* APOLOGIES: THIS TRIP HAS BEEN POSTPONED DUE TO COVID  

Far North Queensland farmers with a track record in soil health improvement are being encouraged to apply to attend a Soil Health Innovation Tour to Tasmania next year.

Nominated as the next innovation destination by participants at the previous event, the Tasmanian edition will tour major agricultural regions near Burnie and Launceston and visit a diverse range of farm industry.

This is the third tour run since 2018, and is being presented by natural resource management organisation Terrain NRM in partnership with Wet Tropics Soilcare and Lower Wet Tropics Soilcare.

Regional Agriculture Landcare Facilitator for the Wet Tropics Evizel Seymour said it is a great opportunity for farmers to broaden their knowledge about soil health innovation across a range of farming types in another region.

“We know from running innovation tours previously that they’re a powerful learning opportunity with long-lasting benefits, so we’re excited to be able to offer it again for more local farmers who are adopting sustainable farming practices.”

She said the schedule is still being finalised but is expecting it to include mixed regenerative farming, regenerative dairy, native berry, native game, and organic horticulture site visits.

The 5-day tour is supported by Terrain NRM, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.

To be eligible, applicants must operate a farm business, be actively working to improve soil health on their farm and be able to show a track record of involvement with either of the hosting soil care groups, or Terrain NRM.

How much do you know about the soil underneath your crops and pastures?

Farmers from Ingham to the Tablelands and Mossman are being encouraged to join the 2022 Digging Deeper Plus program – a hands-on course that is free to landholders and focuses on improving soil health and fertility at each participating property.

Terrain NRM agronomist Sally Fields said farmers from across the industries learnt how to better understand soil tests and received a soil test and soil action plan for their land as part of the program. They would explore soil health and fertility issues, visit farms and learnt from soil health professionals including well-known agroecologist David Hardwick. Sally and regenerative farmer Simon Mattsson will also lead workshops, with guest appearance from farmers who have already “walked the talk” when it comes to soil health.

This is the fourth Digging Deeper Plus program run by natural resource management organisation Terrain NRM in the Wet Tropics region, and so far more than 80 farmers have been part of it. The project is supported by Terrain through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.

“Digging Deeper Plus’s focus is on improving soil condition and long-term farm viability across a range of crops and industries in the Wet Tropics and neighbouring regions,’’ Ms Fields said.

“Farmers have told us they’ve gained a better understanding of soil tests and overall confidence in building soil health, and they’ve been applying things they’ve learnt to the farm. They also enjoy meeting a diverse range of farmers and sharing knowledge.”

She said the upcoming six-day program would be a little different in terms of content, with a wider range of topics and facilitators. It would also be run over a shorter timeframe, with the on-farm workshops from February to May.

“By the end of the program, each farming business has a detailed soil action plan, tailored to their land and with clear pathways for progress over the next 12 months,’’ she said.

Far Northern farmers can learn more about soil health and balancing soil chemistry at a two-day workshop in Cairns.

Wet Tropics Soilcare and Terrain NRM are bringing soil specialist Derek Smith to the region on 12-13 June for an event that is open to primary producers across all industries.

Wet Tropics Soilcare president and Mareeba lychee grower Mal Everett said farmers had an ever-increasing focus on the land underneath their crops and the best ways to keep it healthy for long-term sustainable farming.

“The emphasis these days, even state and Australia-wide, is on soil health. For us, it’s all about improving the soil while also keeping costs down. If we can improve our soil’s biology, it is a more cost-effective way than increasing inputs, and there are a large range of benefits.

“Looking at ratios of different nutrients in the soil is part of the big picture of soil health. What you take away from courses like this varies from farmer to farmer and farm to farm… but there’s always something new to learn.”

Terrain NRM agronomist Sally Fields said the Working with Nature Soil Balancing course would cover ways to improve water-holding capacity of soils, soil microbes, healthier populations of beneficial soil organisms, improving the soil’s structure, soil balancing, nutrient delivery to plants and increasing pasture, livestock and crop yields.

She said the enthusiasm of farmers to learn more about soil health showed in the number of people registering for Digging Deeper soil health programs with Terrain and the high attendance at field days on soil health topics in recent years.

“Wet Tropics Soilcare and the new Lower Wet Tropics Soilcare group have been formed as farmer-driven hubs in response to the region’s soil health movement,” she said.

