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Soil life management - PROfarm course


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Course details

Name: Soil life management
Description: This two-day practical workshop gives an introductory understanding on how soil organisms contribute to soil fertility, resilience and stability, what landholders can do to stimulate their benefits especially to increase soil carbon in organic matter and how these organisms and their benefits can be monitored easily on-farm.
Cost: $580, includes GST
Course aims:

To provide information about:

  1. types and benefits of soil organisms
  2. how to use land management practices to change the impact of soil organisms on soil fertility, resilience and stability
  3. methods to measure and monitor changes in soil organisms and their effects on soil fertility, resilience and stability
Learning outcomes:
  1. Identify soil organisms
  2. List benefits of soil orgnisms to soil fertility, resilience and stability
  3. Measure and monitor soil organisms, their presence and effects of soil using simple on-farm methods
  4. Identify land management practices which enhance activities of beneficial soil organisms and reduce impact of undesirable soil organisms
Length: 2 days
Course program/structure:
  • Initial expectation - introductory session
  • Four powerpoint presentations to cover information about the four topics in the outcomes above
  • Interspersed with group based practical exercises to 1. Identify soil organisms; includes microscopic examination of soil and 2. Measure soil organisms and monitor their effects on soil; includes how to collect suitable soil samples, record information, interpret results
  • Two discussion sessions to clarify issues about land management practices which affect soil organisms and enchance their beneficial activities
  • Four short group quizzes after each main topic session
  • Final evaluation session
Resources and method of delivery: Participants receive a course manual.

This course is delivered using a mix of indoor and outdoor instruction.
Accreditation: This course is mapped to the following national unit of competency, AHCLPW405A - Monitor biodiversity.

Testimonials

This course made me even more aware of how critical it is to manage the critters under the ground. More awareness makes it easier.

Importance of organic matter really hit me. The healthier the soil, the more disease resistance.
- Course participants, Tooraweenah.

 

It was fantastic learning these soil testing techniques we can do at home at very little cost. Lots about how to manage and improve.
- Course participant, Dubbo.