Meet Conal Wattam: Fungal Feeder Pasture Research Underway
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Time to read 4 min
Conal Wattam is carrying out on-farm pasture research with Bio Charge.
Good questions start in the paddock. Conal Wattam is now carrying out on-farm pasture research with Bio Charge, comparing a control with Fungal Feeder applied at 30, 60 and 90 litres per hectare.
The first pasture cut and measurement are underway. While we wait for the results, here is a chance to meet the person doing the work and learn how a career in grape growing developed into a lasting interest in compost, soil biology and practical learning on farm.
In this article
On farm: Conal Wattam is carrying out pasture research with Bio Charge.
The comparison: a control and Fungal Feeder at 30, 60 and 90 litres per hectare.
Underway now: the first pasture cut and measurement. Watch this space for the results.
From vineyards to soil biology
Conal's journey into soil health began in Central Otago's vineyards. After studying at Roseworthy Agricultural College in South Australia, he returned to Queenstown to work at Chard Farm, in both the vineyard and winery.
His appetite for learning soon took him overseas again. He spent the next four years working vintages around the world before returning to Queenstown and starting a contracting business. That work expanded into small-scale wine production for clients and for himself.
Owning a vineyard became the next step, and Bannockburn was the location. Improving the soil was a focus before planting and remained one long afterwards. It sparked a passion for compost that eventually grew into commercial compost production.
A closer look at the life in the soil
A soil carbon conference organised by Nicole Masters of Integrity Soils was a turning point. Through his work with compost, Conal began to see soil biology as something he could observe, learn about and work with.
He had compost batches analysed for chemical residues and biological life through Soil Foodweb. Looking down a microscope helped put that work into perspective. The interest continued into consultation and education, alongside a desire to keep learning.
In 2020, after 30 years in Southland and Otago, Conal moved to the Far North. His work there spans avocados, grapes, coffee and pasture, bringing experience from different soils and growing systems.
His interest in seaweed and experience with fish hydrolysate helped bring him to Bio Charge. Today, he is bringing that practical background and curiosity about soil health into our on-farm pasture research.
What is being compared in the pasture?
The current work compares a control with pasture treated with Fungal Feeder at three application rates:
| Comparison | Fungal Feeder application rate |
|---|---|
| Control | Control comparison |
| Fungal Feeder | 30 litres per hectare |
| Fungal Feeder | 60 litres per hectare |
| Fungal Feeder | 90 litres per hectare |
L/ha means litres per hectare. These are the rates being compared in this research.
The question is straightforward: how does the pasture compare across the control and the three Fungal Feeder rates? The measurements will give us something concrete to discuss.
The first pasture cut and measurement are underway
Conal is working through the first cut and measurement now. This is the beginning of the results story, and we are looking forward to sharing what the measurements show.
We will put the figures alongside the research context so readers can see what was compared and what can be learned from it. For now, no result or best-performing rate has been established in this update.
Our interest is in practical learning that can help inform the next questions on farm. A useful result is one we can explain clearly, whether the measurements show a difference or little separation between the comparisons.
Watch this space for the results
We will share an update as the first pasture measurements become available. You will be able to follow Conal's work here on the Bio Charge blog.
From vineyard soils to compost production and pasture research, the thread running through Conal's story is a willingness to keep looking, measuring and learning.
The first cut is underway. Watch this space for the results.
Keep following the work on farm
For more of our on-farm learning, read Fungal Feeder, One Year On: What Changed Beneath the Pasture?. That article covers an earlier soil-biology case study; its findings are separate from the pasture measurements introduced here.
On-farm research in the Far North
If you are farming in the Far North and would like Conal to carry out research on your farm, get in touch with Bio Charge. Tell us about your farm and what you would like to investigate, and we can discuss the next steps.
Who is Conal Wattam?
Conal has a background in viticulture, commercial compost production, soil biology, consultation and education. He is currently carrying out on-farm pasture research with Bio Charge.
Which Fungal Feeder rates are being compared?
The pasture research compares a control with Fungal Feeder applied at 30, 60 and 90 litres per hectare.
Are the pasture research results available yet?
The first pasture cut and measurement are underway. Results will be shared in a follow-up update. Watch this space.
Bio Charge
Bio Charge shares practical learning from on-farm research and soil biology work in New Zealand. This profile draws on Conal Wattam's background and introduces his current pasture research; the first measurements are underway.
