Want to improve the health of your soils?

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Healthy soils are the foundation for healthy pastures and, in turn, healthy livestock. But how can you improve the health of your soils?

Landholders in our region will have the opportunity to explore soil health through a series of workshops and hands-on projects.

As part of the ‘Digging Deeper into Watershed Soils’ project, Watershed Landcare are looking for 3 sites in our region to host workshops and conduct on-ground works on their properties focusing on soil health.

The project, which is made possible through funding from Landcare Australia and the Jaramas Foundation, aims to improve landholders knowledge of aspects that influence their soil; including soil chemistry, biology, hydrology, botany as well as local knowledge.

A series of workshops will be held across our region linking with the on-ground activity sites. The workshops will explore soil health further with a focus on:

  • soil health issues within our region;
  • soil biology, soil water and soil acidity;
  • adapting management decisions as a result of understanding the landscape; and
  • improving soil health.

The first workshop in the series, focusing on pasture establishment and management, will feature Robert Freebairn and will be held later this month.

The remaining workshops will be tailored to the individual project sites, giving the participating landholders an opportunity to work with the experts engaged to discuss their proposed on-ground works, determine the best management options and address the issues at the project site.

Participating landholders will also receive a free soil test.

Watershed Landcare is seeking expressions of interest (EOI) from interested landholders to host workshops on their property and receive funding to assist with on-ground works to improve soil health on the land they manage.

On-ground works eligible for funding include erosion control work, works to improve hydrology, compost or compost tea applications, pasture cropping, increasing nitrogen-fixing plant composition of pasture or any other innovative and creative ideas that meet the project objectives.

Individual landholders will be able to apply for up to $750 in funding and will be required to provide a 25% in-kind contribution (labour or materials) to the project.

For further information contact our Coordinator, Claudia Wythes, during business hours on 0412 011 064 or email: claudia.wythes@watershedlandcare.com.au.

This project is supported by Watershed Landcare through funding from Landcare Australia and the Jaramas Foundation and is part of the NSW Government’s Local Landcare Coordinators Initiative, supported through the partnership of Local Land Services and Landcare NSW.

Have you got all the dirt on soil?

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Water is unlikely to be the limiting factor for growth this spring. But have you thought about what’s going on in your soil to get the most out of all the rain we’ve had?

Watershed Landcare are launching a project focusing on soil health as the building block of a landscape system for both production and biodiversity.

The ‘Digging Deeper into Watershed Soils’ project will provide landholders the opportunity to increase their knowledge of the aspects that influence their soil.

The project which is funded by Landcare Australia and the Jaramas Foundation will involve a series of capacity building workshops as well as an on-ground works component.

The workshops will explore topics such as soil chemistry, soil biology, landscape function, the role our soils play, understanding results of soil tests and how management decisions may be adapted depending on the results.

Assessing soil biology health in a laboratory, has proved hard to measure in a meaningful way for farmers. Instead the workshops will demonstrate practical soil testing and monitoring skills for assessing soil biology health in the paddock.

Watershed Landcare will be looking for 3 sites in our region to host the workshops.

Landholders will have the opportunity to work with the experts engaged for the workshops to determine management options and discuss any issues they may have on their properties.

Have you got a soil health topic you would like to explore further, would like to host a workshop or have an idea for a project to improve soil health on your patch?

Contact Caludia Wythes, Watershed Landcare Co-ordinator, for more information on 0412 011 064 or claudia.wythes@watertshedlandcare.com.au.