How much fertility can chickens and a mobile chicken tractor add to the landscape?

As a winner of the 2023 SQNNSW Innovation Hub World Soil Day competition the Hub’s Regional Soil Coordinator, Cameron Leckie with Communications Manager Erin Byles visited Echo Valley Farm in February to collect soil samples for chemical and biological analysis at four sites.

One of the most interesting findings from the results was the added fertility provided by the chickens at the site upon which a mobile chicken tractor had been in place some three months previously.

Soil test results at the other sites indicated little presence of nitrogen (to be expected in a low input pasture system) and marginally deficient levels of sulfur. The laboratory results at the chicken tractor site however had noticeably higher levels of nitrogen, sulfur and to a lesser extent phosphorus. The impact of this additional fertility was evident in the vigour and colour of the pasture. This data provides Randal and Juanita with a confirmation of the positive impact of this farming practice on soil fertility.

Soil tests can assist in diagnosing soil related issues that are impacting upon productivity. Echo Valley Farm has recently taken over management of a neighbouring block where the pasture is underperforming. The test data highlighted that the soil is magnesic to at least 90 cm depth. Magnesic soils have a higher proportion of magnesium in relation to calcium which in some circumstances can have detrimental impacts on soil structure and infiltration. This knowledge derived from soil testing can be used to assist with future management decisions.  

European style agriculture has been practiced on this part of the Darling Downs for around 150 years. It is a ‘worn out landscape’ as Randal describes it, which Echo Valley Farm is aiming to heal with its focus on soil health. Test results for soil organic carbon, which makes up on average 58% of soil organic matter and is a key component of soil health, provided an interesting indicator of the impact of farming on the landscape. The highest level of soil organic carbon, by a clear margin, was measured atop a ridge line under native vegetation which has never been cropped, unlike the slope and creek flat sites which have been cropped for generations.

Interpreting a soil test can be overwhelming, with so many numbers for so many soil properties having the potential to create confusion. The Registered Soil Practitioner accreditation program is a new initiative, run by Soil Science Australia as part of the National Soil Strategy that aims to improve the quality of both soil data collected and the interpretation of the results. As part of their prize, the laboratory results were provided to Echo Valley Farm in the form of a Soil Condition Report written by the Hub’s Regional Soil Coordinator who is also a Registered Soil Practitioner. The Report provides a baseline that will assist Randal and Juanita in monitoring their progress towards healing the landscape as their farming adventure continues.    

As part of the SQNNSW Hub’s commitment to encouraging farming practices that improve soil health, the Hub will be running a World Soils Day Competition once again in 2024. View competition details.

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Soil Testing at Echo Valley Farm