Getting a complete soil health picture this Autumn
Golden Bay Dolomite soil analysis guide
As Farmers, you know that maintaining healthy soil is vital for achieving good farm performance. Healthy soil equals healthy pastures/crops and animals and is important across the following functions
Maintaining optimum soil structure,
Creating a healthy environment for soil biology, and
Supporting nutrient requirements for strong plant growth.
Visual soil assessment (VSA)
In modern agriculture, there has become a greater reliance on solely using soil test results to determine soil capabilities and fertiliser requirements.
Graham Shepherd’s visual soil assessment (VSA) is often overlooked, although it can provide valuable information about how your soils are behaving under your current farm management system. Farmers (and staff) are best placed to complete a visual soil assessment that shows up physical, biological and to some extent chemical soil properties.
Back to basics
Taking a paddock walk, digging a hole, then looking can identify issues of compaction and lack of aeration of your topsoil. Things like Worm counts above 25 in a spade cube can be a reflection of good soil health, along with root depth and soil colour.
Trust your observations, if you are being sold a system or products for performance that are not reflected in results you see, then ask your consultant or fertiliser company why not?
Where to find more information
Landcare Research has a hub of information about how to complete an assessment and general information about soil parameters including photos of differing soil conditions. See the link below.
https://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/publications/vsa-field-guide/
These readily available resources alongside completing an assessment provide general guidance on what “good soil” looks like versus an underperforming one. Some of the key soil characteristics (listed below) give an indication of soil health.
General knowledge of these helps to interpret what can be seen around the property e.g. digging post holes, or on track banks.
Key soil characteristics:
Soil “aggregate” distribution
Soil colour indicators (greying, rust)
Soil mottling
Compaction pans
Earthworm counts
Albrecht method of soil testing and recommendations.
So, once you have assessed your soil you then need to know how to correct it.
By manipulating the Calcium / Magnesium percentages in the topsoil (applying Dolomite, Ag lime or a combination of both) along with other essential minerals you can make significant improvements to soil health.
Golden Bay Dolomite are advocates of the Albrecht soil analysis method (Perry Ag Lab), which provides the science behind correcting Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium and Sodium Base Saturation levels.
The testing method was developed by Dr William Albrecht, chairman of the department of soils at Missouri University from 1916 through to 1959 and his compelling science saw improvements across:
Soil structure
Biological activity
Resistance to plant diseases
Food quality
Animal health, and
Crop yields
How does the Albrecht system differ?
Standard soil testing is based on: volume of feed removed replaced as ‘Plant feeding’ soluble nutrient back in, with little regard for the nutrient levels in the soil itself.
The Albrecht system recognises that minerals in the top soil (including trace elements) each have ‘optimum’ levels. Once these have been reached they provide an environment where soil biology thrive and make available nutrients to the plants/crops.
“Feed the soil, let the soil feed the plant”
Dr W A Albrecht
Maintaining these mineral levels will ensure nutrient-dense fodder and healthy animals, resulting in consistent animal live weights, pasture/crop growth and/or kg milk solids per hectare.
In a nutshell, the objective of the Albrecht-Kinsey system is to achieve the correct “percentages” between nutrients that are essential for plant nutrition. In essence, the soil feeds plant nutrition, which then feeds farm stock, improving animal health and weight gains.
Figure 1. The essence of the Albrecht system
Soil testing under the Albrecht system has comprehensive measuring parameters, including those listed below:
Cation exchange capacity
Soil pH
Organic matter
Sulphate sulphate
Available phosphorus (Bray 2 test)
Base Saturation calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium
Exchangeable hydrogen
Trace elements – Boron, Manganese, Iron, Copper and Zinc
Cobalt, chlorides, Molybdenum etc – on request
Kinsey Agricultural Services (KAS) consultancy
Neal Kinsey of Kinsey Agricultural Services (Inc), Missouri is qualified to provide interpretation and fertiliser recommendations based on the Albrecht testing method. Together with results from PAL, this approach is often referred to as the ‘Albrecht-Kinsey’ system.
In addition to owning and operating KAS author Neal also specialises in training consultants in the Albrecht system and hosting multi-day introductory courses for farmers.
NOTE: Next NZ course - 1st, 2nd and 3rd of May 2023, view details on the GBD website.
GBD Albrecht-Kinsey consultants
The team at GBD are highly skilled having attended many of Neal Kinsey’s courses and are able to provide PAL soil testing services, nutrient recommendations, and custom fertiliser blends across New Zealand. See the link below.
https://kinseyag.com/category/consultants/new-zealand/
Balancing the Albrecht-Kinsey approach
GBD is the perfect fit
The Albrecht method places particular emphasis on calcium and magnesium, much greater than any other system conventional or organic. Calcium increases flocculation, improving pore space and soil structure, while magnesium does the opposite and makes the soil tighter. Sufficient calcium is essential for trace element availability as a translocator which is particularly important for legumes. The ideal soil percentages are 60 - 70% calcium and 10 - 12% magnesium.
Dolomite with a mineral composition of 23% calcium and 11% magnesium is a good product option for achieving this.
Figure 2. Albrecht base saturation cation percentages