“Beyond the Rhetoric” Mudgee Microscope Group Watershed Landcare Inc A CASE STUDY: PO Box 575 A cooperative approach by land managers Mudgee NSW 2850 to better understand and manage for soil P. 02 6372 4321 biological health M. 0417 074 673 [email protected] www.watershedlandcare.com.au 1 Contents 1. Foreword ...................................................................................................... 3 2. Preface ......................................................................................................... 3 3. Mudgee Microscope Group – how it began................................................... 3 4. Mudgee Microscope Group (MMG) - today................................................... 4 5. Objectives of MMG ....................................................................................... 4 6. MMG meeting format ................................................................................... 4 7. Methodologies ............................................................................................. 5 7a. Microscope Qualitative Assay ......................................................................... 6 7b. Calico Strip ..................................................................................................... 7 7c. Soil Health Card .............................................................................................. 8 7d. Soil Chemistry Testing ..................................................................................... 8 8. Other activities to date ................................................................................. 9 9. Future meetings... both confirmed and wish list ......................................... 10 10. Recommendations .................................................................................. 10 11. Useful links ............................................................................................. 11 12. Appendices ............................................................................................. 11 2 1. Foreword It gives me great pleasure to provide the foreword to this Case Study, “Mudgee Microscope Group: A cooperative approach by land managers to better understand and manage for soil biological health”. As a grape grower and a winemaker I understand soil health is the foundation for good viticulture and I’m excited about future work connecting soil health to wine quality. Andrew Stein Robert Stein Winery President - Mudgee Wine Grape Growers Association 2. Preface This case study has been prepared by Watershed Landcare for the NSW Wine Industry Association - Grassroots Program. We would like to thank the NSW WIA for the opportunity to document our achievements to date and also Duncan Farquar from the National Wine Grape Industry Centre for his guidance in compiling this case study. A collation of experience, methods, questions and findings over the past three years, this case study has been written for the benefit of other land managers in Australia interested in soil biology, and hopes to save “reinvention of the wheel” when first taking steps to improve soil biological health. Watershed Landcare is a community Landcare group that covers the towns and surrounding villages of Mudgee, Rylstone and Gulgong in NSW’s central west region. The activities of Watershed Landcare are driven by a diverse membership of land managers and businesses who share a common interest in repairing and improving the natural resources of our region. A group of Watershed Landcare members, known as the Mudgee Microscope Group, share a particular interest in understanding and managing for soil biological health, and the impact this has on the quality of produce. Members include producers of wine grapes, olives, cereals, lamb, beef, goat and wool along with a number of other emerging agricultural industries. 3. Mudgee Microscope Group – how it began A local interest in soil biological health was sparked back in winter 2007 when Dr Elaine Ingham from the Soil Foodweb Institute ran a 4-day Soil Symposium, educating more than 60 farmers about the soil food web, and applications for compost and compost tea. Following the symposium, a group of Watershed Landcare members decided they wanted to continue using the microscope to study soil microorganisms, and maintain a network with like-minded land managers to gain a better understanding on how to manage for soil biological health. And so the Mudgee Microscope Group (MMG) was formed. 3 4. Mudgee Microscope Group (MMG) - today MMG is a group of land managers who meet on a monthly basis to contribute to an open-minded forum on soil health, in particular soil microbiology. The number of landholders attending MMG has steadily increased over the past 3 years with now just over 40 on the member list. Meetings range from 4-40 participants depending on guest speakers / availability of landholders and location of meeting. We encourage diverse input from members and guest presenters that builds on the Groups’ knowledge base. Whilst members represent a range of industries and management styles (organic/conventional etc), they share a common aim to learn about how land management impacts on soil health properties (physical, chemical, and in particular biological) and monitor how this influences quality parameters of produce. MMG includes five wine grape growing businesses that use a range of production methods from conventional to organic / biodynamic and both irrigated and dry land. 5. Objectives of MMG • To continue to use the microscope and other practical tools/methods to learn about soil biology • Evaluate and improve soil health via consistent methodology and documentation • To build on the combined knowledge of the MMG via individual contributions and meeting activities • To meet new people, learn from others and savor good food and wine! 6. MMG meeting format Our monthly meetings take place from February – November each year with intake of new members in either the February or July meetings. There is a “minimum knowledge” requirement to attend MMG in the form of a one-day course on soil biology such as a Soil Food Web workshop or the NSW I&I “Soil Life: An Introduction to Soil Biology” workshop. Both streamlining intake and stipulating minimum knowledge is important to keep meeting activities and discussion focused and progressive. Monthly meetings take place in a range of locations including member properties and the Australian Rural Education Centre. 4 Meetings contain the following components: • Microscope work • Learning about and conducting other methods of assessing soil health and soil biology • Guest speakers (in particular those with experience with soil biology) • Individual member presentations that include: o Where am I now with my soil health o Where I want to be in 3 years (MISSION STATEMENT) o What management methods I want to use to achieve this o How I see MMG assisting me with this o How I can contribute to MMG (PORTFOLIO OF INTEREST) 7. Methodologies Early images... Land managers can be notoriously anecdotal with their monitoring and evaluation of management impacts on soil properties. So, whilst the following details how “in theory” we have undertaken these methods, our documentation of results has, in the past, been compromised by exceptions / forgotten steps / incorrect / inconsistent sampling techniques. Up until recently, this has hampered with our ability to make meaningful comparisons and evaluations of what MMG members are doing on the ground. Organic / biological / biodynamic farming in particular can be rife with ‘faith based’ attitudes where on-ground actions are justified simply because people believe they should work. This is one of the reasons MMG was formed and why a culture of getting “beyond the rhetoric” with consistent methodology and documentation is being encouraged amongst the group. Over the past three years MMG have explored a number of tools/techniques to evaluate soil biological health: a. Microscope qualitative assay: as per Soil Food Web methods (2007) b. Calico strip c. Soil Health Card (developed by SoilCare Inc.) d. Soil chemistry testing (including both Total and Exchangeable nutrients) The following description of methodologies also details positives of these techniques along with any observed weaknesses / questions / issues we’ve identified and future plans for improvement / change. 5 7a. Microscope Qualitative Assay This technique is based on Soil Food Web methods (2007) and involves making observations of 4 groups of soil organisms – bacteria / fungi / More recent images... protozoa / nematodes – in a soil solution under the microscope. Method • Soil cores collected from site (sample depth recorded) • Solution of 1:5 soil (or compost) to tap water (or filtered tank water) • Sample is shaken for 5 minutes • Drop of solution is placed on slide • 20 random observations are recorded (at x400 total magnification) with some images photographed • Observations recorded estimate population of bacteria and presence/absence of fungal structures, protozoa and nematodes (type also, if identifiable, for the latter two) See appendix for copy of the MMG QA form with interpretive guidelines sourced and adapted from the Soil Food Web Institute • We have recently commenced using a stain with the soil solution. A mixture of Lactic Acid + Cotton Blue stains chitin found in fungal hyphae which makes it easier to see and differentiate from other structures (that don’t contain chitin) in the sample Positives • Actually seeing soil micro