Stubble paddock

Description – Loamy Clay – fine and dry 30cm topsoil

Location – claypan in broad-acre paddock on Wimmera plains

Values for this soil:
– Broad-acre food production as family farm business
– Teaching our child about the environment, by being in it.

No-till conservation farming managements for using this soil for broad-acre cropping:
– Clay – Gypsum spread before pulses sown to break down clay
– Nitrogen – Pulses in five-year rotation to return nitrogen
– Nutrients – rotation of pulses, cereals, oilseeds and chemical fallow
– Erosion – Stubble retained for ground-cover protection of soil from evaporation and erosion
– Organic content – stubble breaks down as compost in soil.

For more
– about the Wimmera’s clay plains landform where clay pans can be found, visit the VRO’s flat clay plains webpage
– on family farm’s where children learn first hand about soils, visit the Soil Selfies from Kilmore and Apollo Bay in Victoria, the Koute de Tyon in France and M’fango Island in Kenya
– about soil challenges and managements for grain growing in these Soil Selfies from  Jeparit,  Victoria, and Copeville South Australia

Credits: Tracy Dart, of Batchica, gives permission for her photos and information to be used under a (cc) license 2015; Editing and page created by Jeanie Clark, enviroed4all®, Warracknabeal, under a (cc) licence 2015

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page setup 4 April 2015, updated 9 January 2016