Soils For Life

• Diversity is king: How four dairy farmers are building profitability and resilience with multispecies pastures

  Can dairy systems support soil health, productivity and profitability at the same time?In this episode we meet four dairy farmers who are exploring that question. Kate Mirams, Simon Schultz, Sandra Jefford and Chris Eggert share their experiences with introducing diversity into their pastures and farming systems—what motivated them, what they tried, and what they’ve learned so far.We also hear from pasture scientist Anna Thompson with her insights from current research into multispecies pastures, including how they’re performing under real-world conditions and what that might mean for animal health, climate resilience and farm inputs.You’ll hear about:The trial that gave Kate confidence to rethink her approach to nitrogen and massively reduce synthetic nitrogen applications while increasing productionHow Simon is combining pasture diversity with new tillage methods and enterprise stackingWhat Sandra is learning from sap tests, shelterbelt plantings and mixed perennial pasturesWhy Chris first turned to organics, and what he’s observed about soil and plant health sinceAnna’s research into growth, resilience and methane in multispecies swardsWhat farmers are finding when they start measuring BRIXWhether you’re already experimenting or just interested in what others are finding, this episode offers a window into paths being explored in the Australian dairy industry.Resources and links mentioned in this episode:FarmersSimon Schultz - https://schulzorganicdairy.com.au/Chris Eggert - https://oxhillorganics.com.au/Sandra Jefford - https://www.wilandrafarms.com.au/ Soil and regenerative agriculture resourcesKate’s presentation to the Dairy Australia Grounds for Growth Conference in March 2025 on the results of her trialNicole Masters – Cited by Simon Schultz as an influential voice on soil biology. Check out her book For the Love of Soil or Integrity Soils for more resources.Jade Killoran from Healthy Farming Systems – Mentioned by Kate in relation to soil repair trials post-laser grading.Shelterbelt planning with productive and medicinal trees – Sandra’s system of mixed-species planting for shade, fodder and natural worming. Agroforestry or shelterbelt design resources:Agroforestry in Australia: https://www.agroforestry.org.auEverGraze shelterbelt info: https://www.evergraze.com.au/library-content/shelterbelt-design-and-benefits/ Trials and benchmarking toolsVictorian Dairy Farm Monitor Project – Kate Mirams mentions using this to compare pasture consumption and input efficiency. Soil moisture probes – Used to track root depth and water uptake under different pasture mixes.Sap analysis and BRIX meters – Sandra Jefford and Kate Mirams both use these to monitor plant sugars and infer animal nutrition and productivity.This episode was hosted and produced by Susannah Kable from the Grow Love Project, in collaboration with Soils for Life. Head to the Soils for Life website (soilsforlife.org.au) to find out more about our work, and if you like what you hear don’t forget to rate and review our podcast. Every review helps to make our podcast easier for others to find.If you have feedback, or suggestions of people or topics we should cover, you can reach us at [email protected], we love hearing from you. Thanks for listening.

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• Farming for what matters, putting profit and human wellbeing before yield, with Gabe Brown

  In this episode we talk with Gabe Brown, a farmer and educator from North Dakota. Gabe and his family run Brown's Ranch, a 6, 000 acre operation that's become a model for regenerating land.After years of tough seasons and crop failures, Gabe recognized a need to build a farming system that works with nature instead of against it.  Through no till, cover crops, diverse rotations and integrating multi species livestock, he restored soil health, boosted resilience and almost eliminated the need for synthetic inputs. Gabe advocates for ‘profit over yield’ and says that farming with nature is the way to get there.Beyond his own farm, Gabe's helped thousands of farmers transition to regenerative practices through his work with Understanding Ag, the Soil Health Academy, and his book Dirt to Soil.  We hope you enjoy this conversation with Gabe Brown.This episode was hosted by Eli Court and produced by the Grow Love Project. Head to soilsforlife.org.au to find out more about our work, and if you like what you hear don’t forget to rate and review our podcast. Every review helps to make our podcast easier for others to find.If you have feedback, or suggestions of people or topics we should cover, you can reach us at [email protected], we love hearing from you. Thanks for listening.Mentioned in this episode:Gabe’s book ‘Dirt to Soil’Understanding AgRegenifiedThe Soil Health AcademyResearch by Stefan van Vliet. Listen to our podcast episode with Dr van Vliet.

