TerraTactics
Soil, understood.
Summary
Over the last eighteen months at Wirraway, Old Stockyard TerraProbe pH screens have drifted lower than neighbouring paddocks, and the filed autumn acid suite (pH CaCl2 4.9; exchangeable Al 0.42 cmol(+)/kg) supports taking that corner seriously with your agronomist — still without writing a lime order from the probe. Top Ridge conductivity screens keep climbing relative to River Flat; the crest lab check (EC 1:5 0.48 dS/m; ECe approx 2.9 dS/m; ESP 4.1%) is supporting context that says “confirm, don’t guess”. Penetrometer tests on file show Stockyard gateway and West wheel tracks well above a commonly cited ~2,000 kPa root-restriction cue while mid-paddock points stay softer — log them beside the soil screens, do not rip from a demo number. Elsewhere, moisture and cover patterns look seasonally plausible for Central West dryland country — favour armouring the soil and matched-moisture monitoring before any chemistry spend.
Observations
Old Stockyard acidity screens and lab support
Finding. Recent Old Stockyard TerraProbe pH sits around 5.0–5.2, down from roughly 5.4 earlier in the record, while Wirraway West and River Flat stay closer to neutral.
Evidence
- Old Stockyard earlier screens sat near pH 5.4 and have trended downward across seasons.
- Wirraway West and River Flat remain closer to neutral over the same period.
- Laboratory extract for the southern rise reports pH CaCl2 4.9 and exchangeable Al 0.42 cmol(+)/kg — supporting context, not a prescription.
Interpretation. Screening and the lab extract point the same direction for monitoring and conversation. They do not diagnose a disorder or set an amendment rate — that stays with a qualified local agronomist after they own the sampling strategy.
Top Ridge conductivity versus the flat
Finding. Top Ridge conductivity climbs relative to its own earlier seasons and sits well above River Flat on matched dates, while crest moisture stays lower.
Evidence
- Top Ridge EC shows a clear upward drift across seasons.
- River Flat remains comparatively low EC across the same dates, with mid-40% moisture versus mid-20% on the ridge.
- Crest laboratory report lists EC 1:5 0.48 dS/m, ECe approx 2.9 dS/m and ESP 4.1% — supporting context only.
Interpretation. Worth paired re-screens after similar moisture and a calm talk with your agronomist about whether further laboratory work is needed. Field EC is sensitive to soil water; do not invent a salinity or sodicity diagnosis from the probe alone.
Cover and moisture tell the landscape story
Finding. River Flat holds higher moisture and better cover notes than Top Ridge across comparable visits — consistent with landscape position, not a reason to irrigate from a screen.
Evidence
- River Flat moisture sits in the mid-40% range; Top Ridge in the mid-20% range on matched dates.
- Point and paddock notes record soft traffic risk on the flat and retained stubble on the crest.
Interpretation. Use cover, residue and traffic timing as the first levers. Compare like-with-like seasons so the ridge is never judged against a wet flat reading.
Gateway and wheel-track compaction versus mid-paddock
Finding. Penetrometer readings on the same visits show Stockyard gateway at about 2,850 kPa at 10 cm against about 1,450 kPa beside the soil point, and Wirraway West wheel track at about 2,700 kPa versus 1,600 kPa mid-paddock.
Evidence
- Old Stockyard gateway 2,850 kPa at 10 cm versus Stockyard 01 1,450 kPa the same morning, two days after 14 mm.
- Wirraway West wheel track 2,700 kPa at 15 cm versus West 01 1,600 kPa on the same day.
- River Flat 1,150 kPa at 10 cm is the softest reading on file after the set.
Interpretation. Resistance well above a commonly cited ~2,000 kPa (about 300 psi) root-restriction cue on traffic lines is a reason to rest those approaches when wet and to keep named compaction points in the Grower portal — not a ripping prescription. Moisture still dominates penetrometer numbers; these visits noted moist or dry conditions.
Suggested next steps
| Priority | Action | Why |
|---|---|---|
| high | Sit with your agronomist over the Old Stockyard screening series plus the filed CaCl2 / exchangeable Al suite before any amendment conversation. | Probe trend and laboratory extract now agree enough to justify professional judgement — not a product or rate from TerraTactics. |
| high | Keep living cover and residue on Old Stockyard and Top Ridge; rest traffic when the flat is soft; re-probe both watch paddocks after similar rainfall. | Natural-first armouring and matched-moisture monitoring are cheaper than premature chemistry and protect the next comparison. |
| medium | On Top Ridge, re-screen EC with moisture noted, then ask your agronomist whether the filed EC/cation extract warrants any further laboratory work. | Screening and lab context diverge or amplify depending on moisture — escalate rather than invent a fix. |
| medium | Keep logging penetrometer tests at the same named points as soil screens (gateway vs mid-paddock, wheel track vs inter-row) after similar moisture. | A GPS compaction series in the farm portal shows whether traffic lines are the story before anyone budgets for ripping. |
| low | Keep witness points within about 15 m and depth at 10 cm so seasonal comparisons stay honest. | Nearby GPS pins share a map spot so the portal compares the same place over time. |
Professional escalation
What triggered this
- Persistent acidity drift at Old Stockyard across seasons, now alongside a CaCl2 / exchangeable Al suite on file
- Elevated and rising conductivity at Top Ridge relative to River Flat, with an EC/cation extract available for adviser review
- Any amendment, nutrient plan or chemical decision — requires agronomist ownership, not screening alone
Stated limitations
- TerraProbe readings remain screening — they do not replace accredited laboratory diagnosis.
