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Soil analysis

17 February 2026, 1:55pm · All paddocks

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Decision support for this selection This review was generated from 22 readings by TerraTactics Soil Analysis. Use it to brief sampling, accredited laboratory testing and professional agronomy — alongside those steps, not in place of them.

Summary

12 Aug 2025 – 15 Feb 2026

high confidence

Across the earlier seasons at Wirraway — Narromine, NSW, TerraProbe screens on Wirraway West, River Flat and Top Ridge move together with the seasons and sit in a commercially sensible band for Central West dryland country. Old Stockyard already reads a little more acidic than its neighbours, but the step is gentle in this window. Holding off on chemistry and laboratory call-outs while cover, residue and matched-moisture monitoring stay in place is a cost-conscious way to protect soil capital.

Observations

Measured finding, then interpretation

Neighbour paddocks track together

Finding: Wirraway West and River Flat screening pH stay near neutral across comparable dates, while Old Stockyard sits lower without a sharp crash in this earlier window.

  • Wirraway West and River Flat pH screens remain close to 6.3–6.9 on matched seasonal visits.
  • Old Stockyard screens sit around the mid-5s in this earlier period without an abrupt step-change.
  • Wirraway West baseline laboratory suite (pH CaCl2 6.1) supports the idea of a steadier home paddock — supporting context only.

Interpretation: A mild paddock difference is useful for where you walk next season. It is not, by itself, grounds for lime or amendment decisions.

Ridge EC without an alarm yet

Finding: Top Ridge conductivity screens higher than River Flat, consistent with a drier crest versus a wetter flat — the gap is present but not racing away in this period.

  • Top Ridge EC sits above River Flat on matched sample dates.
  • Moisture at Top Ridge is consistently lower than River Flat over the same window.

Interpretation: Field EC moves with moisture. Keep stubble and cover on the crest, re-screen after similar rainfall, and treat any salinity story as a monitoring question until a lab extract says otherwise.

Nutrient screens stay triage-only

Finding: N, P and K vary by paddock with season and do not show one paddock collapsing relative to the others.

  • River Flat tends higher for moisture and nutrient screens than Top Ridge on the same dates.
  • No paddock shows an isolated crash across two consecutive seasons in this window.

Interpretation: Portable N-P-K helps decide where a laboratory sample might eventually go. It does not support fertiliser rates or product choices.

Compaction still looks like traffic, not a whole-paddock pan

Finding: Where penetrometer tests sit on file, gateways and wheel tracks already read harder than named mid-paddock points — a pattern worth keeping on the farm record rather than ripping on a single visit.

  • Stockyard gateway later sits near 2,850 kPa at 10 cm against about 1,450 kPa beside the soil point.
  • Wirraway West wheel track sits near 2,700 kPa versus about 1,600 kPa mid-paddock on the same day.

Interpretation: Named compaction points next to soil screens are useful context. They are not a cultivation prescription; moisture and operator method still dominate resistance.

Suggested next steps

Ordered by the priority the model assigned

Priority Action Why
low Keep the same witness points and 10 cm depth next season; note rainfall and cover at each visit. A second comparable season protects soil capital better than a one-off laboratory invoice while screens stay steady.
low Favour residue retention and living cover on Top Ridge and Wirraway West; avoid unnecessary bare fallow. Natural armouring and biology are low-cost levers while conductivity and pH screens are still watch-items rather than decisions.
low Mention the Wirraway screening series at your next routine agronomist catch-up — no urgent paid paddock walk is indicated from this window alone. A short briefing keeps your adviser informed without buying chemistry on screening alone.

Professional escalation

Laboratory testing
Not presently triggered
Local agronomist
Not presently triggered

Stated limitations

  • TerraProbe screens are decision-support, not accredited laboratory chemistry.
  • Laboratory reports on file for Wirraway West are supporting context only and do not prescribe rates.
  • No fertiliser rates, chemical prescriptions or yield claims are implied.
  • Hold-off advice applies to this reading window only; reassess if screens change sharply.

Generation details

Reference
TT-AI-00153
Engine
TerraTactics Soil Analysis
Readings used
22
Paddock
All paddocks
Period
12 Aug 2025 – 15 Feb 2026
Generated
17 Feb 2026, 1:55pm