lazy farmer
Member
- Location
- som/dor border
Organic matter % in soils?
- Thread starter lazy farmer
- Start date
11.7%
frederick
Member
- Location
- south west
To what depth do you need to measure. Conventional soil sampling would only be 50-75mm.
Would think for carbon storing needs to be at least 150mm.
Would think for carbon storing needs to be at least 150mm.
- Location
- cornwall
At least 7.5%
some of ours are around 10%
some of ours are around 10%
- Location
- North West
Whats the difference between soil carbon and organic material? We did some PP and it was 4% and the arable land was 3%.
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
About the same as carcassweight vs liveweight? Not all OM is C
rusty
Member
- Location
- Buxton Derbyshire
Did the whole farm about 4 years ago and average organic matter was around 11%. Did it all again this January , same lab but different person sampling and results averaged 15%. It would be nice to think we were increasing organic matter at 1% per year but I don't think we are. I think we need to standardise the way we sample first.
Water holding capacity of 15% is huge.
Homesy
Member
- Location
- North West Devon
The problem with measuring organic matter is that it can dramatically vary across the field. If you have read "Dirt to Soil" Gabe Brown says that measuring it to a common standard is very difficult.
- Location
- Western Washington
Yeah. A 1% increase per year is a stretch. 11% is fantastic by the way. If I get 0.10% increase in SOM (Soil Organic Matter) in one year I am very happy. In general raising SOM just 1% in a grazing operation over 10 years is very good.
- Location
- Lorette Manitoba
Here we average around 5% many are not even close to that as in a grain oilseed rotation removing the cereal straw the soil is being depleted. That small amount of cash for straw and less agro dealing with it is draining the farms best resource. The soil. Rule of thumb is the OM will release ten units per acre per year of N. Straw well payed fir I’d say along with P and K and easier working soil.
- Location
- Northern Ireland
Has anyone tested intensive cutting regime land? I've read it can be hard on OM%.
No, no, you are all doing it wrong sending off samples for analysis, that's why you are getting such wildly fluctuating figures.
What you need is the defra approved method :
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/increas...-to-tell-if-soil-organic-matter-is-increasing
This must be the most accurate method, given that defra are about to start doling out zillions of pounds of taxpayers money based on the results.
What you need is the defra approved method :
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/increas...-to-tell-if-soil-organic-matter-is-increasing
This must be the most accurate method, given that defra are about to start doling out zillions of pounds of taxpayers money based on the results.
frederick
Member
- Location
- south west
Best thing you can do is get the plough out and burn up all that om.
If we are going to use om for carbon capture to aid making dairy carbon neutral you will be in a tricky position because your uplift potential could be seriously limited.
Release it all to the atmosphere now and your browny points for returning it to 15 will be huge.
It's a mad world we are heading into.
Jdunn55
Member
- Location
- Helston, cornwall
Should be rewarded for having it at 15% not paid to get to it but like you say it's a mad world!
- Location
- South Molton
We have good water holding capacity.....don't think its all down to soil OM but could be the yellow clay below it!
- Location
- Western Washington
- Location
- Lorette Manitoba
The clay here has very good water holding capacity I’ve a 18 inches of jet black clay over heaven knows how much brown ish silty clay. It’s the bottom of the former lake agissi which drained millions of year to eave the red river valley. Tall grass praire dominated for most of that time and grazed by Buffalo until more recently it’s wasn’t ie 150 years it wasn’t farmed. Now it’s a major grain and oilseed growing area of the northern US and east central Canada. If you think you’ve seen flat land the valley here will blow your mind of its vastness
- Location
- South Molton
Thanks for the heads up.
According to Wikipedia the Red river has a gradient of 5 inches per mile.
In the Drayton and Pembina region its 1.5 inches per mile!
That's flat!