Healthy Soils, Healthy & Productive Groves Field Day Program: Darling Downs, QLD

REGISTER BELOW

Sunday 14 March 2021 – aFthonia Farms, 69 Brennan Rd, Hampton (via Toowoomba), 4352, QLD

Field Day Host – Vanessa Dart, owner of aFthonia Farms

PROGRAM

• Arrival from 8.30 am at aFthonia Farms
• Refreshments on arrival
• Commence: 9.00 am

AM Welcome, introductions, grove walk and soil and leaf nutrition surveys:

• 9.00 AM Session 1 (40 min): Introductions: “Setting the scene & defining the problem” – with Greg Seymour (AOA CEO) – Lifting grove productivity and OliveCare® grove best practice checklists.
• 9.40 PM Session 2 (100 min) Grove Walk: “Grove innovations and issues” – Making organic certified compost and considerations for managing an organic olive grove” with Vanessa Dart (aFthonia Farms):
  • aFthonia Farms on-farm biosecurity best practice – with Greg Seymour (AOA CEO) and Vanessa Dart
  • aFthonia Farms grove maintaining a productive tree canopy with Shane Cummins (Long Paddock Olive Rustler) & Vanessa Dart
  • aFthonia Farms grove nutrition organic best practice (Ref session 3) with Peter Briscoe (Boiptiv) & Vanessa Dart
  • aFthonia Farms managing and monitoring soil moisture including, irrigation, inter row management, mulching and the benefits of building soil carbon with John Barton (Charton & Bang, Research & Development) & Vanessa Dart
    • Lessons learned making organic certified compost
    • Use of compost starter cultures
    • Sourcing organic certified compost / ingredients / expertise
    • Organic pest / disease and weed control

11.20 AM Break for refreshments (shed): (20 Minutes)

• 11.40 PM Session 3 (60 Min): Soil and Leaf nutrition sampling and analysis with Peter Briscoe (Boiptiv)
• How to sample grove soils for nutrition analysis – how when where?
• Interpreting soil analysis reports
• How to sample the grove for a leaf analysis– how when where?
• Interpreting leaf analysis reports
• Planning a grove nutrition program including use of soil conditioners

12.40 PM Break for Lunch: 60 Minutes): With exhibitor grove measuring / monitoring equipment

• Soil improvement / composting with John Barton (Charton & Bang, Research & Development)
• Soil / Leaf analysis and grove nutrition with Peter Briscoe (Bioptiv)
• Demonstration of measuring microbial activity in soil with Peter Briscoe (Bioptiv)
• Soil moisture monitoring – TBA
• On-farm weather stations – TBA

PM: Soils, making and using compost, field day evaluation:

• 1.40 PM Session 4 (100 Min): Utilising grove organic waste, making and using compost with John Barton (Charton & Bang, Research & Development)
• 3.20 PM Break for refreshments: (20 Minutes)
• 3.40 PM Session 3 (60 Min): Soils – “Understanding the role of soil carbon, soil water and soil biology” with John Barton (Charton & Bang, Research & Development)
• What is soil carbon and where does it come from
• Soil carbon and soil water
• Collecting more water
• Holding more water
• Giving more water
• Reducing losses
• Economic benefits
• The importance of building soil and tree health for IPDM
• Composting training course and consultancy services
• 4.40 PM – Field day feedback and evaluation (at the shed) (20 Min)
• 5.00 PM Field day concludes followed by refreshments until 6.00 pm

This project has been funded by Hort Innovation, using the Hort Innovation olive research and development levy, co-investment from the Australian Olive Association and contributions from the Australian Government.