Soils are complex things. One of the big problems with trying to learn about soils is that everybody’s farm is different. The bedrock is different. The soil may have blown in or been dragged in from somewhere else. The history of usage is different. The climate, plants, topography and animals are different.
Within one paddock you’ll find areas that are very fertile and grow well and others that are just dead. If there is so much variation in one field where many conditions are nearly identical then the variations between farms, regions and countries can be just huge. This makes transferring ideas from one place to another a little difficult at times and it reinforces that it makes sense to listen to your neighbors.
If you want to learn about soils there’s a lot of interesting information out there. I’ve been reading material from Australia where they often have droughts. New Zealand do excellent work with pastures, but their winters are mild and most places get decent rain. The USA has done a huge amount of work which can apply here (although I am still trying to figure out which state or region has the most similar climate to ours).
“The state of Kentucky is known for raising some of the finest horses in the world. The neighboring states, Tennessee and Indiana for instance, are not. Why? Because Kentucky soils are largely made from broken down limestone, high Calcium and probably high Phosphorus limestone, what strong bones are made of.”
Cool, I thought, we have similar soils and are known for raising cows with strong bones. Astera continues,
“The same goes for areas of France that have been raising strong, healthy cattle and horses since pre-Roman times – the rocks their soils are made of contain high amounts of Calcium phosphate.”
OK, he’s way ahead of me. The reading continues.
Legume wars! And I love seeing that plantain grow tall.