MEDIA RELEASE
Friday 23 January, 2009
Helping farmers overcome costly soil issues
A new state-wide project will provide farmers with the know-how on combating costly soil issues.
The $499,500 project, to be managed by Rural Solutions SA, will demonstrate to farmers how they can best manage their soils through the adoption of new soil management techniques and technologies.
The project is supported by the Advisory Board of Agriculture, Southern Mallee Agricultural Bureau and McKillop Farm Management Group, with funding from the Australian Government National Landcare Programme - Sustainable Practices Grant.
ABA Chair, Mark Dennis, says the two-year project will include the establishment of demonstration field sites in the Eyre Peninsula, mid South East, Murray Mallee and Northern and Yorke agricultural districts.
It will also include field days held throughout the state, where soil management issues will be discussed, along with demonstrations on various soil amelioration techniques, including clayspreading and delving.
“This project will give farmers the confidence to better manage their soil,” Mr Dennis said.
“It will give them the tools and know how to find out what’s best for them and see it in action before reaching into their own pockets to implement it on-farm.
“Currently farmers can spend up to $200 per hectare to conduct their own trials, and still they have no guarantees that it will work.
“This is about empowering land managers to build healthier, more robust soils through the innovative management of soil constraints.”
The types of soil constraints the project is aimed at addressing include water repellent sands, bleached sand layers, sub soil compaction and restricted rooting depth due to sodic subsoils.
The ‘Building resilient farming systems in South Australia through improved knowledge and innovative management of soil constraints’, is also supported by the Department for Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation.
