Project Background
| Project Name | Soil Health Project- Central |
|---|---|
| Project Owner | Sugar Research Australia |
| Project Partners | Department of Agriculture (National Landcare Program), Queensland Government, Farmacist Pty Ltd, Plane Creek Productivity Services Ltd, Sugar Services Proserpine, Central Queensland Soil Health Systems, Wilmar Sugar, Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, USQ, UQ |
| Project Contact |
Phil Ross
Rob Sluggett |
| Project Investors | Department of Agriculture (National Landcare Program), Queensland Government, Farmacist Pty Ltd, Plane Creek Productivity Services Ltd, Sugar Services Proserpine, Central Queensland Soil Health Systems, Wilmar Sugar, Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, USQ, UQ |
| Project Summary | This project is an industry partnership of the Central cane growing region of Queensland. Over two years, ten paired sites will be established across three mill areas to determine the soil health, root health and business impact of transitioning to an Improved Farming System (IFS). Long-term IFS sites, of at least ten years, will be matched with near-by sites using traditional farming practices. Physical, chemical and biological soil parameters will be measured, along with root development testing, to determine variation between the sites within each pair and therefore the long-term impact of implementing IFS practices. This work will assist the industry to determine the best set of soil health indicators for this region. Importantly, the economic implications of transitioning to IFS will be investigated and communicated. Each paired site will be supported by a local group of growers and service providers who will come together at key points in the project to discuss and debate different approaches to IFS strategies and support one another in investigating options for their own farming business. The project will conduct topic specific field days as determined by these groups. SRA’s Soil Health Extension Toolkit will be validated in the field throughout the two-year project. Local service providers will be trained in the use of the toolkit and will assist to validate soil measurement parameters for the Central region. These partners will take the toolkit into the field, working alongside growers, to test its success as an easy method for identifying potential soil/production constraints. This project builds on the success of SRA’s Project “Measuring soil health, setting benchmarks and supporting practice change in the Sugar Industry” (2017/005) in the Burdekin and Herbert. To read more about this project visit the Soil Health Toolbox webpage. This Central project is being conducted in parallel with a similar project in the Wet Tropics region (Project 2019/904). |
| Region | Central |
| Project Duration | 1 July 2019 – 31 October 2021 |