DIGGING DEEPER – AG CHATS WITH AL
DIGGING DEEPER - AG CHATS WITH AL
Podcast Description
Real farmers, real conversations, practical insights and inspiring stories.Join Al Micallef and special guests to help unlock your farm's production potential. Whether it's in relation to drought or economic shifts, this podcast is your go-to for developing resilience in agriculture. This podcast is made possible by the Future Drought Fund Regional Drought Resilience Planning Program co-funded by the Victorian and Australian Governments.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast explores themes surrounding agricultural resilience, livestock nutrition, and crisis management. Episodes include discussions on livestock feeding strategies, the impact of droughts on farming practices, and veterinarian insights on animal health. Specific focus areas include effective feedlot systems, disease prevention in livestock, and personal stories of farmers navigating economic shifts.
Real farmers, real conversations, practical insights and inspiring stories.
Join Al Micallef and special guests to help unlock your farm’s production potential.
Whether it’s in relation to drought or economic shifts, this podcast is your go-to for developing resilience in agriculture.
This podcast is made possible by the Future Drought Fund Regional Drought Resilience Planning Program co-funded by the Victorian and Australian Governments.
Digging Deeper: Addressing Complex Soil Constraints, a Soil CRC project, with Lisa Miller
In this episode of Digging Deeper, Lisa Miller discusses why managing soil constraints is often harder than identifying them, emphasizing the need to assess the full soil profile and target the most production-limiting issues. Common constraints covered include acidity (treated with lime), sodicity and dispersion (often treated with gypsum), compaction, and dense clay subsoils where deep ripping alone can be a short-lived “band-aid.” She outlines Soil CRC findings from glasshouse and laboratory reconstructed soil profiles showing the largest plant performance gains when nitrogen and phosphorus are placed directly into constrained subsoil layers, triggering deeper root growth, increased microbial activity, improved aggregation, and nutrient cycling. Gypsum improved aggregation and reduced dispersion but provided limited yield benefits alone and could increase salinity; manures can also add salts. Miller shares trial results where lucerne pellets placed at depth outperformed deep-placed lime, likely due to nitrogen supply, and notes the importance of economics, funding, and locally relevant research.
More information onAddressing Soil Constraints can be found at the Soil CRC https://soilcrc.com.au/projects/addressing-complex-soil-constraints/
00:00 Thanks and Show Intro
00:34 Meet Lisa and Topic Setup
01:46 Why Soil Constraints Are Tricky
03:12 Common Constraints and Fixes
04:08 Deep Ripping on Clay
06:09 Soil CRC Nutrients at Depth
12:08 Gypsum Limits and Salts
13:37 Dispersion and Soil Structure
14:47 Deep Rooted Crops Strategy
16:10 Organic vs Synthetic Nutrients
18:45 Costs and Practicality
19:59 Acidity Trials Lime vs Pellets
22:02 Local Research and Funding
23:11 Career Advice and Wrap Up
25:34 Final Thanks and Credits
Disclaimer
This podcast’s information is provided for general reference and was obtained from publicly accessible sources. The Podcast Collaborative neither produces nor verifies the content, accuracy, or suitability of this podcast. Views and opinions belong solely to the podcast creators and guests.
For a complete disclaimer, please see our Full Disclaimer on the archive page. The Podcast Collaborative bears no responsibility for the podcast’s themes, language, or overall content. Listener discretion is advised. Read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy for more details.