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Hi Carl,
Welcome to the October edition of the Bulletin where you can find the latest on upcoming events, demonstration site news and resources on soil management and plant health in the Australian vegetable industry.
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Webinar: Managing salinity in vegetable crops
Join this interactive lunchtime session and hear from industry experts on good salinity management practices on farm, salinity thresholds for vegetables, how salinity can be identified and measured, as well as appropriate EC ranges for soils and water. |
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Vegetable Industry Summit & Grower Tour, WA
A fantastic industry development and networking opportunity being led by vegetablesWA.
Join members of the Soil Wealth ICP team to hear the latest updates on strip-tillage during the afternoon of the Industry Summit on the second day. |
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Inspiring the next generation of leaders at Richmond, TAS
We're always looking for opportunities to maximise the value of our national network of demo sites. How do we get the next generation engaged in soil management and plant health? Here's a great example.
A group of agronomy students from the University of Tasmania recently visited the Richmond TAS demonstration site.
Gundeep Singh and Jabin Geisler from Harvest Farms gave an overview of the One Harvest business including scheduling, production and sustainability, as well as harvest, cool chain and logistics. |
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Donna Lucas from the Soil Wealth ICP team showed the students the demo site and explained plans for trialing soil amendments over the coming year. She also outlined what needs to be considered for using soil amendments in vegetable production systems, cover cropping, managing soil borne diseases and the importance of soil health.
Petra Doust an agronomist at Elders also talked about crop agronomy.
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Remote sensing global scan and review
Get the edge on the types of remote sensing available and its application in vegetable production systems.
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Cover crops + rolled ground cover + strip-till = Record farm cucumber yield
Catch-up on the latest findings from our Cowra, NSW demonstration site.
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Should you be making hay from your cover crop?
​With hay prices through the roof, and farmers desperate for fodder to keep their breeding stock alive, it is seems almost criminal to plow in a cover crop.
However, before you call the hay contractor, think about how taking a hay crop may affect your next vegetable crop. Here are a few things to consider: - Soil compaction
- Loss of the soil’s protective covering
- Reduced organic matter input
- Nutrient removal.
It's also important to do some calculations on the economics. Many cover crops produce between 5-10 t/ha dry matter. With the hay market currently ranging from $250 - $650 per tonne ex farm, there are some short-term economic benefits. However, these need to be weighed up against the longer-term benefits of infiltration rates, increased soil water holding capacity, improved biological fertility, slow release of nutrients, and reduced erosion. |
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What we're watching: Fusarium wilt management in vegetables with Dr Len Tesoriero (webinar recording) |
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To find out more about the Soil Wealth or ICP projects visit the website, or join the Soil Wealth and ICP Community of Practice online. You can also follow us on Twitter @ProtectingCrops or @SoilWealth for the latest news and updates. |
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