We loved seeing cane growers, banana farmers, graziers, tropical fruit producers and forestry come together for our free soil health workshops led by Simon Mattsson from Soil Land Food.

From examining soil cubes and understanding soil biology to unpacking the carbon and nitrogen cycles – these workshops were all about building the foundations for soil health improvements in the paddock.

Simon is also a farmer and he talked about his own transition from “very conventional sugar cane farming” to regenerative farming with as much focus on what’s happening below the soil’s surface as the crops growing above it. His experiences sparked plenty of discussions.

These workshops, in Tully, Mossman and the Tablelands, followed on from years of ‘Digging Deeper’ soil health sessions. It was great to see new faces and familiar faces. The growing momentum around soil health across the Wet Tropics is both encouraging and exciting.

The workshops were part of Terrain NRM’s Climate Smart Farming in the Wet Tropics project. This project is supported by the Australian Government through funding from the Natural Heritage Trust under the Climate Smart Agriculture program.

Internationally-recognised soil and groundcover ecologist Dr Christine Jones is coming to the Far North for workshops with farmers on improving soil health.

Terrain NRM is bringing Dr Jones to the region for an ‘Activating Your Soil Microbiome’ workshop in Tully on Tuesday 9 August, and Gulf Savannah NRM will be hosting a ‘Growing Profits by Building Soil’ workshop in Mareeba on 12 August.

Terrain agronomist Sally Fields said the focus of the workshops, and farmers were welcome from across the industries and regions.

“Christine has a way of bringing soil science to the table in ‘farm speak’,’’ she said. “These workshops will be relevant to anyone who manages land. There will be plenty of opportunities for questions the day includes a farm visit and several local farmers sharing their insights into practices that support soil health.

“Common threads are building on-farm resilience, with the goal of profitably leaving country in better condition for generations to come.”

Sarah Stevens from Gulf Savannah NRM said the skyrocketing price of urea was pushing some growers to ask: ‘Is there a better a way?’.

“In these workshops, Christine will explain the impact of inorganic nitrogen and phosphorous on the soil microbiome, and provide practical actions that commercial producers can take to transition away from a heavy reliance on inorganic fertilisers, to improve productivity and profitability outcomes,’’ she said.

Dr Jones has a wealth of experience working with landholders on regenerative land management practices to improve everything from biodiversity and biological activity to carbon sequestering, soil nutrient cycles and water balance.

She leads workshops and field days throughout Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Northern and Central America, and has a Community Fellowship Award from Land and Water Australia for her track record working with communities on land, water and vegetation management.

Tickets are $25.
Find out more and register for the Tully event: ‘Activating your Soil Microbiome’.
Register for the Mareeba event: ‘Growing Profits by Building Soil’.

These events are part of Terrain NRM and Gulf Savannah’s Healthy Farming Futures projects. These projects are funded by the Australian Government. Terrain’s event is also part of its Mobilising the Mossman and Murray project. This project is funded by the Australian Government’s Reef Trust.