Making sense of soil indicators

Farmers, agronomists and researchers are being invited to participate in a project that looks at the factors influencing their decisions about soil indicators – the tools that evaluate soil performance and help farmers make informed decisions about soil health on their property.

Soil indicators are observations, assessments and measurements farmer-producers use to get essential information about soil's physical, chemical, and biological properties. These indicators help farmers understand how soil performs for different enterprises and regions.

Soil health plays a crucial role in the success of farming. While the application of soil indicators within agriculture is widespread, little is known about the factors farmers use to make decisions about soil indicators on their farms.

The project aims to identify what indicators work best for different farming systems and regions and provide information and guidance for growers to pick the best indicators for their production systems.

The research, led by Dr Nathan Robinson, Assoc Prof Peter Dahlhaus, Dr Alison Ollerenshaw, Dr Aakansha Chadha and Jennifer Corbett from the Centre for eResearch and Digital Innovation at Federation University (CeRDI), is being delivered by the Cooperative Research Centre for High Performance Soils (Soil CRC).

Dr Robinson says the project aims to help growers, advisers and scientists identify the best indicators for their needs and location.

The research team is using a survey to collect insights from land managers and other agricultural stakeholders, which will help them understand what suite of indicators are used to measure soil performance for different enterprises and farming systems.

"A key focus of this survey is really trying to engage farmers to find out what indicators they are using, but also understanding what they are interested in," Dr Robinson said.

"In essence, it's a 10-minute online survey and hopefully we will get responses from sugarcane growers in Queensland, to dryland cereal growers in Western Australia and everything in between.

"These responses will provide valuable information and guidance for growers to pick the best indicators for their production system," he said.

Researchers will present the survey findings, revealing details like what farmers use in particular regions while assessing what is being used in specific areas, allowing farmers to learn more about approaches they can take on their own land.

"We are using the horses-for-courses analogy, some things are likely to be more useful in some systems than others," Dr Robinson said.

The research is a part of the Soil CRC's Matching Soil Performance Indicators to Farming Systems project. The Soil CRC is a research centre that aims to improve soil productivity and health for the benefit of Australian farmers, having brought together partners from across the agriculture industry to advance soil research and innovation in Australia.

Dr Robinson says the research team hopes to get several hundred responses to the survey, which is available as a digital or hard-copy version.

The research, conducted in partnership with Charles Sturt University and the University of Newcastle, will also explore whether alternative indicators might better match farming practice needs.

"The research project is also an opportunity for farmers to confidentially share their insights about the soil indicators they use and the factors that have informed these choices," Dr Robinson said.

"Farmers can also provide feedback on what information they have used – or not used – about the soil indicators and how this has guided their farm management practice."

Farmers, producers, advisors and others working in the agriculture industry are invited to complete the survey.