Terrain NRM is encouraging businesses, industry and communities to look at new ways to unlock future prosperity through sustainable and inclusive economic approaches while also improving the region’s landscapes from reef to rainforest.

Board Chair Dr Keith Noble recently launched Terrain’s new five-year strategic plan, identifying six focus areas – soil health, waterway health, biodiversity, climate, regenerative economy and organisational excellence.

Dr Noble said the region is at a pivotal moment in time in terms of the COVID pandemic, climate change and biodiversity loss.

“Worldwide disruption caused by COVID has created fertile ground for change and has shown us how quickly society can adapt to new circumstances,” he said.

“While we are facing immense environmental challenges, there are also exciting opportunities for Australia and for the Wet Tropics, as communities recognise the need to maintain the world that sustains us all.”

They’re green, crunchy and packed with goodness – and they’re being grown for the first time in the Wet Tropics. Pumpkin seeds are a new crop for the Tully region, with trials underway to expand a burgeoning industry that’s based in Victoria.

Cane, pineapple and pumpkin producers Michael and Peter Ottone are one of three Far North farming families to harvest pumpkins grown specifically for their seeds, not their flesh.

The brothers planted five hectares on their Bilyana property this year, after a trial block last year.

“This Styrian pumpkin variety is a little different – its seeds naturally have no outer shell or husk, making them easier to process and eat,’’ Peter said.

Most pumpkin seeds eaten in Australia are imported

Most pumpkin seeds eaten in Australia are imported pepitas, largely from China. Australian Pumpkin Seed Company, a family business, began commercial production of edible pumpkin seeds in south-east Queensland 19 years ago and is now based in Victoria. The business is looking for more farmers to come on board in far north Queensland to expand their supply operation.

The Ottones learned about the industry through a Soil Health Innovation Tour to Victoria, organised by the Wet Tropics region’s natural resources management organisation Terrain NRM. Australian Pumpkin Seed Company’s Pepo Farms was among a series of properties visited by farmers during the tour, which focused on innovations in soil health and farming enterprises.

“I didn’t know anything about this crop before the trip but after visiting the growers I was interested to give it a go,’’ Peter Ottone said. “We see pumpkin seeds in our kids’ cereal, in breads and as snacks, and pretty much all of it is coming from outside Australia. We already grow organic pumpkins, so this is a new challenge for us.”

Growing global industry

Pumpkin seeds are a growing global industry. Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries’ Jodie Tubb sees potential for seed production in the Far North, especially given pumpkins are already a crop in the region.

Ms Tubb has overseen trials on farms from Tully to Rollingstone in the past two years, after deliveries of seeds and harvesting equipment from Pepo Farms following the soil health innovation tour.

“The crops that have been trialled up here look good,’’ she said. “Elements that we need to fine-tune include row spacings, when the crop is planted and management systems.”

“Farmers didn’t get the returns this year, based on last year’s calculations. Coronavirus restrictions caused some issues, with travel restrictions between Victoria and Queensland, and with labour shortages causing harvesting delays.”

Earlier plantings recommended

The Ottone brothers say earlier plantings would be recommended for the Far North.

“The biggest thing is getting a good crop and we were pretty happy with it,’’ Peter said. “But we didn’t get anywhere near the tonnage we were hoping for, and with a later harvest than ideal, we had softer pumpkins, making harvesting more labour intensive.

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Tropical Soils – A Guide to Soil Health (for printing)

Tropical Soils – A Guide to Soil Health (to read online)

Soil health, mulch trials and spray drones were hot topics at the recent Wet Tropics Soilcare (WETS) field day and annual general meeting.

Forty farmers from across the Wet Tropics visited farms in the Tablelands region to make plans for the year ahead, hear from soil specialists and share knowledge on soil health practices.

Terrain NRM Landcare Leader Sally Fields said it was great to see a broad range of growers and landholders participate and share their knowledge and experience.

“Community groups like WETS are important in our region because they foster information and knowledge-sharing and provide a platform for soil health discussions within the agricultural industry,” she said.

“Building soil health and agricultural resilience is a major priority for Terrain NRM and our region and supporting groups like WETS means the momentum of soil health advocacy grows.”

Avocado, custard apple, soursop and lime crop soil health were in the spotlight at the field day’s first stop – John Jennings’ family farm in Mareeba.

Comparing hay, woodchip and tea tree mulch with normal practices on the Caamano’s lime farm was also an insightful experience for growers.

