EnviroPro SoilProbes

EnviroPro® precision soil probes equip farmers & growers with the accurate data needed for meaningful irrigation and fertiliser decision-making, year after year

[Leighton Wilksch @agbyte_leet]

Agbyte continuing to install soil moisture probes following harvest. Data shows residual moisture available for next years crops.

SA & Vic primary producers can access drought resilience infrastructure rebates for such monitoring sites. Get in touch if you are interested.

[Leighton Wilksch @agbyte_leet]

Another @EnviroProProbes & weather station install today on Eastern coast of Yorke Peninsula, near Port Clinton (photo looking SW directly across the Gulf to Adelaide, zoom in to see Glenelg beach).
Another fascinating find at the bottom of the hole.
-170mm GSR, Decile 1 '24 annual rain but did have 100mm mid Dec '23.
-3.9T/ha wheat in '24, with stripper front minimising evaporation.

Dry as chips augering the hole to 100cm crunching thru soft limestone in highly calcareous marl clay (excuse the noise).

But howzat, from 100cm below light plasticine clay with enough moisture to make a bolus. So after such a dry year, a reasonable yield, why the residual moisture?

Saw this lots last year on the Soil Moisture Probe graphs across SA & Vic- crops suffered from such a long dry period after reasonable July rain, that they were unable to develop root architecture to extract moisture that was potentially available. IMO, had there been 20mm more in September, roots could have gotten deeper and tapped into the subsoil moisture.

Soil moisture probes help quantify & understand this seasonal residual moisture.

[Leighton Wilksch @agbyte_leet]

'Tis the Summer soil moisture probe install season for me. Got a few installed yesterday on Yorke Peninsula.

I love seeing variations in soil type & how this impacts productivity.

1st photo: Premium dirt (180mm GSR), there was still moisture in the clay from 100cm down. The long dry during Spring meant root mass didn't develop enough to extract this moisture, yet the yield was still 5T/ha.

2nd vid; Coastal paddock (just behind the dunes). Highly calcareous sandy loam, pretty harsh soil, yet managed 0.5T/ha lentils last yr (was frosted), 3rd photo is soil from 130cm down, not a skerrick of moisture the whole way thru the profile. Yet this paddock has had 3T/ha lentils in better seasons (lentils are an amazing plant).

Currently 50 more soil moisture probe installs on my books at the moment, it's rewarding to be providing AgTech that is helping grain growers make cropping decisions.

[Leighton Wilksch @agbyte_leet]

Been a month since I was thru the Upper North of SA, some of the driest cropping areas. I post these photos so others are aware of the plight of those who won't get a harvest this year.

Faba beans around Laura, 500mm Ave annual region, 30cm high at best.

Wheat near Caltowie, frost hasn't been as severe here as other spots in AUS, but the <100mm since Feb means they've just died.

Pasture paddock are done at Jamestown; the de-stocking all the way from Ceduna, across the Nth Eyre Pen and thru the Upper North is quite startling. Saw 2 flocks of sheep from Kimba > Ceduna last week.

Did sneak in 4x @EnviroProProbes Soil Moisture Probes today. This one is in faba's, top 50cm is bone dry, under that there is good moisture but the roots couldn't access it this year due minimal infiltration of growing season rain. @scootersfarm @lukeforestview with a strippers/disc system can conserve moisture as good as anyone around, so not unsurprising to see this moisture at depth......will get it next year!

[Leighton Wilksch @agbyte_leet]

A couple of in-crop @EnviroProProbes soil moisture probe installs this week. I really love the challenge of getting them done with minimal impact on the surrounding crop so that they deliver quality data immediately

[Leighton Wilksch @agbyte_leet]

The screwdriver in the ground marks the spot of my 50th @EnviroProProbes soil moisture probe install this week!

Am proficient at installing in crop without plants even knowing I was there.

Rear facing lights on my ute rack mean early morn starts.

Bloody sore now, happy if I never break that record.

[Leighton Wilksch @agbyte_leet]

Well that's a good 3 day workout.

40x soil moisture probes installed in @GRDCSouth funded SARDI deep ripping + cultivar project.

