00:06So traditionally we soil test in a depth of 0 to 10 centimetres and we're finding
00:11that basing your pH recommendations off that type or depth of test masks the pH
00:18of the soil so that gives you an average of the pH over that depth but we're
00:23finding that the soil is acidifying between the 5 to 15 centimetres of
00:28depth which you cannot pick up in a 10 centimetre depth of soil. Keeping your
00:32soil pH in that 5.5 to 6 band keeps the lime in the soluble alkali form which
00:40then can move deeper into the soil and address soil acidity. Consider the cost of
00:45not liming, the cost of doing nothing, what's the inherent cost of a continual
00:50acidification of soil and I guess there's two costs there. The first is well you
00:57know if the soil condition degrades what's the cost, how much lime do we need, what's
01:02the cost of bringing that soil back but there's also the time cost of what
01:06production have we lost in the meantime that that soil you know was degrading
01:11and was more acidic and less productive. Examining the lime investment over a
01:16longer time horizon is very important. It doesn't take 30 years to pay back lime
01:21that's but over 30 years you can see the the difference in the level of
01:26productivity and therefore the level of profitability of your farm over the long
01:30term.
