Wimmera farmers take part in VicNoTill Soils in all Seasons event

VicNoTill has hosted farmers from across Victoria at Kaniva and Neuarpurr for a Soils in All Seasons workshop as part of a roadshow reaching across New South Wales and Victoria.

The VicNoTill roadshow covered topics including strategic soil management, matching soil to moisture management, soil climate boundaries for crops in changing seasonal conditions and more.

VicNoTill president Dan Fox, Marrar, NSW, said it offered farmers a platform to think about moving into the next season.

"It's a really good time to open our soils up, at the point of harvest, that's when our crops are maturing and have the maximum amount of rooting depth in our soils," he said.

"For me, and the growers here who attended the workshops, no matter what level of no-till they're on, we've all got something out of it and seen how our soils are constructed and behave, and how our plants need to negotiate that.

"I view all of these things as a really good learning experience."

Soil advisor Ed Scott, Adelaide Hills, SA, said the field days created an open forum between farmers from different regions with different soil types.

"It will hopefully lead to a better understanding of where the next step change in their production might be," he said.

"A lot of it is recognising the big step changes that have come with the adoption of no till, and the value that it has brought to the table from a production point of view.

"Having the awareness that something is going on below the surface."

Soil advisor Michael Eyres, Adelaide Hills, SA, said it wasn't just about the soils, but the relationship between the soils and crop.

"The first challenge is understanding where we test and we test in such shallow layers which are better horizons than the subsoil," he said.

"The nought to 30 centimetres is the zone of productivity, and the zone of profitability is below that.

"We need vertical rate, we need to understand the layers and how they react to each other and collectively react to the crop."

Brippick cropping manager Tara Hindson, Neuarpurr, said they did a soil pit a few years ago on a different paddock.

"It's very valuable information knowing what's underneath and what we're actually dealing with," she said.

"You've got your top 10 centimetres, and what's underneath is totally different."