YOUNG farmer Scott Langley is keen to hear what the experts have to say when they visit his property this month.

By his own admission, Scott, who does not have a farming background, is "starting at zero" with a recent 40ha addition to his home farm at Rosedale, in Gippsland.

    AT A GLANCE
  • Who: Scott Langley
  • What: sheep and cattle
  • Why: healthy soils the key to profits
  • Where: Rosedale, Victoria

The new property has a poor fertiliser history, tired pastures and a low stocking rate.

Scott has stocked it with cows and calves but would like to be able to double its carrying capacity to 20 dry sheep equivalents and use it to run Merino ewes to produce lambs for finishing back on the irrigated home farm.

"I'd like to stock it pretty high and wean early," Scott said.

He has tried different fertilisers on small areas and found that heavy applications of urea and lime triggered the best pasture response.

But with finances tight, Scott can't "throw a heap of fertiliser" at the pastures.

He said he believed focusing on pasture growth often meant overlooking fundamental problems with the soil.

"We've pushed our soils to the limit, and they're tired," he said. "Our next step should be to look after our soils so they can look after our pastures."

Recent soil tests indicate Scott's predominantly clay loam and heavy sandy loam soils are slightly acidic and lack potassium.

He is also concerned about the soil structure, which has resulted in a shallow root system and poor water retention.

"We haven't got any roots below an inch, and the water can't penetrate through the soil," he said.

Scott contemplated using a tractor to break up the soil, but decided a more economical approach would be to sow a summer crop of rape and chicory over 20 per cent of the property.

He also plans to sow another brassica crop in autumn "to get the roots down over winter".

Scott also recognises the need to build up the soil's organic matter "but in a way that isn't going to send me broke".

He tried a couple of drums of worm castings and worm "juice" but said it was too late in the season to see any results. Greater success was achieved with good-quality, clean straw used last year to feed sheep on another property.

"It was pretty laborious, but it was effectively cheaper than fertiliser, and it added a lot of organic matter to the soil," he said.

Other strategies Scott believes will improve productivity include longer pasture rotations and trying different pasture varieties.

"But really, it all comes down to the soil," he said.

FIELD DAY

  • Scott will host a soil field day next Thursday, run by the Healthy Soils Sustainable Farms project, funded by Caring for Our Country. It will be held at Clearview Farm on the Rosedale-Flynn Creek Rd, at Rosedale.
  • The project is looking at soil acidity, its impacts on production and the options for reversing acidification.