Presentations from BioHub Solutions on their range of bio stimulants, used to help improve the biological balance in soil, and from Brolga Tech on the capabilities of drone technology, including spraying of herbicides, fertilisers, seeds, and beneficial insects for pest control, were also part of the field day.

Tully tropical fruit grower and the WETS group’s newly appointed vice-chair Warren Orsmond said being actively involved in groups like WETS helps to keep soil health front-of-mind and enables growers to learn from each other.

“There’s a broad range of people in the group who all bring different skills, knowledge and experience to the table,” he said.

“I’m continually learning and fine-tuning our practices on the farm – healthy soils help grow a healthy crop and provide environmental benefits, so it’s an important part of our business.”

Two soil health field days will be held in the Wet Tropics region over coming months.

The Lower Wet Tropics Soilcare Group and Terrain NRM are hosting a field day in the Tully region on Saturday 18 September.

And the Wet Tropics Soilcare Group is hosting a field day in the Mareeba region on Saturday 16 October. This day will be combined with the group’s AGM.

Anyone with an interest in soil is invited to come along. Farmers will be sharing their experience and soil heath practices across the industries.

Terrain supports these events through its Wet Tropics Regional Agricultural Landcare Faciliator. This position is funded from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.

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.

When it comes to soil, the O’Kane brothers like theirs as soft and crumbly as cottage cheese.

It’s a strictly gorgonzola-free zone at Chris and Michael’s sugarcane farm where four years of new practices – from mixed species fallow crops to biofertiliser, minimum tillage and mound planting – are changing the soil’s structure and its crop-growing potential.

Cheese references have become technical terms these days for an ever-increasing number of farmers who are just as focused on what’s happening underneath the earth as what’s growing up above it.

The O’Kanes have reduced their artificial fertiliser rates by more than 30 per cent as a result – dropping from 156kg to 108kg of nitrogen per hectare with minimal impacts on their crops or production levels.

“We’ve done our homework – we’re not scared of trying new things but we don’t rush in either,’’ Chris said. “If we believe something’s going to work, we’re up for giving it a go.”

The third-generation cane farmers are embarking on another big change this season, forming mound rows for fallow crops that will become long-term cane rows. It’s all about reducing soil compaction.

“Traditionally at planting time we would cultivate the whole paddock by discing, ripping and rotary-hoeing,’’ Chris said.

“This year we will be moving to zonal cultivation using one implement, a bed renovator, to prepare the bed only where the cane set is to go.

“With the help and guidance of farmers in the Ingham district we are modifying our billet planter into a mound planter. So once planted, the paddock is finished as far as cultivating. There is no more filling in to get the right ground profile for the harvester.”

Chris said learning from growers in other districts had removed any concerns about potential issues like reduced cane strike rates, stool tippage and loss in production.

Learning from others about biofertilisers has also helped.

“Once you’ve been shown, it’s pretty easy to catch on – we’ve been brewing for four years now,’’ he said. “We apply bioferts to each paddock twice a year, spraying nine rows at a time with a mixture of effective micro-organisms and trace elements. It’s a recipe we were given. We need 20,000 litres for the farm – it takes about three days to make 10,000 litres but the beauty of it is it stores well so it can be made when there is time.”

More than 100 farmers gathered at a cane farming forum in Cairns this week to network, learn and share experiences about growing sugarcane crops using regenerative farming practices. Local farmers showed off a range of regenerative practices including industrial scale composting, cover cropping and minimal tilling.

Soil health-based farming has been gaining ground in the Wet Tropics with many farmers participating in soil workshops and programs – and regenerative farming is the next step in an approach that focuses on improving resources used by farming, including soil.

Ingham cane grower Michael Waring said the Regen Cane Forum was the brainchild of a group of North Queensland farmers and agroecologist David Hardwick, who met at the National Biological Farming Conference held in southern Queensland in 2018.

“This is the second forum we’ve held, the first one was in Ingham two years ago. We wanted to keep networking and learning from other like-minded farmers about practices that promote soil health, improve water cycling and sequester carbon,” Mr Waring said.

“We all agreed there was a real appetite back home for regenerative farming approaches, and we needed somewhere to learn how to take the next steps. There’s a lot of info already out there, but it’s not the same as seeing and hearing practical hands-on stories from other farmers.”

Simon Mattsson travelled from as far as Mackay to attend the forum.

“I’m part of the organising committee, because I’m passionate about regenerative agriculture. I’m here at the forum because no matter how far along the regenerative journey you are, you can always pick up something new,” he said.

Small groups visited different farm sites, giving farmers the chance see and hear from others who have implemented specific changes on their farm, or even redesigned their whole farming system.