A Farewell Chat with Nick Paltridge

How do you assess whether soil amelioration is worth the investment in a low-rainfall farming system? In this episode of the MSF Farm Talk podcast, Lowbank grower Tim Paschke shares his experience with soil amelioration in challenging Mallee conditions, including the importance of helping crop roots access stored soil moisture. Tim explains how he thinks about increasing the soil “bucket” and why early improvements in crop establishment don't always translate into immediate yield gains. For him, assessing the benefits of soil amelioration means looking beyond the first season and considering crop performance over multiple years, including in tougher seasons. He also discusses how he identifies where amelioration is most likely to deliver a return, drawing on EM mapping, yield maps and local knowledge to guide decisions about where to invest and where not to. Avoiding unnecessary work on flats and stony areas, weighing up costs and understanding the limitations of different soil types all form part of his approach. Tim’s experience highlights the importance of having a clear objective before starting soil amelioration. In low-rainfall systems, targeting the right areas, understanding the risks and assessing results over time are all critical to making informed investment decisions. 🎧 Take a listen to hear Tim's experience on farm with soil amelioration. 📄Read Tim's Case Study here: Case-study-Tim-Paschke-Lowbank-Waikerie.pdf 📘Not sure if your soil will respond to ameliorating, or what approach to take? Check out the Soil Amelioration Decision Tree: https://msfp.org.au/projects/carbon-soil-management-practices-across-the-mallee/#flipbook-df_14443/3/ 📚For more information on the project, visit the project page: Driving On-Farm Adoption of Carbon-Friendly Soil Management Practices across the Mallee - Mallee Sustainable Farming This project is supported by the Australian Government through funding from the Natural Heritage Trust under the Climate Smart Agriculture program. Support the show: https://msfp.org.au/about/membership/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does it take to make soil amelioration work at paddock scale? In this episode of the MSF Farm Talk podcast, Pinnaroo grower Wade Nicholls shares more than 20 years of experience using soil amelioration to improve challenging soils on-farm. Wade discusses his experience with clay delving and spreading, and why moving from discs to a spader was a major change for his business. By mixing clay through the soil profile, rather than simply placing it near the surface, Wade has been able to target the constraints of sandy soils and improve crop performance. Wade reflects on some of the lessons learnt along the way, including early mistakes that brought sodic subsoil to the surface, and how he now considers soil constraints, machinery setup, moisture availability and nutrient management when planning amelioration work. Wade’s experience highlights that soil amelioration is a long-term investment, and that getting the soil, machinery, timing and follow-up management right is critical to turning an amelioration treatment into a productive paddock. 🎧 Take a listen to hear Wade's experience on farm with soil amelioration. 📄Read Wade's Case Study here: Case-study-Wade-and-Chad-Nickolls-Pinnaroo.pdf 📘Not sure if your soil will respond to ameliorating, or what approach to take? Check out the Soil Amelioration Decision Tree: https://msfp.org.au/projects/carbon-soil-management-practices-across-the-mallee/#flipbook-df_14443/3/ 📚For more information on the project, visit the project page: Driving On-Farm Adoption of Carbon-Friendly Soil Management Practices across the Mallee - Mallee Sustainable Farming This project is supported by the Australian Government through funding from the Natural Heritage Trust under the Climate Smart Agriculture program. Support the show: https://msfp.org.au/about/membership/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do you identify where non-wetting sands are holding back crop establishment and what can you do about it? In this episode of MSF Farm Talk Podcast, Younghusband grower James Stevens shares his experience investigating and addressing non-wetting sands on-farm. James talks about the challenges of uneven crop emergence across variable sand rises and how MSF-supported on-farm trials have helped him investigate different approaches to soil amelioration, including spading, ripping, deep ripping with inclusion plates and the use of chicken manure. He explains how poor crop emergence helped identify underperforming areas, and how soil pits and dye tracing provided a better understanding of preferential water flow through the soil. James also discusses the role of wetters as a lower-cost option at seeding, and what he has learnt about targeting amelioration rather than treating an entire paddock. James’ experience highlights the value of identifying the specific constraint before deciding on an amelioration approach and using targeted, practical trials to work out what fits your own farming system. This episode was recorded during MSF’s Soil Amelioration Workshop, where growers and researchers shared experiences and discussed practical approaches to improving constrained soils. 