Paddock Trials: Test Farm Inputs Cheaply

YouTube Video VVVkdGxDNUR0c2daS0NNOGdpc2x5REp3LnRiMVo3REdmYzJR $Farm input trials don’t have to be expensive, complicated, or left to researchers. Here’s how to set up a simple paddock trial so you can test fertiliser, biological inputs and soil products before spreading them across the whole farm. How do you know if the product you’ve been sold is actually working? In this Farm Learning video, Tim Thompson is joined by Ben from Greenmate Agriculture to set up a practical paddock trial before applying Humate 9 biological input. The aim is simple: compare a treatment area against a control area, collect a useful baseline, and measure whether the product is actually moving the farm in the right direction. The video covers how to choose a fair trial paddock, why two similar-looking paddocks are not always equal, how trees, aspect, slope, neighbours and previous management can affect results, and why biological inputs need a longer trial period than many conventional fertiliser responses. You’ll also see the basic tools used to collect paddock data without spending a fortune: notebook records, photos, soil temperature readings, pH and moisture testing, Brix testing with a refractometer, worm counts, root observations, soil aggregation checks, and repeat sampling across both treatment and control areas. This is useful for farmers, contractors, landholders, small property owners and anyone using fertilisers, humates, biological inputs, soil amendments, pasture products or regenerative agriculture systems who wants to make better decisions from real paddock evidence. A good paddock trial helps remove the guesswork. Was it the season? Was it rainfall? Was it soil history? Was it the product? A simple control versus treatment setup gives you a much clearer answer. This video connects to practical topics including paddock trials, farm input testing, biological farming, soil health monitoring, pasture management, soil pH testing, Brix testing, humate products, regenerative agriculture, soil biology, pasture response, treatment and control plots, and how to measure whether a farm product is working in real-world conditions. Watch next on Farm Learning: Brix testing pasture and what the readings mean https://youtu.be/iwMOIoL4Rhw Soil biology and biological inputs explained on real farms https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLI-zA_zYCYC96X8ws0SYHtzpH912i9X0V Regenerative agriculture case studies with measurable paddock results https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLI-zA_zYCYC9pKgZEClQJFCoJGkPdu8Yo Subscribe to Farm Learning with Tim Thompson for practical agricultural education from real farms. Share this video with farmers, contractors, landholders or rural property owners who are trying to work out whether a new input, fertiliser, biological product or soil treatment is actually worth the money. Comment below: have you run your own paddock trial, control strip, fertiliser comparison or biological input test? What did you measure, and what did you learn? Details Guest: Ben from Greenmate Agriculture https://greenmate.com.au/ Practice featured: Simple paddock trial setup Product example: Humate 9- biological input Farm system: Pasture paddock trial Key terms: control area, treatment area, soil health, biological inputs, pH, moisture, Brix, soil temperature, worms, roots, aggregation, paddock records #PaddockTrial #SoilHealth #BiologicalFarming #RegenerativeAgriculture #FarmLearning 4. Chapters / Timestamps 00:00 Stop guessing if farm inputs work 00:57 Old tractor, gravity feed and air locks 01:29 Why set up a paddock trial first 02:18 The trial plan: site, gear and measurements 02:48 Choosing the right paddock 03:31 The common mistake with “equal” paddocks 04:34 Trees, neighbours and aspect effects 05:53 Why not use your worst paddock 06:49 Marking out treatment and control areas 07:03 Excluding trees inside the trial zone 08:27 How long biological input trials need 10:17 Cheap tools for baseline measurements 11:04 Recording notes and field observations 11:27 Soil temperature and the microbiome 12:37 pH and moisture testing in the paddock 14:22 Brix testing pasture with a refractometer 15:14 Soil probe, roots and aggregation 15:47 Photos, drone records and labelling data 16:42 How many holes and samples to take 17:39 Worms, crumb structure and root health 20:40 Measuring soil temperature properly 22:13 Consistent pH and moisture methods 25:48 Pasture Brix in winter 27:30 Averaging results across trial and control 28:41 Minimum trial size and repeat testing 29:56 Test product claims on your own farm 30:52 Spreading the treatment accurately 31:33 What farmers can take from this trial$

Farm input trials don’t have to be expensive, complicated, or left to researchers. Here’s how to set up a simple paddock trial so you can test fertiliser, biological inputs and soil products before spreading them across the whole farm.

