FarmTalk #37 – Success with Sandy Soils

Fact Sheet #37 – July 2010

Chris McDonough – Rural Solutions SA
Dr. Gupta Vadakattu V.S.R. – Principal Research Scientist, CSIRO

The issue
Traditionally, sandy soils in the Mallee have been difficult to manage, having lowfertility, high levels of root disease and weeds, poor yields and prone to erosion.
Modern farming methods promoted byMallee Sustainable Farming (MSF) havelead to sandy soils becoming some of themost even, consistent, and mostproductive zones of the farm, particularlyin below average rainfall years.
This farmtalk focuses on understanding why sandy soils can become so responsive, and what are the keys to turning sandy soils around.