AgriGanics - Affordable solutions for sustainable agriculture

AgriGanic’s Precision Soil Mapping service is a tool to help you farm smarter. It shows you where your operation’s soil varies and, armed with this information, you can then decide how to spread your fertiliser or irrigation water more effectively.

Precision Soil Mapping uses state-of-the-art GPS location services to identify where soils in your farm vary and therefore require variable fertiliser applications.

The soil mapping equipment measures soil porosity to map the specified areas in 15m tram lines and electronically records variations in the soil, as it moves across paddocks. When the process is completed, you have a map (right), which guides you to where you should soil test – using specific coordinates identified by the accurate mapping process. Different colours represent different zones of soil.

AgriGanics collects the soil samples, which you then send on to your nominated fertiliser company. When your fertiliser company comes back with its spreading recommendations, you send these on to AgriGanics, which transfers the combined spreading and map data, via a computer memory stick, to the spreading truck’s computer. In this way, the truck is specifically programmed to fertilise your farm at the specified rates.

It is recommended that you repeat the soil sampling and testing phase every one to two years, so you can adjust recommendations over time – always with the goal of evening up performance across your operation.

The mapping information can also be used in conjunction with variable rate irrigation (VRI) and IQ irrigation technology, so water can be applied strategically.

“You don’t realise the variance you have on your property. Mapping allows me to test the different soil types and address the difference in nutrient requirements – creating optimal growth across my operation. And, ultimately, it’s going to save me money.

In one paddock, we soil tested for lime requirements. As a result, we’ve put 2.8T/ha on, but an additional 4T/ha on a particular area where we can physically see the difference.”

Richard Plunket
Beef finisher, dairy and sheep farmer

“With PSM, I’m looking at the cost savings and the environmental advantages as well. I’d definitely recommend it. I think it’s the way things are going to go environmentally, with regard to fertiliser budgets and applications. If you have the maps, you can see where you’ve put what on and in what amount.

Now I know where my lighter soils are and where my heavy soils are and can test in these areas. It means I’m not fertilising in places where I don’t need it.”

Mark Eckhold
Dairy farmer

“When you are bulk spreading over your farm, there are areas that are getting extra fertiliser they don’t need and other areas not getting enough.

PSM tells us all the areas that need extra fertiliser. You can see, by looking at the paddocks, where the areas of lower fertility are – now they are identified on the map. The biggest advantage of PSM is the savings we’ll make in fertiliser over time.”

Chris Bates
Dairy farmer

AgriGanics

Bruce Hore

0275 760 303