Comments from Pat Coleby

For some time now, I have been astonished by some of the comments I get from people. I would say that about half the people who come to me have been motivated, in the first instance, by dying stock. They will have tried various trace elements, compost teas and all sorts of things, but had never considered the basics of their soil. This is why I insist they first have a soil test from SWEP.

One person recently asked me "Well how much is this Lime and Dolomite going to cost?" I said about the same as one year's super, but after that you will find it is just checking and fine-tuning. "But what about my Cobalt", he said. "Shouldn't I be doing some of that too?" Of course his soil was so acid you couldn't tell if he really needed this or it was just low availability due to the condition. And sure enough, once the Lime had done its work, the need for Cobalt disappeared.

It is often surprising just how quickly things can be turned around just by getting your Calcium and Magnesium right.

This is why I insist on seeing a soil test and SWEP is by far the best, as they provide an easy to understand analysis and are most helpful in discussing results. They show the desired quantities of each item, which greatly assists the farmer or stock keeper in understanding the results. It takes only about 6 working days - quicker than most - for the results to be returned. Their tests include all trace elements, including Cobalt and Boron and they measure Hydrogen rather than estimate it.

I recently visited one of my clients that had been with me for many years. Of course this drought is affecting us all and it had been more than 100 days since he had seen any rain at all. Even so, his pastures still had a tinge of green and nowhere did I see any bare ground. He has 3,000 acres and we did all the hard work years ago. Now he saves so much money because all he needs to do is check and fine-tune his soil. The rest pretty much takes care of itself.

If you want to talk with me about your land or stock, send a soil sample to SWEP ask them to send a copy of the report to me (they have my address). And don't forget to ask for Total Phosphorus! When the results come back to you, allow a day for my peculiar mail system and ring me. I will help with any measures that you may need to take, either on the farm or with your stock.

SWEP soil tests are very competitively priced for the extensive service they offer. The cost of the standard Soil Test is $110; with Total Phosphorus included it will come to $121.

SWEP also offers a lot of Free Information on this website that you may find helpful including How to Collect Samples (either soil, water or plant tissue) and some Frequently Asked Questions.

SWEP also do water samples for $88. For bore water, Ted Mikhail recommends taking several samples from the bore over a day, mixing them together and then sending in 500ml of that mixture.

Please Note: Logistics dictate that I cannot keep people's analyses for more than three years - or I'd have to live outside! I depend on you to keep the back copies of yours, however, if you should lose one of your reports, let SWEP know and they will probably be able to send you a fresh copy.

Pat Coleby, Consultant
91 Church St., Maldon,
Victoria 3463, Australia
Phone: +61 3 5475 2680 

You can order a soil test that you would like to 
discuss with Pat Coleby by clicking here.

Please note: the prices mentioned here will be increasing 
from 1 January 2009.