2026 Gippsland Spring Field Day
Description
2026 GIPPSLAND SPRING FIELD DAY
"FROM THE GROUND UP"
What’s happening in your paddocks? What can you do to grow more feed, build stronger pastures, manage soils and make better decisions for your farm?
The Gippsland Spring Field Day is bringing together farmers, agronomists, researchers and industry specialists for a practical day of paddock-based learning, real-world insights and plenty of opportunity to ask questions and compare notes.
And there’s a lot to see.
11 practical sessions. One big day of learning.
From soil acidity and soil biology to pasture persistence, feed quality, animal health and breeding structure, the program has something for every Gippsland grazing business.
🌱 Pastures 365 – Green Grass All Year Round
See the new pasture trial and explore which perennial pasture options could deliver more reliable feed across the seasons.
🌾 Right Plant, Right Paddock
Get practical advice on matching pasture species to your soil and farming system for better establishment and persistence.
🧪 Cracking the Code – Soil Acidity
Take a look at long-term lime trials and explore practical strategies for lifting soil pH and getting more value from your lime investment.
🔬 Beneath Your Boots – Soil Health & Biology
Get hands-on with soil testing and learn how nutrient interactions and biological indicators can help inform paddock decisions.
🐄 Built to Last – Heifer & Bull Structure
Learn what to look for when assessing breeding stock and how structural decisions can influence the long-term performance of your herd.
🌾 Feed for Thought – Quality Feed Testing
See a live comparison of silage samples and learn how better feed information can support smarter feeding and business decisions.
🌿 Taking Back the Paddock – African Lovegrass
Explore practical control options and hear about the latest work tackling one of East Gippsland’s persistent weed challenges.
🌱 Best of Both Worlds – Grain & Graze
Explore how grain and grazing systems can work together to improve whole-farm flexibility and productivity.
🌾 What's in the Ground – Cereal Variety Trial Update
Get an update on the wheat and barley variety trials underway at the Research Farm.
💉 Planning Ahead – Animal Health Calendars
Take a practical look at proactive animal health planning and how better timing can support productivity and animal welfare.
🎓 Growing Your Future – Pathways into Agriculture
For anyone considering a career in agriculture, discover the training, employment and industry pathways available across Gippsland.
Choose your own program
Sessions run throughout the day, with presentations repeated across different time slots so you can build your own field day program around the topics that matter most to your farm.
Each session includes a 20-minute presentation, 20 minutes of questions and discussion, and time to move between locations.
There will also be plenty of opportunity over lunch to catch up with other farmers, talk with presenters and explore what’s happening across the Research Farm.
Session` | Option 1 | Option 2 | Option 3 | Option 4`` | Option 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Session 1 9:00 – 10:00am | Feed for Thought: Quality Feed Decision Making Fiona Baker & Peter Ronalds | Best of Both Worlds: Grain & Graze Rhys Cotton-Starkey | Cracking the Code: Soil Acidity Lisa Miller & Nicole Frost | Planning Ahead: Animal Health Calendars Billy Marshall & Ben Bloomfield | Built to Last: Heifer & Bull Structure Amber Junor, Alister Micallef & Jasmin Maher |
Session 2 10:00 – 11:00am | Pastures 365: Green Grass All Year Round Peter Ronalds & Craig Butler | Beneath Your Boots: Soil Health & Biology Chris Alenson & Trevor Caithness | Right Plant, Right Paddock: Pasture Persistence Casey Willis, Neville Atkins & Hannah Thorson | Taking Back the Paddock: African Lovegrass Michelle Shugg & Andrew Sheridan | Growing Your Future: Pathways into Agriculture TAFE & Dave Gamble |
Session 3 11:00am – 12:00pm | Feed for Thought: Quality Feed Decision Making Fiona Baker & Peter Ronalds | What's in the Ground: Cereal Variety Trial Update Rhys Cotton-Starkey & Casey Willis | Cracking the Code: Soil Acidity Lisa Miller & Nicole Frost | Planning Ahead: Animal Health Calendars Billy Marshall & Ben Bloomfield | Growing Your Future: Pathways into Agriculture TAFE & Dave Gamble |
Lunch 12:00 – 2:00pm | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch |
Session 4 2:00 – 3:00pm | Pastures 365: Green Grass All Year Round Peter Ronalds & Craig Butler | Beneath Your Boots: Soil Health & Biology Chris Alenson & Trevor Caithness | Built to Last: Heifer & Bull Structure Amber Junor, Alister Micallef & Jasmin Maher | Taking Back the Paddock: African Lovegrass Michelle Shugg & Andrew Sheridan | Right Plant, Right Paddock: Pasture Persistence Casey Willis, Neville Atkins & Hannah Thorson |
Session 5 3:00 – 4:00pm | Feed for Thought: Quality Feed Decision Making Fiona Baker & Peter Ronalds | Best of Both Worlds: Grain & Graze Rhys Cotton-Starkey | Planning Ahead: Animal Health Calendars Billy Marshall & Ben Bloomfield | Built to Last: Heifer & Bull Structure Amber Junor, Alister Micallef & Jasmin Maher | Right Plant, Right Paddock: Pasture Persistence Casey Willis, Neville Atkins & Hannah Thorson |
Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity

