New soils project in southern WA with mapping, training & demonstration sites

Jayme Burkett, South Coast NRM

A new soils project on the South Coast aims to benefit farmers in the region by increasing soil landscape mapping, supporting sustainable soils management and growing the capacity of the local soils workforce.

The Know Your Southern Soils project is a partnership between Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) and South Coast Natural Resource Management (South Coast NRM), who will be working with grower groups ASHEEP & BEEF and North Stirlings Pallinup Natural Resources (NSPNR).

Through the collaborative approach, with grower groups delivering the extension element of the project, there is a focus on addressing soil constraints affecting farmers in the Esperance and North Stirlings Pallinup areas. This will be supported through a two-year demonstration site in each region and an array of events and workshops to increase skills and knowledge regarding soil health.

During the project, DPIRD will be undertaking soil sampling to increase soil mapping in the Salmon Gums and Wellstead regions, two areas which are underrepresented in current datasets. The sampling has already commenced, with 800 sites identified for testing key chemical and physical soil health indicators.

South Coast NRM is responsible for supporting ASHEEP & BEEF and NSPNR to deliver the extension components of this project. In the Esperance region, ASHEEP & BEEF will be establishing a demonstration site focusing on soil performance improvement relevant to pasture systems.

Lastly, this project will work to create a soils training package that will be available to the greater workforce who include agronomists, farmers, grower group professionals and other industry representatives who have an interest in soils.