Farmers benefit from soil testing and grazing cereal trials field day

Fifty or more people gathered near Holbrook to attend a very successful field day on Wednesday (8 August) focussing on soil testing, grazing cereal trials, fungicides and yellow leaf spot management.

The field day was organised by Holbrook Landcare Network and NSW Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI) with support from the Grains and Research Development Corporation.

The day started on Tim Trescowthick's property 'Roachdale' at Holbrook with a talk on Holbrook Landcare's nutrient management program. The focus was on soil testing associated with a subsidised soil testing project component supported by the Murray Catchment Management Authority.

The project is being run by NSW DPI's Nigel Phillips. In addition to soil testing techniques, the program covers issues around decision making as a result of the tests including considerations of intended stocking rate, pasture type and farm enterprises.

Mr Phillips said the project aims to benchmark soil fertility in the Holbrook district and demonstrate how producers could use annual soil test to greatly improve fertiliser application decisions.

"Farmers are also shown how to select soil testing sites and the usefulness of point monitoring sites in relation to fertiliser decision making across a landscape type," he said.

"It is particularly important that the soil tests are done at the same time each year for participants to see the change over time and develop a fertility trend to manage rather than make decisions based on a single test."

Holbrook Landcare's executive officer, Chris Cumming, said 75 farmers participated in the program last year and this year‟s program was being well supported.

Soil tests included: Colwell Phosphorous, Colwell Potassium, KCl 40 Sulphur, Organic Carbon, Nitrate Nitrogen, Ammonium Nitrogen, Electrical Conductivity, PH water, PH CaC12, Olsen P, Phosphorous Buffer Index and Aluminium (Exchangeable Cations).

Soil tests are to be completed by late August to mid September. Participants will receive their results immediately and a field day is scheduled for later in the year to give feedback to participants on district soil test results and making decisions based on soil test results.

Following the soil testing talk, NSW DPI Technical Specialist Cereals, Peter Matthews, spoke about new grazing varieties including wheat, triticale, barley and oats at a grazing cereal trial site established at 'Roachdale'.

Holbrook Landcare's, Mark Fraser, also spoke on APSIM plots and nitrogen management.

The day concluded with a visit to field sites at Tony Geddes property 'Billa Billa', Holbrook, where NSW DPI Plant pathologist Andrew Milgate gave a very interesting talk on fungicides and yellow leaf spot management.

Photos available from sarahc@sf.nsw.gov.au or Holbrook Landcare.

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