HARCOURT ORGANIC FARMING CO-OP PRESENTS:
Fundamentals of Soil
Online Masterclass - Sunday 23 August 2020 11:00 am AEST
Imagine ... it's possible to heal our agricultural soils.
What would that look like? What ecological processes would we need to activate? What practices would be required? Where would we start and how would we know we were making progress?
In this 90 minute online Masterclass, guest presenter Dr Christine Jones will explain what soil needs in order to thrive, have high water-holding capacity and support highly nutritious crops and pastures.
Research has shown that plants, animals and soils function at their best when living in symbiotic relationships with a wide diversity of microbes from many different functional groups. For this reason, our vineyards, orchards, vegetable gardens, crops and pastures are much more productive - and have fewer pests and diseases - when growing in biodiverse soil.
The key question is, how do we create microbially rich environments around plant roots, as well as within plant leaves, stems, flowers, fruits and seeds?
Furthermore, how do we build on these relationships from year to year, creating transgenerational improvements in plant productivity, rather than the downward spiral frequently observed in many of today’s agricultural soils?
During this presentation Christine will explain the symbiotic relationships and feedback loops that enable the performance of crops and pastures to be markedly enhanced when plant diversity and biostimulants are used in place of synthetic fertiliser.
She will also explain how the interactions between plants and microbes enable organic nitrogen and organic carbon to build rapidly in healthy soils.
Who will benefit from this workshop?
The Fundamentals of Soil is the perfect starting place for those beginning their exciting journey into regen ag. There are some simple steps you can take to activate the life in your soil and stimulate plant growth.
There will also be new insights for those already well down the track. For example, an explanation of how quorum sensing switches on the nif genes that code for nitrogenase and facilitate N-fixing in the absence of legumes.
Or you might simply be curious about how plants extract genetic material from the soil microbiome to help fight pests and diseases and tolerate stresses such as frost, drought and salinity.
This on-line masterclass will consist of a 45-minute presentation followed by 45 minutes of Q&A. Christine will answer all of the questions submitted during this webinar (though if we run out of time the answers to some questions will be provided afterwards in writing).
By the end of this webinar you will:
* Have a deeper understanding of how soil functions
* Understand how to activate key ecological processes
* Know where to start and how to track your progress in repairing your soil
* Be armed with simple and effective practices for establishing thriving species-rich plant communities
* Know how to stop the never-ending fight against weeds.
About Dr. Christine Jones
Our guest presenter Dr. Christine Jones has a PhD in soil biochemistry and has gained international recognition as a speaker, presenting at workshops, field days, seminars and conferences throughout Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Western Europe, Central America, the United States and Canada.
In her long career Christine has published more than 50 scientific papers on soil science, most recently "Quorum sensing in the soil microbiome" at the No-Till-on-the-Plains Winter Conference in Wichita, Kansas (USA) in 2019.
She has a wealth of experience working with innovative landholders to implement regenerative land management practices. Christine is a member of Arizona State University’s ‘Carbon Nation Team’ and sits on the advisory board of ‘The Carbon Underground’.
When you sign up you'll receive:
* A ticket to the exclusive live presentation
* The chance to ask your questions and have them answered by Christine
After the webinar you'll receive access to the following:
* An online recording of the webinar (with no expiry date)
* A PDF of the presentation (for your own use only, not to be shared or replicated without permission)
* A PDF of Christine's answers to all questions that were not able to be answered during the webinar
PLEASE NOTE: This is a LIVE, ONLINE class. You'll be able to ask questions during and after the presentation.
Hugh and Katie Finlay
Founding members Harcourt Organic Farming Co-op
Dr. Christine Jones
Founder, Amazing Carbon
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