How do you know if the product you’ve been sold is actually working?

In this Farm Learning video, Tim Thompson is joined by Ben from Greenmate Agriculture to set up a practical paddock trial before applying Humate 9 biological input. The aim is simple: compare a treatment area against a control area, collect a useful baseline, and measure whether the product is actually moving the farm in the right direction.

The video covers how to choose a fair trial paddock, why two similar-looking paddocks are not always equal, how trees, aspect, slope, neighbours and previous management can affect results, and why biological inputs need a longer trial period than many conventional fertiliser responses.

You’ll also see the basic tools used to collect paddock data without spending a fortune: notebook records, photos, soil temperature readings, pH and moisture testing, Brix testing with a refractometer, worm counts, root observations, soil aggregation checks, and repeat sampling across both treatment and control areas.

This is useful for farmers, contractors, landholders, small property owners and anyone using fertilisers, humates, biological inputs, soil amendments, pasture products or regenerative agriculture systems who wants to make better decisions from real paddock evidence.

A good paddock trial helps remove the guesswork. Was it the season? Was it rainfall? Was it soil history? Was it the product? A simple control versus treatment setup gives you a much clearer answer.

This video connects to practical topics including paddock trials, farm input testing, biological farming, soil health monitoring, pasture management, soil pH testing, Brix testing, humate products, regenerative agriculture, soil biology, pasture response, treatment and control plots, and how to measure whether a farm product is working in real-world conditions.

Watch next on Farm Learning:

Brix testing pasture and what the readings mean https://youtu.be/iwMOIoL4Rhw
Soil biology and biological inputs explained on real farms https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLI-zA_zYCYC96X8ws0SYHtzpH912i9X0V
Regenerative agriculture case studies with measurable paddock results https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLI-zA_zYCYC9pKgZEClQJFCoJGkPdu8Yo

Subscribe to Farm Learning with Tim Thompson for practical agricultural education from real farms.

Share this video with farmers, contractors, landholders or rural property owners who are trying to work out whether a new input, fertiliser, biological product or soil treatment is actually worth the money.

Comment below: have you run your own paddock trial, control strip, fertiliser comparison or biological input test? What did you measure, and what did you learn?

Details
Guest: Ben from Greenmate Agriculture https://greenmate.com.au/
Practice featured: Simple paddock trial setup
Product example: Humate 9- biological input
Farm system: Pasture paddock trial
Key terms: control area, treatment area, soil health, biological inputs, pH, moisture, Brix, soil temperature, worms, roots, aggregation, paddock records

#PaddockTrial #SoilHealth #BiologicalFarming #RegenerativeAgriculture #FarmLearning

4. Chapters / Timestamps

00:00 Stop guessing if farm inputs work
00:57 Old tractor, gravity feed and air locks
01:29 Why set up a paddock trial first
02:18 The trial plan: site, gear and measurements
02:48 Choosing the right paddock
03:31 The common mistake with “equal” paddocks
04:34 Trees, neighbours and aspect effects
05:53 Why not use your worst paddock
06:49 Marking out treatment and control areas
07:03 Excluding trees inside the trial zone
08:27 How long biological input trials need
10:17 Cheap tools for baseline measurements
11:04 Recording notes and field observations
11:27 Soil temperature and the microbiome
12:37 pH and moisture testing in the paddock
14:22 Brix testing pasture with a refractometer
15:14 Soil probe, roots and aggregation
15:47 Photos, drone records and labelling data
16:42 How many holes and samples to take
17:39 Worms, crumb structure and root health
20:40 Measuring soil temperature properly
22:13 Consistent pH and moisture methods
25:48 Pasture Brix in winter
27:30 Averaging results across trial and control
28:41 Minimum trial size and repeat testing
29:56 Test product claims on your own farm
30:52 Spreading the treatment accurately
31:33 What farmers can take from this trial