Events 2020

Owing to COVID-19 concerns:
​SoilCare events have been postponed until further notice. 
​
Future Field Days

SoilCare Grazing Field Day
with Dr Judi Earl
Details TBA

SoilCare Field Day

Cover Crops & IPM in Orchards
​with Richard Llewellyn and Jarrah Coates
​Details TBA

In the news...

A north African species of dung beetle has been imported into Australia to fill seasonal and geographic gaps.    ​ABC Rural 23 October 2020

A new north African species of poo-eating dung beetle has been imported into Australia to fill seasonal and geographic gaps and help livestock producers improve pasture health and productivity.
Australian livestock, such as sheep and cattle, produce about 80 million tonnes of dung a year, which can take months to break down and lead to inefficient grazing of large portions of pastures.  
​​Photo:  The new species of dung beetles is hoped to help livestock producers across Southern Australia to improve soil and pasture health.(Photo supplied: Dung Beetle Ecosystem Engineers)
But the faeces-eating beetle's work estimated to contribute more than $1 billion in environmental and economic benefits each year.
Visit the ABC Rural article for more information.

Plant roots grow towards soil fungi - Wageningen University and Research - 14 October 2020

Plant roots not only release odours themselves, but also appear to react to odours that beneficial and harmful fungi in the soil release. They do this by actively growing towards fungi, or ignore them. This 'sense of smell' has a positive influence on the eventual health of the plant. Exposing plants to the right fungi could even offer protection against insect pests and worms that feed on plants and their roots. This is evident from Kay Moisan's PhD dissertation, that she will defend on 16 October 2020.
​Plant roots are fascinating organs because they are so essential to plant health. However, we do not yet know how they interact with soil microbes and which factors influence their growth. Recent studies found that roots themselves perceive odours from soil microbes, which in turn can affect plant growth. For instance, odours that are released by bacteria and fungi can increase the branching and the size of plant roots. Therefore, perception of these odours can significantly affect plant growth.
Growth direction. However, it is as yet surprisingly unknown whether microbial odours can also affect the direction in which plant roots grow. In her dissertation and the accompanying publication in Plant, Cell and Environment, Kay Moisan and her co-authors from the Netherlands Institute for Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) and the laboratory of Entomology of Wageningen University & Research (WUR) demonstrate that this is the case. It appears that plants perceive the odours produced by soil fungi and react to them before they come into contact with the fungi.    Read more here.

Inter row management in macadamias to conserve and encourage beneficial insects

​BioResources has just completed its Hort Innovation Project MC10068. The project used farm blocks on 11 macadamia farms from mid-coast NSW up to Bundaberg to work through with the farmers the issues of growing and maintaining an inter row insectary. BioResources then monitored these inter row insectaries in terms of their vegetation composition and insect community composition in comparison to industry standard regularly mown areas within these farms for 2.5 years.  
Apart from all the practicalities of maintaining an inter row insectary in macadamia orchards, the most important finding was that well-functioning insectaries increased the diversity of arthropod communities in both inter row &
tree habitats, in turn creating a more complex food web with higher proportions of beneficial invertebrates that were more stable in population abundance over time.  
​Visit the BioResources website for Project updates.      Visit the BioResources You Tube Channel for research project videos.

Videos

March 2020 Soil Health Conference Keynote Speaker:
​Dr. Christine Jones, P.H.D. Soil Biochemistry

This session was videotaped at the South Dakota, USA Soil Health Coalition (SDSHC) 2020 Soil Health Conference & Annual Meeting in Watertown, South Dakota. The conference was sponsored by many exhibitors and sponsors. This video recording was made possible through an agreement between the SDSHC and USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, under agreement 68-6740-17-010. Through this agreement the SDSHC and USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service are delivering the latest soil health and productivity technology to South Dakota farmers and ranchers, through these local events held across the state.
​

See more videos on the USDA/NCRS You Tube Channel

Podcasts

Make good use of your time while driving, mowing or tractor work by listening to podcasts.  A podcast is a just like a radio show, but you can listen whenever you want on your mobile phone.  You can easily subscribe to podcasts via iTunes or Google Play but there are other apps available as well.  Some examples below: 
Acres USA Tractor Time
The Voice of Eco-Agriculture. 
There are 38 podcasts, and counting, at Acres USA. ​
Regenerative Agriculture Podcasts with John Kempf
For professional growers who want to increase quality and yield -- for growers and agronomists who want to learn about the science and principles of regenerative agriculture systems. 
Apple Podcast Preview of Regenerative Agriculture  this link previews 18 regenerative agriculture podcasts 
Ground Cover Podcasts
Regenerative Ag Alliance and Southern Cross University
Ground Cover is a uniquely Australian podcast series exploring real life stories of land managers who have undertaken the transition from conventional farming to regenerative agriculture.

In this series, we share unique and honest conversations about the challenges and opportunities of regenerative agriculture, so you can make informed decisions about how to best manage your land.

Podcasts include interviews with Charles Massey, Bruce Maynard, Colin Seis, Derek Smith, Michael Taylor, Tim Wright and Mike McCosker.

Visit the Ground Cover webpage to access the podcasts.
Acres USA Tractor Time
​
Acres U.S.A.: The Voice of Eco-Agriculture. We help educate growers on ecological techniques that are proven to increase yield and decrease the need for costly toxic inputs.

There are 38 podcasts, and counting, at Acres USA. 

New Dates:  6-10 September 2021
It is the Organic World Congress... don't miss it
Join more than 2000 like minded participants at the Organic World Congress 2020 (OWC 2020) with its 80 conferences and 8 pre-conferences on 6 main themes that zoom in on Leadership, Farmers’ and Advisors’, Science, Supply & Value Chain, Culture & Education and Stakeholders.
​Plenary sessions of the Organic World Congress (OWC) 2020 will be accompanied by six individual conference forums.
All forums will run from 23 - 25 September, 2020.

Videos from past conferences:
​
2015 National Biological Farming Conference in Lismore

2016 National Biological Farming Conference in Cairns 

2018 Australian Biological Farming Conference Videos at the Gold Coast

Quick links

Northern Rivers Soil Health Cards

Soil Health Card Videos