FACT SHEETS
Phosphorus
A whole of soil approach
Traditional agricultural phosphorus management has relied on soluble fertilisers such as superphosphate and Diammonium phosphate to supply P to crops and pastures. Although this has meant high yielding crop systems, it is an inefficient way to use P in the longer term due to much being locked up. The rising price of phosphate combined with the increasing soil quality issues that occur under conventional management means that a new approach to phosphorus use needs to be considered.
Using Biological Inoculants
Adding micro-organisms to your farm.
Micro-organisms play an important role on any farm. They assist in nutrient cycling, maintaining soil and plant health and they help prevent disease in crops.
Using Bio-stimulants
Feeding the micro-organisms on your farm.
More and more farmers in Australia are looking to use biological stimulants such as humates, seaweed and molasses in their management of crops and pastures. This fact sheet explains the types of biological stimulants and provides some general guidelines for using them successfully.
Cropping
Taking a biological approach.
In broadacre cropping today more and more growers are looking to take a biological approach. This is because soil carbon, mineral balancing and soil biology are critical to achieving optimal yields. Biological approaches can also be very profitable: with savings in input costs and good returns from high yielding crops being achieved by many growers.
Mineral Fertilisers
Using natural minerals for fertility
Taking a more biological approach to soil fertility requires changing your fertiliser inputs to those that are more soil friendly. These include using mineral fertilisers, also known as rock dusts. This fact sheet provides general information about natural mineral fertilisers.
Using Transition Fertilisers
Combination conventional and natural products
Transition Fertilisers are a range of Ausmin products that combine conventional fertilisers with natural minerals to give the “best of both worlds”. They can assist you in changing to a biological approach.