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Over the past four years, she has worked in customer engagement for the Climate Services for Agriculture program, collaborating with farmers, advisors and agricultural professionals to inform the development of My Climate View, a historical and future climate information tool developed with CSIRO and funded by the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.
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'Farming with Nature: Natural Pest Control'
David Brook, Founder & Director. Wildbnb Wildlife Habitat and Owls-eat-Rats Wildbnb develops and implements large-scale wildlife conservation projects to slow the rate of extinction of vulnerable species and to support all wildlife across natural, agricultural and urban landscapes. Its award-winning ‘Owls Eat Rats’ initiative is part of a broader approach to on-farm biodiversity, using habitat and not chemicals, to support natural pest control. The Wildbnb team works with farmers to explore how native predators, such as owls, can help reduce the need for rodenticides while supporting broader ecological health on farms. Wildbnb is also investigating how Microbats can help control pest insects and support beneficial insects that pollinate food crops, providing win-win benefits for farmers and wildlife. |
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'Biochar and Climate Mitigation'
Dr Lukas Van Zwieten, Senior Principal Research Scientist, Soils, NSW DPIRD Lukas specialises in soil processes, particularly carbon and nitrogen cycling, their impact on greenhouse gas emissions, and soil contaminants. His acclaimed research on biochar has been featured on major international media outlets, and he currently serves as Program Leader for the Cooperative Research Centre – High Performance Soils. |
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Soils for Life presents: FREE WEBINAR SERIES
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Upcoming sessions Darren Doherty and Campbell Mercer on Farm Planning for Orchard Resilience Tues 26th May, 12pm AEST (this session will run for 1.5hours) Dr Paul Horne and Rebecca Addison on Life Cycles and Management of Beneficial Insects in Orchards Thurs 28th May, 12pm AEST Dean Metcalf on Biological Controls for Orchards Wed 3rd June, 12pm AEST Abigail Makim on Biodiversity and Interrow Management in Orchards Thurs 4th June, 12pm AEST |
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The Soil Microbiome & DNA Microbial Analysis
Neil Wilson brings an infectious passion to uncovering the hidden world beneath our feet, revealing the extraordinary roles soil microbes play in healthy soil and crops. He shares not just insights, but a deep appreciation for the soil microbiome’s complexity and power. This video provides an excellent introduction to the DNA Microbial Analysis techniques developed by Metagen Australia to measure, monitor and support soil health, thereby enhancing crop outcomes. |
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How soil structure benefits farm productivity, resilience and profitability. In this video, John dives into one of the most fundamental, and often overlooked, aspect of soil health: soil structure. Through his engaging and practical approach John reveals why soil structure is important, and how it directly impacts farm productivity, sustainability, & the future of our landscapes. |
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In this video, join Graham, SoilCare’s favourite wave-chasing, soil (biology-loving) chemist, as he walks us through EAL and explains how to submit soil samples for detailed chemical and mineral analysis.Graham moved from Environmental Science into Analytical Chemistry in the early 1990's, setting up EAL, Environmental Analysis Lab, in Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW.In the mid 90's EAL moved into specialised agricultural analysis primarily related to organic and biological farming.
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Join us on December 5, 2025 to celebrate
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We celebrate World Soil Day (WSD) annually on December 5th to raise global awareness about the role soils play in agricultural development, ecosystem functions and food security.
Endorsed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, WSD became an official international day in 2014. Since then, FAO has facilitated the implementation of WSD as a global platform for action and advocacy within the framework of the Global Soil Partnership (GSP). SoilCare extends its gratitude to the event sponsors for their enthusiastic support for healthy soil and resilient farms.
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Monday, October 27, 2025
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FREE EVENT + Afternoon Tea: Registration Required
The Soil Health Card serves as an additional tool to help you gain a deeper understanding of your soils and their productivity, complementing any existing soil testing you may conduct. Maintaining soil health in the short term will undoubtedly increase the sustainability of farming into the future.
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Beneficial microbes for healthy crops. Dr Dean Metcalf,
General introduction & interactions to the microbes in the soil (fungi, bacteria, nematodes, protozoa). ~ Plant diseases – how they infect ~ How beneficial microbes inhibit diseases. ~ Phytophthora, what is it? ~ Trichoderma & enriched composts and more! Incorporating Indigenous cultural values in pest suppressive landscapes. David Hinchley Jagun Alliance
Potential flowering plants for Conservation Biological Control (CBC) in subtropical Rubus.
Dr Saleh Adnan, Research Horticulturist Entomology, NSW DPI Why biocontrol? Painting the picture of retaining the status quo. Dr Kirsten Ellis, Southern Cross University
Sustainable pest control for macadamia industry
Dr Tania Yonow and Prof Darren Kriticos, Cervantes Agritech |
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'To Understand It, You Need To Measure It:
Approaches for Measuring Soil Biology'. Dr Neil Wilson, Metagen Australia |
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'Soil Chemical Analysis for Biological Farming Systems'
Graham Lancaster , Environmental Analysis Lab, SCU |
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Australian Biological Farming Conference and Expo 2022 Post Conference virtual delegate registration now available. Watch the entire conference from the comfort of your home. 'THE ANSWER IS SOIL. WHAT'S THE QUESTION?' ~ From opening to closing ~ 2022 Australian Biological Farming Conference speaker presentation videos now available. Details on the Conference Website post conference virtual delegate registration for conference videos 27 Conference Videos AUD 300.00 + GST
5 Pre-conference workshop videos AUD 120.00 + GST 5 Pre-conference Videos and 27 Conference Videos AUD 420.00 + GST Go to the conference website for video and speaker details. |
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The second IPM/Cover Crop Field Day in the series of three was attended by farmers interested in planting cover crops and providing beneficial insect habitat.
Ross Arnett shared his insightful observations on numerous trials running on his farm. Thanks also to Richard Llewellyn, BioResources, and Dave Forrest, Organic Forrest, for contributing their knowledge and expertise. BioResources provides insectary reared biological controls specialising in Trichogramma and Anastatus wasps. |
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Farm Walk with Geoff Bugden
Thank you to Geoff and Debbie Bugden for hosting this farm walk on their pecan farm. Geoff shares his many years of observations and on-farm trials. With help from Dave Forrest, Geoff explains to visitors how he developed his farm management practices. In this video watch Geoff explain how he manages ground covers, integrated pest management, soil health, and his brews of bio- fertilisers and bio-teas. |
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