Healthy soil is the backbone of sustainable, productive and profitable farming. Developing effective, efficient, long-term techniques to improve soil health is essential to sustainable agriculture. Improved soil heath leads to better production performance and better financial returns.

A new soil health group has been set up in south west Victoria.

The statement of purpose for the Soil Health Group is;

• To demonstrate the effects of the pasture treatments through monitoring soil, pastures and grazing days on three demonstration farms.
• To create awareness, understanding and further improve skills of farmers in soils and soil management through events, such as field days, so that they will be farming sustainably for the future.
• To communicate and create awareness of soil health to the wider audience through the media, journal articles, newsletters and the website.

See our regional soil test map HERE.

Membership is $40 per family. To become a member of the group, download our membership form HERE.

The current drought and the possibility of climate change, highlights that farmers need to be flexible and adaptive.  With the increased prices of fertiliser and its reduced availability, farmers need to consider options and alternatives to improving soils and pasture production. To make informed decisions, farmers need to be able to measure and understand their soil tests and the different management options available.
The objectives of this project are;

• To improve soil structure, acidity and sustainable soil productivity in the Sth Grampians region
• To improve sustainable agriculture and profitability of farmers in the Sth Grampians region,
• To encourage greater understanding and adoption of innovative  and alternative techniques to improving soils,
• To create awareness, understanding and further improve skills of farmers in soils and soil management so that they will be farming sustainably for the future.

The objectives of this project will be achieved by encouraging farmer leaders in the community to establish demonstration areas for showing best management practices such as improving soils through increasing soil organic matter and worms. It will also demonstrate how to improve soil structure with better pasture management.