Modern farmers can ‘dig’ the dirt

FAR Northern farmers are taking a deeper look into their soil in an effort to boost productivity and sustainability.

Twenty-six landholders have converged on a farm at Millaa Millaa and met in Ingham to hear from agroecologist and soil fertility specialist David Hardwick.

It was the first of six sessions as part of the ‘Digging Deeper Plus’ program, which will be held over the next six months, with the key message being “good soil structure is the most important thing”.

Mr Hardwick said the goal was to help farmers build on their soil management skills in a way that helped at each individual property.

Rowan Shee of Terrain NRM said the program would help farmers improve their soil’s carbon, organic matter and nutrient levels to manage their land for the longer term.

“It doesn’t matter whether you’re conventional, organic or biodynamic – you need good soil structure no matter what type of soil it is,’’ he said.

“But the chemical, structural and biological parts of your soil’s health are all important and it’s about getting the balance right.”

Longtime beef cattle producer Bruce Carcary, whose Millaa Millaa farm was the venue for the first session, said landholders were looking to “farm smarter”.

“We’re lucky enough to have very good red volcanic soil here but there are always ways to do things better, to farm smarter and improve our bottom line,’’ he said.

East Palmerston grazier Stuart Loudon said he had been trialling things like fish mulch, worm juice and foliar sprays on pasture.