🎧 Take a listen to hear James' experience on farm with soil amelioration. 📄Read Jock's Case Study here: Case-study-James-Stephens-Bowhill.pdf 📘Not sure if your soil will respond to ameliorating, or what approach to take? Check out the Soil Amelioration Decision Tree: https://msfp.org.au/projects/carbon-soil-management-practices-across-the-mallee/#flipbook-df_14443/3/ 📚For more information on the project, visit the project page: Driving On-Farm Adoption of Carbon-Friendly Soil Management Practices across the Mallee - Mallee Sustainable Farming This project is supported by the Australian Government through funding from the Natural Heritage Trust under the Climate Smart Agriculture program. Support the show: https://msfp.org.au/about/membership/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does soil amelioration actually look like on-farm? In this episode of the MSF Farm Talk podcast, we hear from Paruna grower Jock McNeil about his experience using soil amelioration practices since 2015 to address non-wetting and other constraints across sandy soils. Jock shares what drove him to start looking at soil amelioration, after seeing crops struggle despite having moisture available in the subsoil. He talks through his experiences with deep ripping, spading, plowing and soil inversion, and how he has adapted his approach over time. Jock’s experience highlights the importance of diagnosing the constraint first, then matching the amelioration approach to the soil, paddock and farming system. This episode was recorded at MSF’s Soil Amelioration Workshop that was held in Loxton in June, where growers and researchers shared their experiences and discussed practical approaches to improving constrained soils. This is episode 1 of a 4-part mini-series of Mallee grower experiences with soil amelioration recorded at the workshop. 🎧 Take a listen to hear Jock’s experience on farm with soil amelioration. 📄Read Jock's Case Study here: Case-study-Jock-McNeil-Paruna.pdf 📘Not sure if your soil will respond to ameliorating, or what approach to take? Check out the Soil Amelioration Decision Tree: https://msfp.org.au/projects/carbon-soil-management-practices-across-the-mallee/#flipbook-df_14443/3/ 📚For more information on the project, visit the project page: Driving On-Farm Adoption of Carbon-Friendly Soil Management Practices across the Mallee - Mallee Sustainable Farming This project is supported by the Australian Government through funding from the Natural Heritage Trust under the Climate Smart Agriculture program. Support the show: https://msfp.org.au/about/membership/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What brings farmers to a soil amelioration workshop and what do they take away from the day? In this episode of the MSF Farm Talk podcast, we head back to Loxton for MSF's Soil Amelioration Workshop, held in June, which brought together farmers, researchers and advisers to share experiences and explore practical approaches to addressing soil constraints across the Mallee. Throughout the day, MSF's Kylie Matthewson caught up with attendees to find out what brought them to the workshop, what they were hoping to learn, and what stood out to them by the end of the day. Farmers and advisers discuss some of the challenges they're facing, including compaction, sandy soils, water repellence, low water and nutrient holding capacity, and variable results from practices such as delving and deep ripping. A key theme throughout the conversations was the importance of understanding the constraint before treating it. Attendees reflect on the value of targeted approaches rather than a "shotgun" approach, staging investment, protecting ground cover and monitoring results over multiple seasons. The discussions also highlight the importance of ground-truthing trial results, using soil and plant testing, considering nutrition and operational impacts, and sharing experiences with other farmers and researchers. 🎧 Take a listen to hear directly from the people who attended the workshop, find out what they heard and what they took away from the day. 📚Check out the project page for more resources, including grower case studies and a Soil Amelioration Decision Tree: Driving On-Farm Adoption of Carbon-Friendly Soil Management Practices across the Mallee - Mallee Sustainable Farming Support the show: https://msfp.org.au/about/membership/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.