Soil
Our soils are naturally heavy in organic matter. They have been farmed for over 150 years and through this time, are built well in some areas, and degraded in others through unnecessary cultivation, synthetic fertiliser and chemical inputs.
Our goal for Glendhu Station’s future is to build our soils every year and avoid degradation.
Initial trial work has given great results, which prove the need for chemicals and synthetic fertiliser is minimal when soil is in a healthy biological state from good management practices.
Symptoms of our paddocks during conventional farming practices
- Low earth worm numbers 5-10 per spade.
- Slow pasture recovery after climatic events e.g drought.
- Uneven grazing habits of animals.
- Small root systems.
- Low base saturation (Ca, Mg , Na, K ) levels due to the application of synthetic fertilsers.
- Very slow cow dung recycling (1 year plus).
Results from biological soil studies after 5 years
- Increased pasture recovery after dry spells.
- Far better grazing patterns by stock.
- Dramatic increase in earth worm numbers which are still building (50 – 100 per spade).
- Good base saturation results including increased trace element levels.
- Stock are grazing selected weed species at certain times e.g docks, woolly Mullen, young scotch thistles and more.
- Better stock health in general.
- Lower farm costs in general.
For more detailed scientific information from helpful sources, click on these links.