What's holding you back?
Soil extension for soil health and productivity in North-East Victoria
This project is funded by the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program - Smart Farms Small Grants - Soil Extension Activities
This project is now complete. Gecko Clan Landcare Network continues to work with the Regional Soils Coordinator from the Victoria Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub. For support with soil test interpretation and understanding your soils, please contact your local Landcare Group or Gecko Clan staff.
Keep an eye the Gecko Clan events page for upcoming field days on soil testing, plant tissue testing and support for landholders on soil test interpretation.
Additional project Resources
- Setting up fertiliser test strips to help identify constraints to pasture growth
- Understanding you soil test. Botta, C. 2015
- See the latest innovations in soil testing and soil test interpretation here: Innovations in soils project resources
The Gecko Clan Landcare Network is providing a range of soil extension support to landholders in the Goulburn-Broken catchment to improve land managers' soil health knowledge. The project aims to increase the number of landholders implementing soil testing and to act upon the results to improve soil health, productivity and land management decision making.
Brad Costin, Agriculture Victoria, and Mick Griffin, Warby Ranges Landcare group member looking at soil cores.
Project summary
The Gecko Clan Landcare Network are providing support and access to soil test interpretation (soil extension) services as well as demonstrating the benefits of soil testing to improve farm decision making.
In delivering this project the Gecko Clan is supporting Landcare Groups and members to increase landholder soil health knowledge to implement soil testing and to act upon the results to improve soil health, productivity and land management decision making.
The Gecko Clan Landcare Network will also establish four demonstration sites to host on-farm workshops that demonstrate:
- Best practice precision mapping soil testing approaches
- How to read the land and pasture to ensure soil tests are reflective of conditions
- Promote soil management informed by the latest research and technology
- Provide direct access to professional soil science industry and State Government, via Agriculture Victoria expertise.
On-farm workshops will be held in Mansfield, Swanpool, Winton and Seymour regions. Keep an eye on the Gecko Clan Upcoming Events page for details.
Gecko Clan Landcare Network is partnering with Soil Science Australia to offer a professional development conference to support ongoing training for agronomists and soil scientists in our region. The conference will be held in early 2023.
In December 2022 Gecko Clan staff met with Abigail Jenkins, Soil Sciences Australia and Peter Fisher, Regional Soils Coordinator from the Victoria Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub to commence planning for the professional development conference.
Advertising and invitations to this conference will be available soon.
Abigail Jenkins (Soil Sciences Australia), Damien Gerrans (Gecko Clan), Brad Costin (Agriculture Victoria), Kerri Robson (EO Gecko Clan), Peter Fisher (Vic Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub) and Jim Shovelton (Meridian Agriculture).
Support beyond our region
Jim Shovelton presenting at the Carbon Farming Conference in Beechworth.
In addition to supporting workshop in the adjoining Landcare regions of Up2Us Landcare Alliance Mansfield and South-West Goulburn Landcare Network, the Gecko Clan supported the Carbon Farming Conference hosted by the North-East Catchment Management Authority. The Gecko Clan Landcare Network was a sponsor to the conference held in Beechworth on 28 February 2023. Jim Shovelton (Meridian Agriculture and project extension service provider) spoke on ‘What's holding you back - Soil extension for soil health and productivity in North-East Victoria’ and ‘Precision nutrient mapping for dryland agriculture in North-East Victoria’ projects.
Jim Shovelton (Meridian Agriculture), Kerri Robson (Gecko Clan Executive Officer), Brad Costin (Agriculture Victoria and conference MC), Claire Birch (Gecko Clan Landcare Facilitator) and Kerstie Lee (GBCMA Regional Agriculture Landcare Facilitator) attending the Carbon Farming Conference in Beechworth – February 2023
For any information about this project contact Gecko Clan Project Officer Damien Gerrans at email: [email protected]
For upcoming workshops and events keep an eye on https://www.geckoclan.com.au/events/
This project is funded by the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program - Smart Farms Small Grants - Soil Extension Activities