- Laboratory reports cited here are supporting context only; analytes not in those extracts were not invented.
- No fertiliser rates, lime or gypsum prescriptions, product brands or yield claims are implied.
- Spatial coverage is limited to named witness points; whole-paddock averages are not claimed.
Reference readings
33 readings used for this analysis. Screening indicators only.
| Date | Paddock | Sample | Moisture (%) | EC (µS/cm) | Temp (°C) | pH | N (mg/kg) | P (mg/kg) | K (mg/kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-15 | Wirraway West | Wirraway West 04 | 30.0 | 312 | 24.4 | 6.21 | 23 | 30 | 118 |
| 2026-08-14 | Old Stockyard | Old Stockyard 03 | 24.9 | 319 | 23.3 | 4.90 | 17 | 22 | 90 |
| 2026-08-14 | Wirraway West | Wirraway West 03 | 26.6 | 287 | 22.9 | 6.00 | 20 | 28 | 110 |
| 2026-08-13 | Top Ridge | Top Ridge 02 | 20.4 | 583 | 25.8 | 7.28 | 16 | 21 | 86 |
| 2026-08-13 | River Flat | River Flat 02 | 43.6 | 217 | 22.8 | 7.04 | 33 | 39 | 146 |
| 2026-08-13 | Old Stockyard | Old Stockyard 02 | 26.9 | 333 | 24.1 | 5.02 | 18 | 24 | 94 |
| 2026-08-13 | Wirraway West | Wirraway West 02 | 28.6 | 301 | 23.7 | 6.12 | 22 | 29 | 114 |
| 2026-08-12 | Top Ridge | Top Ridge 01 | 17.0 | 558 | 24.3 | 7.07 | 13 | 19 | 78 |
| 2026-08-12 | River Flat | River Flat 01 | 40.2 | 192 | 21.3 | 6.83 | 30 | 37 | 138 |
| 2026-08-12 | Old Stockyard | Old Stockyard 01 | 23.5 | 308 | 22.6 | 4.81 | 15 | 21 | 86 |
| 2026-08-12 | Wirraway West | Wirraway West 01 | 25.2 | 276 | 22.2 | 5.91 | 19 | 27 | 106 |
| 2026-02-15 | Wirraway West | Wirraway West 04 | 28.9 | 258 | 22.0 | 6.06 | 21 | 28 | 110 |
| 2026-02-14 | Old Stockyard | Old Stockyard 03 | 27.7 | 318 | 23.4 | 5.18 | 18 | 24 | 94 |
| 2026-02-14 | Wirraway West | Wirraway West 03 | 30.8 | 272 | 22.9 | 6.18 | 23 | 29 | 115 |
| 2026-02-13 | Top Ridge | Top Ridge 02 | 23.9 | 512 | 25.7 | 7.28 | 17 | 22 | 91 |
| 2026-02-13 | River Flat | River Flat 02 | 46.6 | 218 | 22.8 | 7.06 | 34 | 40 | 148 |
| 2026-02-13 | Old Stockyard | Old Stockyard 02 | 29.6 | 332 | 24.3 | 5.30 | 20 | 25 | 99 |
| 2026-02-13 | Wirraway West | Wirraway West 02 | 32.7 | 286 | 23.8 | 6.30 | 24 | 31 | 120 |
| 2026-02-12 | Top Ridge | Top Ridge 01 | 20.6 | 487 | 24.1 | 7.07 | 14 | 20 | 82 |
| 2026-02-12 | River Flat | River Flat 01 | 43.3 | 193 | 21.2 | 6.85 | 30 | 37 | 139 |
| 2026-02-12 | Old Stockyard | Old Stockyard 01 | 26.3 | 307 | 22.7 | 5.09 | 17 | 23 | 90 |
| 2026-02-12 | Wirraway West | Wirraway West 01 | 29.4 | 261 | 22.2 | 6.09 | 21 | 28 | 111 |
| 2025-08-15 | Wirraway West | Wirraway West 04 | 33.0 | 243 | 22.1 | 6.24 | 23 | 29 | 116 |
| 2025-08-14 | Old Stockyard | Old Stockyard 03 | 30.5 | 317 | 23.5 | 5.46 | 20 | 25 | 98 |
| 2025-08-14 | Wirraway West | Wirraway West 03 | 35.0 | 257 | 22.9 | 6.36 | 25 | 31 | 120 |
| 2025-08-13 | Top Ridge | Top Ridge 02 | 22.2 | 402 | 23.1 | 6.95 | 14 | 19 | 82 |
| 2025-08-13 | River Flat | River Flat 02 | 44.4 | 180 | 20.3 | 6.75 | 29 | 36 | 136 |
| 2025-08-13 | Old Stockyard | Old Stockyard 02 | 27.1 | 292 | 22.0 | 5.25 | 17 | 22 | 90 |
| 2025-08-13 | Wirraway West | Wirraway West 02 | 31.6 | 232 | 21.4 | 6.15 | 22 | 28 | 112 |
| 2025-08-12 | Top Ridge | Top Ridge 01 | 24.1 | 416 | 24.0 | 7.07 | 16 | 21 | 87 |
| 2025-08-12 | River Flat | River Flat 01 | 46.3 | 194 | 21.2 | 6.87 | 31 | 38 | 141 |
| 2025-08-12 | Old Stockyard | Old Stockyard 01 | 29.0 | 306 | 22.9 | 5.37 | 19 | 24 | 95 |
| 2025-08-12 | Wirraway West | Wirraway West 01 | 33.5 | 246 | 22.3 | 6.27 | 24 | 30 | 117 |