Are you an aspiring farmer or current land manager looking to deepen your knowledge of soil management? Join Farmer Incubator for a comprehensive 2-day deep dive into soil management with hands-on learning and take your farming expertise to the next level.

This Masterclass is themed "Keeping Your Hands on the Pulse" and presents an opportunity to develop the skills and knowledge required to manage production spaces without losses to land assets or interruptions to cashflow from poor growth. The focus of the training is for those who need to design, evaluate, and change growing systems to respond to varying soil conditions and seasonal variations.

Objectives and outcomes:
- Develop a clear understanding of the 'Vital Functions' of soil and how to gain a grasp on the 'pulse' of soil
- Read soil profiles and identify a soil's needs in a soil pit
- Learn that topsoil is created through carbon flow, rotation and cover crop management
- Understand soil structure and how to manage its development
- Build up and maintain nutrition levels for horticultural crops
- Analyse the correct time to work with biology - for what purpose and what is available?
- Carry out monitoring tests to assess soil health and basic monitoring tools
- Develop (as a class) a soil management plan for the two on-farm case studies
- Discuss how to work with an agronomist

Day 1: Sunday 4th June 10am to 2pm, Bundoora Park Farm
This open consultancy will equip you with the skills to assess soil conditions before starting works, purchasing property or establishing your farm. Learn how to interpret soil test results, conduct practical field tests to assess soil qualities and engage an agronomist effectively. Uncover the implications of these findings for your soil management practices.

Day 2: Sunday 11th June 10am-4pm, Yarra Valley ECOSS
Building upon the knowledge gained on Day One, our field trip to Yarra Valley ECOSS will explore the impact of soil type and context on site management. Gain a deeper understanding of soil management principles as we delve into a real-life case study. Discover how different soil conditions require tailored approaches and refine your skills in developing effective soil management plans.

About the presenter
Ian Mot is an Agronomist M.Ag S (Melb Uni) and is the founder of Vital Soil Services which supplies agricultural services to regenerative, biological and organic growers Australia-wide. Vital Soils offers soil management services including coaching, training, nutritional management/monitoring, biological programs, and property development planning. Discover more about Ian and his expertise at https://vitalsoils.com.au/