1.2km of cabling requiring lots of joins, cut 120m with my Terratrencher 3 times.

At some stage I'm gunna start to think I'm getting to old for this..

[Leighton Wilksch @agbyte_leet]

Doing my best to make the Vic Wimmera into a pin cushion this week; got 14 @EnviroProProbes to install including some 160cm probes. All thanks to On Farm Connectivity Program, I'm still doing applications for the 50% rebate.

New 462 Stihl power head on my Terratrencher is a step up from original 461, runs much smoother.

A good lot of moisture in the bucket thanks to summer rain & diligent weed control. Plenty of seeders going, will need 10 or so mm to get things germinating

[Leighton Wilksch @agbyte_leet]

My weather station & @EnviroProProbes soil moisture probe install this morn is at Poochera.

Upper Eyre Pen farming done in 325mm+ Ave annual rain. Marginal indeed, but lots of innovative grain growers here that manage variability & their soils well.

Had the Terratrencher working its guts out cutting highly calcareous silty loam with limestone rocks.

Yes, that is scrub behind the weather station, lots of it, there are massive conservation parks on EP & a billion kangaroos & emus.

[Leighton Wilksch @agbyte_leet]

4500kms in 10 days across Eyre Peninsula &amp; Victoria doing some @EnviroProProbes soil moisture probe installs &amp; weather station maintenance.
Early bird catches the best sunrises.
Plenty of water laying in Wimmera &amp; western districts of Vic, lots of ducks, roos &amp; shitty roads

[Josh Dennis @JoshDen1982]

Busy day in northern Tas, installing 10x green brain cellular loggers with 80cm Enviropro probes SM / ST installed in vineyard #letthedataflow

[Leighton Wilksch @agbyte_leet]

I get to go to some awesome places. Installed some soil moisture probes &amp; weather station at Wintinna station near Marla. Part of a carbon sequestration project, observing differences between bare ground &amp; mulga vegetation

[EnviroPro SoilProbes @EnviroProProbes]

Come see us at @AgQuip in the Agri-tech pavilion K-L/23-24

[Leighton Wilksch @agbyte_leet]

Where is Bunnaloo? Now I know, went there to install some @EnviroProProbes under pivot irrigation. I've minimal experience with irrigated crops but always keen to learn. Beautiful country &amp; nice crop of canola coming along.

[NSW Climate and Digital Agriculture @DPI_DigitalAg]

Team members Mal, Matt and David had a busy week out in the field near Cobar putting in soil moisture probes. The aim of this pilot is to evaluate the functional and productive benefits of deep ripping in dry and arid landscapes.

[Leighton Wilksch @agbyte_leet]

One of my most favourite services I offer: 'Site relocation because client makes bigger paddocks by removing fences he said 5 years ago he would leave as-is'.

Fortunately @EnviroProProbes are tough as nails and they extract nicely.

[Leighton Wilksch @agbyte_leet]

Neat low power soil moisture probe &amp; rain monitoring site installed on Eyre Peninsula this morning. After ~270mm of rain this year, there was moisture to 160cm for the @EnviroProProbes to be pushed into. Will be interesting to track rooting depth thru season @danads243

[Leighton Wilksch @agbyte_leet]

120cm @EnviroProProbes #SoilMoistureProbe looking dwarfed by the massive canola crop near Nurrabiel, Vic. Some lovely looking crops on my trip today to Willaura then back up to Elmore.

[Leighton Wilksch @agbyte_leet]

I'm a busy fella this week with 20 #weatherstations &amp; @EnviroProProbes to install across Vic. Really appreciate work @daleboyd2 &amp; colleagues do with soil probe data here.

Digging not too bad after rain, but 1st warm week of the season is bringing out the gravy. @mattrohde8

[dale boyd @daleboyd2]

Latest Ag Vic SMM cropping newsletter-19 September data. Rain in early Sept generally didn’t fill the moisture deficit generated in Aug, creating a large requirement for rain in Mallee &amp; other parts of Wimmera/NC Vic. https://t.co/Pjoxr6YYtR