Farmers looking to reduce inputs, grow more with less moisture and increase profitability will get access to world-best knowledge at one of Australia’s premier farming conferences next month.

Leading soil researcher and regenerative agriculture advocate Joel Williams will headline the 17th annual Vic No-Till conference in Shepparton on July 18 and 19. 

‘Undercover Downunder’ is the focus of the conference, which will also feature leading farmers including Marrar’s Dan Fox, who won an innovation award at last year’s Kondinin Farmer of the Year awards. 

Other speakers are 2018 Nuffield Scholar Grant Pontifex, whose family farms on the Yorke Peninsula and Kangaroo Island in South Australia; Vic No-Till president and 2015 Coles Weekly Times Farmer of the Year Grant Sims from Pine Grove, Victoria; and Wimmera farmer Tim Rethus, whose family enterprise is well known for its early adoption of farming technology including no-till and controlled traffic farming. 

Dr Ash Martin from Microbiology Laboratories AUS will also speak about applying science to address challenges in farming systems. 

The event will also include a popular rainfall simulator demonstration, which Vic No-Till brought to Australia for the first time in 2017 as a way of showing rain impact and soil infiltration under five different farming systems.

Soil biology, multi-species covers, integrating livestock into cropping systems, strip ‘n’ disc farming, plant nutrition and compost will be among the topics up for discussion.

Mr Williams, known for his practical approach and engaging presentations, will present the latest research on a link between plant root exudates and soil biology and what it means for farming production.

“Research highlights that exudate-microbial interactions can be pre-predicted and pre-programmed by the genetics and hence manipulated for our benefit via plant breeding,” he said.

“We are all aware of the benefits of plant breeding generally, but now being able to link plant breeding to soil microbiomes opens up a whole host of new possibilities in redesigning our production systems.”

Vic No-Till farming group, formed in 2002, is dedicated to helping farmers achieve better results at harvest time while encouraging greater adoption of sustainable and profitable food production systems through reduced tillage and regenerative farming.

With a focus on ‘farmers helping farmers’, Vic No-Till is a point of call for farmers around the world looking to know more about building soil biology and how no-till regenerative farming systems work. For more information and bookings people can call conference organiser Penny Stemp on 0402 216 267 or email penny@
vicnotill.com.au.

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