National Carbon Farming Conference, 7-10 July 2015, Albury NSW.
In this presentation, Maarten describes the significant results of trials he did with the Soilkee Renovator in nine paddocks on three farms in Gippsland during 2012-14. He explains the scientific background of how successive passes with the Soilkee Renovator do result in such striking soil improvement. For example, the increase of soil organic carbon with 0.9% in one year as an average over nine trial paddocks. Another outcome of increasing soil organic carbon and soil health to be explained is the shift away from primitive, less competitive weeds such as onion grass, lovegrass and serrated tussock.
The invention of the Soilkee Renovator implement relates to the one-pass tilling system which tills, cultivates and renovates soil of pastures to overcome compaction and poor root growth. It enhances the growth of both existing and newly sown plants with the least amount of grazing days lost compared to current techniques available. It saves time and fuel costs for pasture renovation while increasing the quality and quantity of grazing.