TopSoils
About TopSoils
TopSoils #3
Far East Victoria Landcare is rolling out TopSoils #3. The project has two components: the FEVL facilitator, who concentrates on farmer groups with farmer-led projects, and the Sustainable Agriculture Facilitator, who works on a complementary project. Project partners include Southern Farming Systems and Gippsland Agriculture Group, with advice from Agriculture Victoria and East Gippsland Landcare Network.
If interested in participating in the project, please get in touch with Josh Puglisi on 0419 317 509
Top Soils is a multi-partner East Gippsland region project focused on improving soil conditions for farm profitability through farmer-driven focus groups and research sites. The aim of the project is to encourage and support change towards best practices in soil health.
Top Soils 1 was developed in 2013 as a 5-year project and was highly successful, enabling Top Soils 2 (1 July 2018 to 30 June 2023) to continue the project’s good work. The need for the project was determined through the Australian Bureau of Statistics data that showed that sustainable land management practices were not widely adopted in the East Gippsland region.
The first few years saw partner agencies gather soil and plant data across well over 100,000 hectares in East Gippsland to benchmark (then) current soil condition, soil fertility and farming practices. Top Soils 2 will see some of these sites retested to determine change over the ten years of the project.
Following the collation of soil and plant data was the establishment of 5 farmer-driven focus groups, each group based in a separate geographical area across the region; Plains, Foothills, High Country, Far East and Deddick/Bendoc. There was also the development of a number of research and demonstration sites investigating the effects of nutrients and strategic grazing on weed loads in native pasture systems, the effects of nutrients and rotational grazing on weed loads in improved pasture systems and soil requirements, including micro and macro nutrients.
There are multiple resources available on the Soil Science Australia Website - press button to the website
Resources
What is IPM?
Fodder is NOT all the Same
IPM Strategy - Genoa
IPM Strategy - Orbost
Past Events
Time: 9 am to 4.30 pm
Location: Perry Bridge, Gippsland Vic
Friday 21st March 2025
A Soil Health Day with David Hardwick
Join us for a transformative day dedicated to enhancing soil health and boosting farm profitability. Our Biological Farming Roundtable events travel across Australia, bringing together experts and farmers to explore cutting-edge practices that regenerate the land and maximise yields.
Time: 9am to 2pm
Location: Landcare Expo at the Orbost Show - Newmerella Showgrounds
Monday 10th March 2025
The world of composting - looking at different sources of compost to increase soil fertility
Hannah Malooney from Gardening Australia will talk about all things composting. Sources of compost, how compost can increase fertility and soil resilience, etc
Bugs in and above the soil with IPM technologies
IPM technologies will discuss the importance of bugs in and above the soil. Who and what are beneficial or pests? You will come out of the workshop with a IPM strategy.
Tuesday 29th & 30th April 2025
Venue: Genoa Hall and Orbost Football Club
Acknowledgements
The Top Soils program is supported by the East Gippsland Catchment Management Authority through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program. Project partners include, Southern Farming Systems, Agriculture Victoria, East Gippsland Landcare Network, Far East Victoria Landcare and Snowy River Interstate Landcare Committee.
