Healthy subsoils produce more red meat
| Project start date: | 01 November 2021 |
| Project end date: | 31 January 2028 |
| Project status: | In progress |
| Livestock species: | Grass-fed Cattle, Sheep, Lamb |
| Relevant regions: | Victoria, Cold wet, Mediterranean, Temperate, Temperate sub-humid |
| Site location: | North Central VIC: Boorolite, Gruyere, & Coldstream |
Summary
The purpose of this producer demonstration site (PDS) is to show that once a subsoil constraint is detected, then amelioration of soil constraint(s) will improve pasture production, and grazing enterprise resilience and profitability. This will give producers the required confidence to apply the practices being demonstrated and unlock the potential of their pastures and utilise the latest genetics.
Objectives
By December 2028, in North Central Victoria:
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11 core producers will be engaged and3 producer demonstration sites established to demonstrate property specific best practice subsoil amelioration to:
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Ameliorate the subsoil constraints identified
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Improve pasture dry matter production levels compared to the control by 10% and maintain or increase this every year of the project
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Increase knowledge, skills and confidence of core and observer farmers to implement the practices by refreshing key soil management criteria including chemical, physical and biological management skills plus FOO dry matter assessment of pasture
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Conduct a cost benefit analysis to determine the relative economic performance of the best practice subsoil management programs compared to the control based on dry matter results.
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As a result of the project and associated extension / communication activities, 100% of core producers and 50% of the observer producers will implement subsoil constraint diagnostic testing and amelioration management practices on their farms.
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Implement a series of skills and training development workshops to increase the knowledge, skills and confidence of 100% of the core producers and 50% of the observer producers in the best practice soil nutrition for high rainfall pastures including the subsoil constraints and their management and best practice topsoil plant nutrition.
Progress
The “Healthy Subsoils Produce More Red Meat” PDS project has entered the third year and second year of demonstrations. So far an estimated 60 producers have attended the workshops and in-field demonstrations.
The treatments have comprised of subsoil manuring with poultry litter at a minimum of 15t/Ha, either deep ripped and incorporated along with lime. The Coldstream site had the poultry litter placed at depth in bands at 30-40cm depth and 90cm apart. Also at this site the Soilkee has been applied across all treatments giving a combination of treatments to compare. The treatments applied to each site differed depending on what was prescribed to ameliorate the pasture growth constraint detected by the soil testing.
The 2024 autumn and winter has been very testing especially for the Boorolite and Delatite sites and harvest have not been collected from these sites over this period.
The results that have been collected to date indicate that nutrition is important, with higher nutrition from poultry litter treatments and in conjunction with incorporation or placement at depth improving dry matter production.
This project is managed by Matt Mahoney of Agridome Consultancy, located in Central Victoria.