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• Restoring the water cycle on the Monaro, with Charlie Maslin

  Over the years we’ve heard from many farmers about creeks and rivers that are severely eroded, and landscapes that have lost their ability to absorb and store water. In big rain events water runs off and is gone in a matter of days or even hours. We’ve become accustomed to this, but what did those landscapes look and function like 100 years ago, or 200 years ago? Can farmers restore creeks and landscapes to their full potential, holding on to water for longer and utilising better? This episode is a collaborative effort with our friends at Mulloon Institute as part of their Communities of Practice Project. In it, we chat with Charlie Maslin, an amazing land steward raising cattle and sheep on the Monaro in New South Wales. Charlie took us on his journey of landscape repair, which began with a change in grazing practices to improve ground cover, and then moved on to focus on repairing his degraded waterways to rehydrate the landscape and support a thriving and productive agro-ecosystem. We first visited Charlie’s farm in 2021 and the land was alive with water, grass, frogs, birds, insects and platypuses playing in the waterways. The effects of his steady, thoughtful changes to his management approach were crystal clear, and we’re delighted to share his story in this episode. Enjoy. – This episode was hosted by Eli Court and produced by the Grow Love Project. The Communities of Practice Project is jointly funded through the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund, Mulloon Institute and Soils for Life. Head to the Soils for Life website to find out more about our work, and if you like what you hear don’t forget to rate and review our podcast. Every review helps to make our podcast easier for others to find. If you have feedback, or suggestions of people or topics we should cover, you can reach us at [email protected], we love hearing from you. Thanks for listening. You can read our case study about Charlie Maslin’s farm soilsforlife.org.au/gunningrah-shifting-mindset-from-animals-to-the-land/ Find out more about the ‘Communities of Practice Project soilsforlife.org.au/landscape-rehydration/

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  44:01
• Planting with purpose, with Jill Clapperton

  Jill Clapperton is a farmer and applied rhizosphere ecologist. She grows crops with integrated livestock in Kansas in the U.S. and advises farmers the world over.  Talking with Jill was eye opening and fun. We go big talking about gaia theory and the interconnectedness of all life on Earth. But we mostly dive deep into the fascinating ecological communities that plants create above and below the ground. As Jill explains, plants are not passive. They are purposeful masters of their own fates, wielding chemical arsenals and mustering armies of microbes to secure their survival. And if we plant with purpose, we can harness the incredible power of plants to create farming systems that are productive, resilient and great for the soil and our health. This episode was hosted by Eli Court, and produced by Soils for Life and the GrowLove project. Head to the Soils for Life website (www.soilsforlife.org.au) to find out more about our work. If you like what you hear, don't forget to rate and review our podcast. Every review helps to make our podcast easier for others to find. If you have feedback or suggestions of people or topics we should cover, you can reach us at [email protected]. We love hearing from you. Thanks for listening! *** Find out more about Jill Clapperton at www.rhizoterra.com/ Check out the Grounded Festival in Cygnet Tasmania on 4-5 December 2024 - details and tickets via groundedaustralia.com.au/. Other people mentioned in this podcast: - Felice Jacka OAM (foodandmoodcentre.com.au/team/felice-jacka/). - Dan Kittredge (www.bionutrientinstitute.org/meetdan). - An article on ​​Lynn Margulis and James Lovelock, and their development of gaia theory (www.abc.net.au/news/science/2022-08-06/james-lovelock-legacy-gaia-climate-science-lynn-margulis/101297574). - Anna Krzywoszynska, the Finnish researcher at the University of Oulu whose name Jill didn’t dare try to pronounce (www.oulu.fi/en/researchers/anna-krzywoszynska). - Grant Sims, Soils for Life case study farmer (www.downundercovers.com/about), who was recently featured in our Multispecies Cover Cropping Practice Guide (soilsforlife.org.au/practice-guide-multispecies-cropping/).

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  54:13
• Behind the scenes of Goodies Farm, with Penny Goodwin

  Taking the first steps into regenerative agriculture can be intimidating. In this episode of the Soils for Life podcast, Eli Court has a chat with Penny Goodwin from Goodies Farm in Kendenup, WA Goodies Farm grows an incredible variety of crops, with minimal inputs, and is an integral part of the south west WA food system. While things can look nice and shiny on the outside, Penny very generously shares the ups and downs of their journey to become better stewards of the land and the soil. We hope you enjoy this episode!

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