective as possible. A market needs analysis has already identified the following areas of concern.
Key Soil Health Issues as identified by SFS members:
- Declining organic carbon
- Declining fertility levels
- Compaction
- Erosion
- Low pH
- Salinity
- Sodicity
- Waterlogging and anaerobic conditions
- Nutrient run off
- Chemical use that may reduce soil microbial activity
- Soil structure management
- Crop and animal management
- Soil biology interactions
- Subsoils
- Water – stored water, organic matter and waterlogging
Are we on the right track? Are there soil health issues on your property that are not on this list? What topics would you most like to learn about?
Please forward any comments, questions or suggestions to Lou Ferrier, lferrier@sfs.org.au .
Photos:
 Soil pit at Precision Agriculture Site - Shelford |
 DPI Healthy Soils Agronomist, Tim Johnston testing soil respiration |
 DPI Healthy Soils agronomist, Tim Johnston out in the field |
 Jeremy White, DPI Precision Ag. Agronomist soil testing at Shelford |
