Sandy loam soil  growing grain, Copeville, Mallee, South Australia

Description:       Dry, sandy loam,
liable to drifting (wind erosion)

Location:             rural hilly land (formed long ago as sand dunes) in South Australian Mallee

Values for this soil:
– Broad acre cropping of cereals and legumes as commercial family farm enterprise
– Produce goes to feed the ‘world’ – local and global markets

Challenges for this sandy LOAM soil
– A loose soil, which wind causes to drift on sandy rises, resulting in blowouts of exposed soil, which erode further
– lacks organic matter
– poor in soil structure

Wind erosion managed by
1 double sowing to retain plant cover
2 potential blowout areas not harvested to ensure adequate ground cover
3 direct drilling sowing of crops – for minimal disturbance of soil structure
4 limited use for stock– as they can break up surface soil structure and aid wind erosion

See more about issues of drifting sands in these Wimmera -Mallee Soil Selfies:
– signs of sand drift along a fenceline in the Mallee, Banyan
– revegetating a sandhill drift in the Wimmera, at Dimboola

Credits :  KP, of Jeparit gives permission for these photos and information to be used under a (cc) license 2015
Editing and page created by Jeanie Clark, enviroed4all®, Warracknabeal, for use in education under a (cc) licence 2015

return to Soil Selifes location page

page set up 27 November 2015