YPASG
Development Plan
From
strength to strength
In
South Australia
alone, there are over two million hectares of alkaline cropping soils (pH 8.0
plus); of which 1 million hectares are highly calcareous in the root zone.
These soils predominate on the Yorke Peninsula but are also found in
other key South Australian cropping districts including
Eyre Peninsula
, the Upper North, Lower North and South East.
Established
in 1999 by farmers and consultants the YP Alkaline Soils Group aims to identify,
research, demonstrate and promote best practice farming systems in medium
rainfall areas with alkaline soils.
The
Group is run by a voluntary committee of farmers and agronomists and has two
part time staff. Research and
communication activities are sub-contracted to specialists.
Topics for research, demonstrations and workshops are based on members’
requirements and their opinions are regularly canvassed by the Group.
There are currently 215 members, the majority of these are farmers, and
membership has grown annually.
The
YP Alkaline Soils Group:
- Two
major trial sites plus satellite sites located on different soil types
across YP
- Conducts
over 25 trials plus on-farm demonstrations on topics including - pasture and
crop varieties, soil and seeding issues, nutrition, weed, pests and diseases
- Organises
field days, workshops and training initiatives.
The
YP Alkaline Soils Group objectives are to:
- Initiate
cutting edge research in this region
- Become
a recognised point of contact for the latest practical information
- Develop
and promote best practice farming techniques
- Generate
strong links with government, academic and commercial sectors
- Empower
our community to manage change
- Raise
awareness of agricultural career opportunities
- Build
sustainable profit from agriculture.