Gulf Savannah NRM’s first Orchard Resilience field day drew growers, industry and researchers to JB Citrus at Dimbulah on 11 August, for a hands-on look at the living side of soil.
The day, part of the Tropical Roots Grower Program, was facilitated by Will Higham of Farmacist and headlined by guest speaker Marco Giorgio Rego, Head Agronomist with Nutri-Tech Solutions. Marco framed healthy soil as a balance of three things working together — biology, chemistry and structure.
“You can’t just pour on inputs and expect a healthy soil,” Marco said. “If one of those three legs is missing, the whole thing falls over.”
The morning explored how soil biology underpins everything from nutrient availability to pest suppression and a tree’s ability to handle tough weather. Marco encouraged growers to think beyond feeding the plant, to feeding the soil that feeds it.
“Ninety-five per cent of the nitrogen in your soil is locked up in organic matter,” he said. “It’s the biology that unlocks it. Look after your microbes, and they’ll do a lot of the work for you.”
After lunch the group headed into the orchard for a practical soil health assessment, digging, testing and measuring the soil’s structure and biology first-hand — including a live microBIOMETER reading of the microbial life in host grower Janus Boonzaaier’s soil.
“It was fantastic to see growers down in the dirt, testing their assumptions and learning from one another,” said Janani Gedara, Agriculture Projects Officer at Gulf Savannah NRM.
Thanks to Marco, Will, and to Janus Boonzaaier for hosting a genuinely engaging day.
The Orchard Resilience Project is delivered by Gulf Savannah NRM in partnership with Soils for Life, supported by the Australian Government through the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program under the Natural Heritage Trust.