Amazing soil amelioration results at Brookton
Jeff Edwards (second from right), daughter Chloe and son-in-law Ben Stockton chat with Carbon Ag’s Brad Wisewould about the company’s WA Broadacre Blend compost and new carbon granule product for seeding applications at the family’s ‘Brooklands’ property east of Brookton.
Ben and Jeff said they were amazed with the yield results from their unique soil amelioration program after an almost record dry growing season.
NOT much tends to surprise growers after many years farming their land, but Jeff Edwards was in shock when he took a closer look at deeper subsoils on the family’s east Brookton property.
Fortunately, Jeff has since had a similar reaction – in a positive way – to trials of a unique soil amelioration program implemented last year to address the problem.
The family farms 8000 hectares at Kweda, comprising mainly of duplex sandplain soils and some heavy country. About 60 per cent of the land is cropped, with Merinos running over the remainder.
“Due to our weak sandplain soils, we need legumes in our rotations, being either clover-based pastures or lupins,’’ Jeff said.
He said he had become concerned about the impact of current farming systems on soils, particularly from chemicals, compaction and other practices.
“If we want to keep producing more from less rainfall, we really need to look at our soil health and what is happening down at depth, not just on the surface.’’
“Our land values are so high now that we need to delve into looking after subsoils.
“What really opened my eyes was digging soil pits and seeing how unhealthy that subsoil is – it just shocks you.
“It was alarming how dead the subsoils were. There was no organic matter, no carbon, no nothing. We have issues with compaction and the problem at depth is low pH and high aluminium levels.’’
Jeff said they had been following research work by DPIRD and grower groups over recent years and last season, for the first time, they trialled deep ripping with lime, gypsum and a compost product, WA Broadacre Blend, sourced from Carbon Ag.
“With the Broadacre Blend as a starting point, I liked the fact it’s almost like garden mulch. And we mulch our gardens, so why wouldn’t we mulch our farms,’’ he said.
A muck spreader was hired to apply the compost in 2 tonne/ha and 4t/ha strips over two sites totalling 100ha. It was incorporated to a depth of 0.5 metres with the lime and gypsum, and the treatments later received foliar applications of Carbon Ag’s liquid fertilisers, including high-density phosphorus and potassium product, DKP, soil microbial stimulant, Bioprime, and immediately available calcium, magnesium and nitrogen fertiliser, CalMag.
Jeff said he was extremely impressed with the results, especially considering an almost record dry growing season that netted just 185 millimetres of rainfall.
He said in an area of gutless white sand, yields ranged from 1.7t/ha with their normal seeding practice up to 3.2t/ha in the trial, and from 2.9t/ha up to 4t/ha in better soil.
“In the trial area, I helped my old man clear some of it. It was just rabbit holes, banksia trees and rubbish. I never thought I would see that production on that land – it’s been one disappointment after another.’’
“Where we deep ripped with the Broadacre Blend, there was definitely more root growth and biomass right from the get-go. You could see the extra root growth.’’
Plant tissue testing also showed increased nutrient availability, particularly of nitrogen.
“In the coming year, in front of our amelioration program, we will be using Broadacre Blend, lime and gypsum, targeting problem areas. We have got the recipe now,’’ Jeff said.
“In my opinion, the two (deep ripping and Broadacre Blend) go together because you’re aerating the soil and you’re adding carbon to the soil to bring some life into it. You need oxygen and you need carbon, so the two go together. Something in my gut tells me that carbon is needed more for the longer term.’’
Brad Wisewould of Carbon Ag said together with lime and gypsum, the combination amounted to a total restoration program for soils, and, if growers were investing strongly in amelioration programs, carbon was well worthwhile to provide for good carbon cycling.
Jeff said Carbon Ag’s new carbon granule for application at seeding also looked great and he definitely planned to “have a look at it this year’’.
Meanwhile, the company’s full liquid system of DKP, Bioprime and CalMag also was used for foliar applications with herbicides in a problem barley paddock and Jeff said he was impressed with the yield responses.
“I can’t believe the yields we got.’’
“They are easy to use and with the Bioprime Trace, we dropped our herbicide rates by 10 per cent and the effectiveness was quite unbelievable.’’
Like many growers, Jeff said they had previously been retaining stubbles and would continue to “do the best they can for their soils’’.
“We want to build organic matter and make them healthier and more productive.’’
“It’s been a good journey, that’s for sure, since we started talking with Brad at Carbon Ag about these products and learning along the way. I’m just impressed with the company and the effort it is putting into improving our soils.
“For us to have confidence, we need to see an improvement in carbon levels, soil health, productivity and the bottom-line.
“I’ve been really impressed with the products and what we have done last year. We’ve had local growers and agronomists look at the full program and it’s incredible – we’re all in shock.
“There is a lot of interest from people in what we are doing – and others – and from what we are seeing in these trials, it’s just amazing what we can produce on such hungry soil with so little rain.’’