Soil carbon. Carbon Drawdown.

Say my name · 21-02-2022 9:44pm #1

Soil test results came back. Private tests, not in the dept scheme.

Did a back of the envelope calculation. Used a calculation of 6 inches of soil. And one cubic meter of soil weighing 1.2 tons. Some have one cubic meter of compacted soil weighing 2 tons. Whether that's a more truer weight of non dug soil I don't know.

So anyway both these paddocks are 7 acres. It's the same field actually but since a cow track was put in years ago they've been farmed just ever so slightly different.

Back to calculations.

6.98% organic carbon is 360tons.

5.2% organic carbon is 268 tons.

That's a difference of 92 tons of carbon between both sides of that laneway.

Dinzee Conlee · 21-02-2022 11:03pm

What was the difference in management to give the different result do you think Say?

Say my name · 21-02-2022 11:30pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118670075#Comment_118670075

Only difference between the two in management was an application of concentrated seawater or ormus sprayed on a while back.

By looking at the soil after, it raised it, but made the soil softer that next autumn winter spring. Cows were going to their knees in the ground. It'll raise carbon imo but may not be good for production.

alps · 21-02-2022 11:36pm

Consistent link between both samples..

Organic Carbon measures at 58.5% of Organic Matter in both samples...

🥸

Say my name · 21-02-2022 11:43pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118670231#Comment_118670231

No flies on you Alps.

That's what the lab came back with.

They put the line "soil carbon % should be " beneath the organic matter result.

yosemitesam1 · 22-02-2022 9:22am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118670273#Comment_118670273

Did the lab just run that calculation themselves or was it measured? There can be lots of variability over the actual ratio of organic matter to carbon.

Unless you've super heavy soil, you're soil bulk density is probably somewhere around 700kg/m³ but it could vary between fields and throw the end result off, especially if there was different management factors affecting soil carbon %

Say my name · 22-02-2022 9:31am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118671296#Comment_118671296

You know as much as I do.

Farms featured on farmer journal have been using the same lab and results for carbon accounting and articles I believe.

blue5000 · 23-02-2022 10:21am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118671296#Comment_118671296

I'd be more inclined to go with this 700kg/m cubed soil density figure too. Soil should be roughly 25% water and 25% air in the pores.

Soil carbon. Carbon Drawdown.

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