Soil management
Soil management
The Limestone Coast landscape Board aims to work with land managers to build and maintain healthy soils across the landscape. The soil resources in our region support a wide variety of agricultural enterprises, as well as providing important ecosystem functions linked to sustainable farming. Our region has a wide range of soils from deep sands through to black cracking clays.
What is healthy soil and why is it important?
A healthy soil is a diverse and multifunctioning living ecosystem which can provide an environment that doesn’t constrain plant growth. Soil underpins the production of food and fibre as well as our natural ecosystems. It plays important roles in nutrients cycling, sequestration of atmospheric CO2 and the water cycles which occur in our environment.
Soil is a limited resource important to the posterity of the Limestone Coast region and its health is impacted by the way mange it. Understanding soil type, properties and constraints allows land managers to make informed soil management decisions to ensure primary industries are sustainable into the future.
Constraints which can impact soil health:
- Salinity: the salt content in soil
- Soil fertility
- pH: the measure of acidity or alkalinity in soils
- Organic matter and soil organic carbon content: which influences nutrient cycling, carbon storage and soil properties
- Structure, stability and other physical constraints – such as subsoil layers of gravel, rock or compaction
- waterlogging
- contamination
Soil Issues - Factsheets provide information on how to identify, manage and treat these problems for sustainable and more productive soils.
Our region has a wide range of soils from deep sands through to black cracking clays. supporting a wide variety of agricultural enterprises, as well as providing important ecosystem functions linked to sustainable farming.
Employing good soil management practices will ensure that your farm business is sustainable into the future.
Soil Testing and Observation - Factsheets on “how to do a soil test” and interpret the results, as well as “Soil Health Check Cards” that allow for the easy record keeping of various paddock based soil attributes.
Soil Attribute Maps - Regional maps of various soil types and soils susceptible to the issues faced in the region.
Soil Issues - Factsheets about soil issues also information on how to manage and treat these problems for sustainable and more productive soils.
Regional Soil Factsheets - Factsheets from research and investigations conducted in the region into soil and soil related problems.
Regional Demonstration Farms - Results from the various demonstration farms that have been part of the enhancing soil health projects. The results are not researched based investigation but rather demonstrations of soil modification techniques in a working farm situation.