Independent soil health and plant educator Joel Williams is set to return to Tasmania in early March, to address plant nutrition and soil management.
Soil First Tasmania has joined forces with NutriSoil, a family-owned business from northern Victoria, to bring the international presenter with extensive practical experience to Longford on March 7.
Soil First Tasmania vice president David Roberts-Thompson said the organisation was established in 2016 as a group of like-minded farmers wanting to increase the understanding of healthy soil principles. They coordinate events like Farmer Fridays, allowing knowledge to be learnt and shared from farmer to farmer.
“Joel gathers scientific information from all over the world and synthesises it into knowledge which can be applied to the farm.
“He looks at soils from the biological perspective, and he is passionate about designing farming systems which make sense for the farmer and benefits the environment.
“It is great to have the latest intelligence available for Tasmanian farmers,” Mr Roberts-Thompson said.
Soil First Tasmania brought Joel to Latrobe in 2019 and the response to the event was overwhelmingly positive. The group are excited to have him back with support from NutriSoil and Landcare Tasmania, through donations from the JM Roberts Charitable Trust.
The event will cover the topics of plant immunity (supporting plant health against pests and disease), cover crops, soil organic matter (SOM); including the latest on SOM science, along with a farmer to farmer panel session in the afternoon.
NutriSoil makes and distributes a premium vermiwash produced by composting worms, which is used as a plant biostimulant in agriculture. Its director Nakala Maddock is thrilled to work alongside the Soil First Team to give Tasmanian land managers access to Joel Williams.
She said Joel’s strategy of integrated soil and plant analysis for the basis of managing farm production systems comes from practical experiences across Australia, the UK and Canada, providing farmers with comparable farming models.
Mrs Maddock will present on the role of vermiculture in the next generation of agriculture and said understanding the role of biology in plant and soil health will give farmers a cutting edge for the future of farming.
“I believe we are entering a farming revolution. Customers are starting to demand nutrient-dense food and Joel is passionate about integrated approaches to sustainable food production systems; it’s perfect timing.
“NutriSoil is passionate about the long-term sustainability of farming families, and we welcome opportunities to work with farming groups like Soil First Tasmania to share this knowledge,” she said.
The event will take place at the Riverlands Function Centre on Tuesday March 7 with registration beginning at 9am for a 9.30am start, running through to 4pm and is supported by Landcare Tasmania and The Tasmanian Landcare fund.
Tickets are $100 per person, including morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea. Tickets and further event information is available through Humanitix by searching NutriSoil Special Event, or by contacting NutriSoil directly, phone (02) 6020 9676 email marketing@nutrisoil.com.au or contacting Soil First Tasmania.