“These groups and courses also connect farmers on their journeys to improving farm soil. Workshops – on things like better understanding soil test results and knowing more about the intricacies of what’s going on in soils – happen in conjunction with the farmer peer-to-peer learning. There is a real sense of ‘we are in this together’, with farmers happy to share information and learn from each other. It’s great to see.”

Far North farmers are driving research into the best ways to mitigate climate change and build soil health through agricultural systems.

A group of Tablelands farmers have begun soil testing on their properties to measure and compare carbon levels and other soil health indicators as part of a three-year project encompassing different crops, forests and soil types.

Rainforest Bounty’s Geraldine McGuire said evidence of both carbon sequestration systems in agriculture and soil health improvements could help the region to build a reputation in carbon farming and improve its ‘carbon sink’ status with investors.

A partnership between landholders and natural resource management organisation Terrain NRM is behind the research.

“Some of my orchards are 20 years old; some others are just being planted,’’ Dr McGuire said. “Because carbon takes a long time to build up, we are testing over a number of years. In my case we are comparing native fruit orchards with a control site in reforested land on the property.”

Other properties include native fruit orchards, an avocado farm and pasture.

Terrain NRM’s Rowan Shee said the research was part of a larger Digging Deeper Plus project focused on helping farmers to improve soil health on their properties through on-farm workshops, free soil tests and customised soil management plans. This project is supported by Terrain through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.

He said building carbon levels in soils had multiple soil health benefits – from improved soil structure, water infiltration and nutrient cycling to reduced soil compaction and erosion.

“The end result is better plant growth and better long-term soil health and productivity,’’ Mr Shee said.

An ever-increasing focus on soil health is behind a new farmers group in the Far North.

Cane grower Alan Lynn is calling on farmers from across the region’s agricultural industries to join the new Lower Wet Tropics Soil Care Group, which will focus on Herbert, Tully and surrounding districts and work hand in hand with the neighbouring Wet Tropics Soil Care Group.

Mr Lynn and a committee of farmers from across the cane, grazing and horticulture industries have been working with natural resource management group Terrain NRM to set up the group for farmer networking, shared learning, paddock trials and soil health-related events.

“Soil health is a priority right across our farming industries – from cane to horticulture and grazing,” Mr Lynn said. “We all develop systems that work for us but having others to share ideas and results with when we’re trying new things can be very helpful.”

The fourth-generation cane farmer has been working to reduce soil compaction on his land by installing global positioning system or GPS equipment in his machinery, widening his cane rows, reducing the amount of times machinery passes over his crops and planting multi-species crops on fallow land.

Mr Lynn said a Digging Deeper soil health course with Terrain NRM six years ago was a catalyst for change and more recent soil health innovation tours – with a focus on cover cropping and soil stimulants including compost, biochar and organic fertilisers – had also been useful.

Terrain NRM’s Digging Deeper coordinator Rowan Shee said soil health was becoming more of a focus for landholders, and many were seeing good results from improving soil carbon, structure and nutrient cycling to manage soils for the longer-term.

Farmers are excavating on their properties to learn more about soil health.

Fishery Falls cane farmer Glen Anderson, Tully cane growers John and Kate Knight and Mutchilba lime and tea tree growers Michelle and Ante Milicevic are among the numbers digging deep pits for field days that have brought primary producers together from all over Far North Queensland.

Mr Anderson said the variety of soils on properties highlighted how important it was to manage different areas of farmland in different ways.

The third-generation farmer grows cane on land that has undergone soil tests since the 1950s and has benefitted from legume fallow crops for decades, and changes to minimum tillage and variable-rate fertilising in more recent years.

“We’re trying to focus on the soil to improve lower-producing areas and to make sure we’re sustainable and profitable into the future,’’ Mr Anderson said.

He is one of 18 farmers in the latest six-month Digging Deeper Plus soil health course delivered by Terrain NRM for primary producers ranging from cane and dairy farmers to beef cattle, tropical fruit, lime, tea tree and flower producers.

Terrain NRM’s Rowan Shee said farmers received a free soil test and on-farm soil health advice as part of the program, which is led by soil fertility specialist David Hardwick and is based on all the participants’ properties.

“The soil pits days are a great way to start – we are used to paying attention to just the surface soil but there’s a lot going on deeper down and pits can help answer questions about crop development, compaction, soil quality, structure and variety,’’ he said.