Healthy soils, healthy plants

With a growing focus on sustainable strategies and regenerative farming practices, more and more growers are looking to improve the health of their soils as a base foundation for horticultural health. By investing in soils growers reduce erosion, retain moisture and improve crop health.

The aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Jasper showcased the resilience of farms who had invested in their soils with recovery of those paddocks proving to be faster and more economical. To support growers, QFVG’s Farm Business Resilience Program hosted a workshop late last year to educate the industry around methods to improve soil health and increase farm resilience during extreme climate events such as cyclones and flooding.

Of particular interest was the Gulf Savannah Natural Resource Management (NRM) display of their 6-in-1 Seeder, which is available to farmers to borrow. 

The 6-in-1 Seeder is designed for creating and enhancing pastures. It combines six implements (disc, plough, fertilise, seed, cover, roll) and can perform all six tasks in a single pass. It cuts the furrows, deposits seeds, and covers the seeds, and rolls them into the soil all in one pass. All of the tasks can be performed independently or in any combination.

The 6-in-1 Seeder connects to a standard vehicle tow ball so can be towed by an ATV or a ute instead of a tractor. It minimises soil disturbance by slicing through pasture instead of tilling it, with a cutting depth of 5mm to 30mm depending on soil type.

With a large turnout of passionate farmers, the Plant and Soil Health workshop boasted an excellent line up of speakers and knowledge sharing, highlighting the importance of resilient farming being built on well-maintained soils. Speakers included agronomists, farmers, the Department of Primary Industries, Green Food Australia, James Cook University, MetaGen, and Queensland Fruit & Vegetable Growers.