What’s the course about?

Collaborating with farmers to use tools and design strategies to effectively analyse which operational decisions will have the greatest leverage for their specific farm context. Aimed at improving soils, productivity and farm ecological resilience.

Fostering ongoing peer group learning and building local networks of like-minded farmers.

This course is tailored specifically to the Corangamite region and course attendants' properties. Using local case studies and working with real time data collected from 8 of the farming business course participants.

Dates: Day 1:July 14th 2025, Day 2: August 28th 2025, Day 3: Post spring TBC by course participants

Famers have asked us:

What management practice will give me the greatest leverage for improving my farming system? Is it fertilizer? Is it grazing management? Is it multispecies pastures? Is it soil biology? Is it something else? Which one should I focus on first for my specific farming system? And how can I implement the right practices for me?

This course is a tailored response to these questions in our region.

Becoming the detective of your farming system:

In this course we are building a picture of the farm system through applying observation, testing and monitoring results from 8 of the participating farm businesses to the ROOTSS Compass; A diagnostic tool to identify the key constraints in your system and navigate management strategies that will be the most effective to move your system forward. Improving productivity and on farm ecological health.

Topics covered:

Improving soil health
Identifying the key constraints in your farm productivity and ecological health
Building soil carbon
Multispecies cover cropping & plant establishment
Grazing management
Soil biology
Chemical fertilizer cost saving and blended options
Long term monitoring of farm health - setting up transects
In field visual soil health assesments
Soil, plant tissue and microbiology testing & interpretation
Revegetation & agroforestry strategies

Course collaborators:

Jade Killoran - Healthy Farming Systems. B. Ag Science (Honors-First Class)

Jade is an independent multispecies forage/cover crop consultant and researcher, working in Victorian grazing systems. Jade founded ‘Healthy Farming Systems’ in 2020 and aims to help farmers trial, adopt, and manage multispecies cover crops on-farm. She has worked as an agronomist with AGF seeds as well as Southern Farming Systems looking at nitrogen use efficiency. She is the 2022 Victorian LeadHER delegate and the 2015 Youth Ag Summit Delegate.
Tony Evans - Soil Health Consultant

Tony is a soil health consultant with a plethora of experience in the Agricultural sector as a dairy farmer, researcher and business entrepreneur. Tony has been involved in research throughout the Corangamite region supporting farmers with knowledge and implementation for improving soil health. He is also the co-founder and director of Camperdown compost.
Kristy Stewart - Farmer, Agricultural educator. B. Ag Science

Kristy is a 5th generation farmer. Currently working in agricultural extension & education as a Landcare project officer and as Sustainable Table’s Industry Development Manager. She is part of the team co-managing her family farm Yan Yan Gurt West (A multi-award winning property) where she runs educational tours on agriculture, agroforestry and landscape connection.

You’ll often find Kristy attending workshops and courses geared towards best practice farming to continually build her knowledge.

With thanks:

The Victorian Carbon Farming Outreach Program is delivered with funding support from the Commonwealth of Australia through the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water under the National Carbon Farming Outreach Program. The Program is delivered through a partnership between Agriculture Victoria, 10 Catchment Management Authorities and Landcare Victoria and other bodies.

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