Toodyay Land Conservation District Committee



	Guides to: Weeds Soils Species Lists Catchments Phillips Brook Wattening Jimperding Boyagerring Toodyay Community Groups: Friends of the River Seed Orchard Naturalists' Club Major Issues Salinity Soil Acidity Revegetation Erosion Livestock Management Advice for the Small Landholder Small Landholder Information Service All feral animals (rabbits, foxes, pigs, etc.), on the one Website, click here Avon Gorge Invasive Species Group click here Pest plants click here Click link below to our Strategy For the Future Meet the members of our Committee Click here		SOILS Soil is a dynamic medium made up minerals, organic matter, water, air, and living organisms such as bacteria and earthworms. Soil was formed and is changed by time, parent material, climate, topography and organisms present. The way we manage the soil will have an influence on its character. Soil is not uniform but divided into layers, or horizons. The topsoil is classified as horizon A; it contains all the organic matter and plant roots, and is the most fertile. The B horizon, or sub soil, is beneath; it is less fertile and often contains more clay, iron and aluminium that has been washed down through the profile. Below the sub soil is the parent material from which the soil is formed. Soils in valleys and flat areas tend to be deeper than those on slopes, due to erosion. Western Australian soils are some of the oldest and most weathered in the world, and as a consequence are some of the least fertile. In order to produce cereal crops such as wheat and barley, fertilisers need to be added. Conversely, our native vegetation has produced a huge diversity of plants that are perfectly adapted to these infertile soils. SOIL TESTING Many farmers face the dilemma of deciding whether or not to test their soil. The returns are not always obvious so why bother testing it? Here are some good reasons for testing your soil: it is one of your most important assets; getting the most out of it requires managing it appropriately; you cannot manage what you cannot measure; changes in the soil can go unseen until it is too late; and prevention is better than cure - preventing problems always works out to be far less expensive and time consuming than fixing them. Most Australian soils are degraded. Developing a strategy to improve the fertility of your soils has the potential to greatly increase soil productivity, thus increasing sustainable returns. Here are some basic steps to develop your strategy: select a typical paddock and use it to monitor progress; make sure any soil test includes all exchangeable cations and trace elements, not just pH and major nutrients; work to improve one paddock at a time. Returns from this will fund work on the next one; ensure other management issues, like soil acidity or erosion are addressed When improving soils for livestock pasture, identify the number and type of animals (eg sheep, cattle) that are needed to utilise the pasture. Independent soil analysis (not connected to any fertiliser supplier) can be obtained from SWEP Analytical Laboratories, Post Office Box 583, Noble Park VIC 3174. Phone (03) 9701 6007 If you are contemplating organic or bio dynamics, SWEP can be extremely helpful. Email to services@swep.com.au Website www.swep.com.au A selection of informative fact sheets are available for down loading from this site. "Live as if you may die tomorrow, but farm as if you will in 1,000 years". This is the objective for those who strive for true sustainability in farm production (taken from SWEP website fact sheet). Back to the top Back to the Home Page

SOILS