Farmers from across the New England area will convene next Wednesday to learn how regenerative agriculture methods can help their properties capture rainfall and turn it into profits.
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The ‘Fundamentals of Soils’ field day on 26 September is sponsored by Gwymac Landcare and hosted at the Danthonia Bruderhof community, Elsmore NSW.
The community has spent 15 years moving from conventional farming methods to a regenerative farming approach that residents say is proving invaluable in increasing land productivity and mitigating the impacts of drought.
“A field day is a great opportunity to bring farmers and scientists together to learn from each other,” Danthonia’s land manager Johannes Meier said.
Attendees will hear internationally renowned ecologist Dr Christine Jones and innovative researcher Terry McCosker explain how to implement regenerative land management techniques that enhance biodiversity, increase biological activity, sequester carbon, activate soil nutrient cycles, restore water balance, improve productivity and create new topsoil.
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“We’re especially excited to welcome Dr Christine Jones and Terry McCosker, both of whom are highly respected for their ecological expertise and knowledge of soil health,” Mr Meier said.
“At Danthonia, we’ve seen in a relatively short space of time what an effective tool regenerative agriculture is in terms of drought management and overall farm productivity, and we’re happy to share what we’ve learned with the local farming community.”
Mr Meier, will discuss Danthonia’s land management program, including regenerative practice and profitability, and facilitate a tour of projects on the property.
“As a faith-based community, working with nature and the laws that govern it is an important part of how we choose to live,” Mr Meier said.
“It’s our job to be good stewards of the earth and to pass it on to the next generation in better shape than we found it.”
The cost to attend the field day is $50 per person, and includes lunch, as well as morning and afternoon tea.
Attendees will also receive a free copy of Water at the Roots, a book of poems and insights by Philip Britts, a Cambridge-educated agronomist whose visionary farming methods helped the Bruderhof communities overcome harsh climactic conditions in South America, in the 1940s.
To register for the field day, contact Gwymac Landcare on 6721 1241 or anya@gwymaclandcare.net.au.
The Bruderhof is an international Christian community movement that established the Danthonia Bruderhof community in 1999. Today Danthonia is home to over 200 people, and the community resembles a small village set on a sizeable farming property on which Danthonia runs beef cattle.
