The AOA is hitting the road again with another series of regional field days, this time focussing on the role and management of healthy soils in producing healthy trees and lifting grove productivity.
Featuring experts across a variety of relevant fields, the Healthy Soils – Healthy and Productive Groves field days will present information on a wide range of topics around soil health – from identifying issues with your soil, to methods for improving and monitoring both soil and tree health.
Presenters
Building on his highly-popular session at the 2019 AOA National Olive Conference, The importance of soil carbon, John Barton’s field day presentation will provide expanded detail on the topic. After delving deep into the role of soil carbon, soil water and soil biology, he’ll then get his hands dirty with a demonstration of compost-making and how to incorporate it into soil.
The Remote Sensing Project team will also build on the information provided at the 2019 Conference, presenting on the application of remote sensing to grove operations, including monitoring tree health. They’ll be updating on the results of horticultural mapping and sensing trials conducted to date, and explain how the methodologies can translate into faster, smarter management of your grove and tree health.
That theory will then be shown in practice, with a panel of specialist service providers demonstrating a range of the latest technologies to monitor, test and measure vital soil parameters and tree health.
Schedule
The Health Soils field days roadshow will visit six regional areas across Australia between late April and mid-August:
VIC – Sunday 19 April: Salute Oliva, Boort
TAS – Sunday 3 May: Lentara Grove, Exeter
QLD – Sunday 12 July: aFthonia Farms, Hampton
WA – Friday 17 July: Cowaramup Creek Farm-Olio Bello, Cowaramup *Andy Gulliver of C-Wise presenting in place of John Barton
NSW – Sunday 9 August: Wollundry Grove, Brucedale
SA: Sunday 16 August: Peninsula Providore Farm-Nangkita Olive Grove, Tooperang
The cost for AOA members and olive levy payers is $40 incl GST; others $50 incl GST.
Full program details and registration for each field day are available here https://olivebiz.com.au/2020-soil-field-days/. Alternatively, contact Liz Bouzoudis via secretariat@australianolives.com.au or 0478 606 145 to register.
COVID-19 considerations
A decision will be made later this week about the 19 April field day in Boort and will be communicated directly to registrants and across AOA channels.
The AOA will continue to monitor the situation in regard to Healthy Soils field days to be held across other states. Should cancellation be necessary, registrants will be notified as early as possible.
