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the australian farmer
In 2030, farmers will have revolution- ised how they measure soil character- istics. No longer do they take bulk soil core samples, send them off to a lab and wait four weeks for a result. Farmers now have access to real-time measurement of a wide range of soil metrics using hand- held, machine-mounted or in situ sensors that provide cheap, accurate and timely information. They also have lab-on-a-chip technology, where they can walk into the local resellers and buy a micro-fluidic device, specifically for what they want to measure – mineral nitrogen, available phosphorus, potassium, boron, etc. Soil biology measurements are now rou- tine, highly targeted and precise. Farmers know what to measure for – be it a particular group of bacteria or fungi or a particular en- zyme or microbial function – and they have tools that allow them to specifically measure for them. These tools might also be lab-on- a-chip technology, using highly specific DNA probes, or they might be novel technologies using ‘electronic noses’ – sensing and analys- ing the gas emission profile of the soil biology. In 2030, farmers have adopted Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM). Just like Integrated Pest and Disease Management (IPDM), but for soils. Just as IPDM relies upon an understanding of natural processes, the wise use of management controls and the ju- dicious use of pesticides when necessary, ISFM relies upon similar factors. ISFM necessitates an understanding of nutrient dynamics in the soil, the wise use of management controls to manipulate the soil and make nutrients avail- able when needed, the use of recycled organic nutrients where possible and the strategic use of inorganic fertilisers when necessary. In 2030, farmers will be much more tar- geted and precise in their ability to manage soil for productive outcomes. We will be able
to describe and characterise a soil with ref- erence to its specific physical, chemical and biological attributes and we will be better at predicting what management interventions work and where. In turn, farmers will adopt and apply new innovations with a lot more confidence, knowing they will work and they won’t be wasting their money. Now, I am not predicting all these things will come true. But they are all scenarios that are possible or plausible. Importantly, they are all potential outcomes from ex- isting Soil CRC research. And there may be others. Ultimately, some of our efforts will fail and come to nothing – that’s okay. But those that do succeed will be the leg- acy of the Soil CRC – delivering tools and practices that become an everyday part of mainstream agriculture and allow farmers to better manage their soils in ways previ- ously thought impossible.
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