🌾 Compost, Biochar and Soil-Building Field Days

Exceed Expectations 🌾​​​

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Our Compost, Biochar and Soil-Building Field Days, held in late 2025 and October 2026, have been a great success, exceeding our expectations for both attendance and engagement.

 

Despite the events falling during particularly busy periods for the agricultural sector, more than 100 farmers and land managers attended across the two field days, demonstrating strong interest in regenerative agriculture, soil biology and practical approaches to improving soil health. What stood out most was the enthusiasm and genuine engagement of participants. Thoughtful questions, lively discussions and the sharing of practical experiences highlighted a growing appetite for farming practices that improve soil health while supporting long-term productivity and profitability.

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🌱Connecting Soil Science with Practical Farming 

The field days provided an opportunity to explore the role of soil carbon, compost and biochar in building healthier, more resilient agricultural systems. 

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Presentations introduced the science behind these inputs and their place within a broader, holistic approach to soil management. Participants were then taken through the trial site, where we outlined the treatments being investigated, the monitoring and sampling methods being used, and how results will be assessed over the three year project. 

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Importantly, the sessions connected scientific understanding with practical, on farm applications, giving participants an opportunity to consider how these approaches might be incorporated into their own farming operations. 

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A particular highlight of the first field day was the live SoilKee demonstration, which invovled sowing a summer multi species mix. Watching the machinery in action brought together several key concepts, demonstrating how soil biology, soil structure, seed placement and practical implementation can be integrated into a single operation. 

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The demonstration generated considerable interest, with many participants keen to explore the potential of similar approaches within their own farming systems. 

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🌾 Building Resilience from the ground up  

A consistent theme throughout both field days was the importance of looking beyond short term outcomes and investing in the long term health and productivity of our soils.

When soil and the environment thrive, profitability can follow. 

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This message resonated strongly with participants, reinforcing the connection between healthy soils, resilient farming systems and sustainable agricultural businesses.  It was particularly encouraging to see farmers and land managers actively discussing how biological and regenerative practices could help address challenges such as soil degradation, moisture retention, input costs and seasonal variability. 

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🌱 Our Guest Speakers

We were fortunate to welcome an excellent group of speakers across the two events, each contributing valuable expertise and practical insights:

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• Edel Stonner - Limestone Coast Landscape Board

• Phil Giles - Mulbarton Compost

• Craig Altmann - AGF Seeds

• Ben Glass - SoilKee

• Michael Zerk - Agronomist, Mulbarton Compost

• Chris Ellery - Soil Food Web, Millicent 

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Together, our speakers provided a well rounded perspective on soil health, from understanding biological processes and landscape management through to species selection, compost applicaitons and machinery demonstrations. 

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Thier contributions helped bridge the gap between research and real world farming, encouraging valuable conversations about what is achievable in local agricultural systems. 

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🌾 What's Next? 

With two successful field days behind us, our focus now turns to the ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the trial. Over the three year project, we will continue collecting and analysing data to better understand the impacts of compost, biochar and complementary soil building practices on soil health, productivity and resilience. 

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As the trial progresses, we look forward to sharing our findings, demonstrating changes in teh paddock and ontinuing conversations with the farming community. 

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​🌱 Resources and Trial Updates 

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While the full trial results are not yet avilable, we will continue sharing information, presentations and project updates as the research progresses. We encourage you to check back regularly for updates, observations and data collected throughout the three year trial. 

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Presentation available below: 

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Chris Ellery - A Healthy Soil 

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🌱 About the project

Mulbarton Compost, in partnership with the Limestone Coast Landscape Board and through the 2025–27 Limestone Coast Climate-Smart Landscape Grants, will host over three years, Field Day's exploring the power of compost and biochar in improving soil productivity. This trial project demonstrates how targeted soil amendments — such as compost and biochar — combined with multi-species plantings and controlled grazing, can boost soil carbon, improve nutrient and water retention, and strengthen overall soil health.

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🌾 What You’ll See on Field Days 

Experience the trial firsthand across 10 adjacent plots, where a multispecies blend has been sown following a terminal cereal crop. Each plot features varying applications of custom compost and biochar blends — and we’ll be showcasing the SoilKee Renovator, a cutting-edge tool for soil key technique.

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This hands-on project gives local farmers and land managers the chance to:

• Observe real-world results on soil health, carbon levels, and crop performance.

• Learn from scientific soil testing data and on-ground results.

• See how regenerative practices can be applied on land just like yours.

 

By bringing the community together, this initiative aims to share practical insights, encourage collaboration, and inspire the next generation of climate-smart farming across the Limestone Coast.

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Next Field Day Details

Time: 8am-10am
Date: TBA
Location: Mulbarton Compost, 414 Giles Road, Padthaway

BBQ Breakfast provided

Come along, connect with other local farmers, and see how small changes today can grow into big results for tomorrow’s soils.

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This Soil Enhancement for Grazing Project is supported by the Australian Government through funding from the Natural Heritage Trust under the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program and delivered for the Limestone Coast Landscape Board, a member of the Commonwealth Regional Delivery Partners panel by PC & JL Giles Trading as Mulbarton.