Farmers have turned students for an inaugural soil masterclass taking place in East Gippsland, which is currently halfway through its curriculum.
More than 15 local farmers are taking part in the Gippsland Soil School, a collaboration between Gippsland Agricultural Group (GAgG) and the East Gippsland Catchment Management Authority (EGCMA), overseen by consultant Peter Ronalds, of Inspired Ag Solutions.
Last week’s session featured presenter Grant Sims of Down Under Covers, a sixth generation farmer who shifted his 8500-acre family farm from synthetic fertilisers to using bio-fermented liquid fertilisers and pro-biotics for crop health and disease control.
“Stop cultivating, feed the fungi and get the roots to do the work,” Mr Sims said.
“You can get big responses for low -cost, using plant tissue testing and foliar sprays.
He said things like “Buck wheat unlocks phophorous”, “Radish primes legumes to create more nitrogen” and when planting recommended using “four or more plant families because diversity trumps density”.
Under the guidance of Mr Sims and Mr Ronalds, participants helped create liquid bio-fertilisers, including a mix of cow manure and molasses, as well as one that included dissolved urea and kefir straight from the bottle, in order to brew up a culture of bugs for the soil.
GAgG general manager, Jen Smith said the Gippsland Soil School was run over four, two-day blocks in each season.
“Just four per cent of Australia’s land mass is arable and receives more than 600mm of rainfall,” Ms Smith said.
“That’s why soil management is so important.
“There isn’t a big area we can farm so we need to be trying to make our soils better.”
She said it was no secret farmers were practical, hands-on learners, which was why each session included getting outside.
“This school isn’t just about one approach to soil management,” she said.
“It covers regenerative ideas as well as conventional ideas and soil balancing ideas, so that our participants can take bits and pieces from each of the different systems and create a management system that suits their farm.
“It’s an investment in our soils because the cost of farming inputs and what we’re receiving is a gap that’s widening, our terms of trade are really challenging.
“EGCMA gained funding for this pilot TopSoils Project for two years, which is supported by the Australian Government through funding from the Natural Heritage Trust under the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program.
“That means the second school will take place next year,” she said.
“We’re developing something that’s fit for purpose for our region so it can be ongoing.”
Presenters so far have included consultant Cam Nicholson, Agriculture Victoria’s Fiona Baker, Grant Sims and soil scientist, Damien Adcock, all of them either farmers or with many years of on-farm practical experience.
Ms Smith said feedback had been extremely positive from the farmer students.
