Putting farmers at the centre of industry innovation
As the world’s population grows there is increasing pressure on the agriculture sector to produce safe, high quality food in production systems that are climate smart, transparent and ...
The TNQ Drought Hub recently hosted the National Soils Advocate, the Honourable Penelope Wensley AC for a whirlwind 2-day field trip visiting numerous soils restoration and rehabilitation sites to learn about the soils health work of JCU, NQ Dry Tropics, JCU’s partner Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) and Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF).
Ms Wensley visited an alluvial gully remediation project at DAF’s Spyglass Research Station that has several undergraduate and post-graduate JCU students working on it to gain first-hand experience collecting and translating data into knowledge for improved land management. Several of these students were able to talk directly to and spend time with Ms Wensley where she highlighted the value of the students work within soil health.
The group also visited JCU’s Fletcherview Research Station where the TERN SuperSite project is measuring the exchange of water, carbon and energy between the atmosphere and the Earth’s surface with environmental monitoring sensors. TERN sites aim to provide model ready data that enable researchers to detect and interpret changes in land ecosystems.
Ms Wensley then travelled onto McKinlay, to launch JCU and Southern Gulf NRM’s Resilient Soils and Landscapes Project which is focussed on restoring consistent bare ground and rehabilitating Mitchell Grass downs soils and the surrounding landscapes over many seasons through a range of restoration techniques determined by the unique factors of each site.
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Above image: The group in front of the TERN SuperSite project at Fletcherview Research Station. Images supplied.