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In this episode of Talkin’ After Hours Jo & Kate chatted to molecular biologist, Dr David Johnson & his wife Hui-Chun Su Johnson about David’s research and development of an agricultural management method called BEAM (Biologically Enhanced Agricultural Management) and the now renowned composting system he devised with Hui-Chun called the Johnson-Su Compost Bioreactor. This composting process produces biologically diverse, fungal-dominated compost for helping to improve soil health & consequential associated benefits.

In this episode of Talkin’ After Hours Jo & Kate tapped into Dr Judi Earl’s PhD on Pasture Ecology to talk grass, and also how land managers can enhance the condition and productivity of their land through improved ecosystem function, and more effective utilisation of their pasture.

In this Talkin' After Hours Podcast, Jo & Kate chat to agroecologist David Hardwick from Soil Land Food. The topic for this episode is something of a conundrum for this neck of the woods... that is, how do we go about transitioning from a primarily annual & low diversity pasture system to a multispecies & perennial system in a Mediterranean climate...and why we should consider doing it?

When done right, carbon projects boost a farm’s bottom line and increase the productivity of the land. The key is carefully integrating carbon farming projects within an existing production system, but navigating the process can be confusing. In this episode Jo & Kate talk to Carbon Farming Foundation (CFF) Founder & CEO Lachy Ritchie about the Carbon Farming landscape in Australia and how CFF’s Do-It-Yourself model works.

In this Talkin’ After Hours Podcast Jo and Kate talk to Mark Tupman from Productive Ecology.  For over two decades Mark has been active in the fields of organic/biodynamic production, permaculture, sustainability, agro-ecology and holistic management and in between times managed an orchard, animals and food gardens on his own property. Recently Mark has been working with the LCDC as a project consultant on a couple of Lower Blackwood projects - Regenerative Agriculture in Practice & Pasture Biodiversity to Build Soil Health & Resilience Today's conversation is going to zero in on what some say is possibly the single most important thing you can do to set seeds up for germination and early growth success – that is coating seeds with biostimulants prior to seeding them in the paddock. With a lot of farmers now planning their autumn seeding it’s a pretty timely topic!

In this episode, Kate and Jo talk to beef farmer, cropper & seed grower Grant Sims from Down Under Covers. Grant Sims is a sixth-generation farmer running the family farm with his wife Naomi and 4 children in Northcentral Victoria Australia. The farm is 8500 acres of dryland and some irrigation. When Grant took over the farm full time he started looking at ways to improve the life and function of the soil through biology. One of the key tools that Grant has been using to do that is companion and cover cropping, and over time has seen many positive changes in the health or their soils and plants. Grant has generously been sharing his knowledge and experience with farmers on the East Coast, and, although the climate in Northcentral Victoria is a little different to ours in the South west of western Australia, there are many practical lessons that can be learnt from Grant on using multispecies mixes on pasture to improve soil health. Our conversation with Grant delves into the practical nitty gritty of planning, seeding & establishing a multispecies & perennial pasture.

In this episode of Talkin' After Hours, Jo & Kate talk to Rowan Reid from Bambra Agroforestry Farms. Rowan is the Managing Director of the Australian Agroforestry Foundation and co-founder of one of Australia's largest and most successful Landcare groups, the Otway Agroforestry Network. Their conversation with Rowan dives into the world of agroforestry & the  topic of 'trees in farm for a purpose'  - the what, why & how!

Dick Richardson is an internationally recognised leader in the practice of natural grazing to improve soil depth and health, water retention, increased biodiversity and animal production. In this podcast episode Jo & Kate talk to Dick about his method of grazing to regenerate soils, 'Grazing Naturally', - how it works & why Dr Christine Jones recommends it.

Neils Olsen is the inventor of the Soilkee Pasture Renovator, and together with Corporate Carbon was issued the first soil carbon credits under the Australian Government's Emissions Reduction Fund in March 2019. In just six years, Niels used his invention, in combination with multispecies cover cropping, to lift soil organic matter levels from 2% to 10% on his beef property in Gippsland, Victoria. In this episode Jo & Kate talk with Niels about his experiences in using cover cropping to improve the health of his soils, pasture and consequently his livestock and his profitability over the past 6 years.

In this episode Jo & Kate talk to internationally renowned and highly respected groundcover and soils ecologist Dr Christine Jones about biodiversity on the farm, why it’s important and how it can impact on soil health.

In this episode Jo & Kate talk to revegetation expert Brook Devine from Cape Life, on how to successfully revegetate areas of your farm & farm waterways.

In this episode Jo and Kate welcome Iszaac Webb from the Undalup Association, a not-for-profit organisation that supports the growth & diversity of Aboriginal & non-Aboriginal communities. Zac, as he likes to be known, is a Wadandi-Pibulmun cultural custodian of the Noongar nation. Zac’s family have lived continuously on this land (the south west of WA) for generations and have passed onto Zac the wealth of knowledge of his people’s culture, including their language.   In this conversation, Zac will be sharing his own story and that of the Wadandi-Pibulmun peoples’ story of country.

In this episode, Joh and Kate talk to South Australian viticulturalist and 2019 Nuffield Scholar Richard Leask.  With support from Wine Australia, Richard travelled across Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, France, Canada, Kenya, Zimbabwe, South Africa, New Zealand and the US, meeting with regenerative agriculture farmers and leading soil researchers to identify practices that would be applicable in Australian wine grape production systems.  As a result of his travels, Richard concluded that if Australia’s wine industry is to remain resilient in the face of growing climatic and environmental pressures, producers need to be more regenerative in their management practices to maintain soil health and ecosystem diversity.

In this episode, Jo and Kate are joined by Dave Rogers from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.  Dave comes from a farming background and has a real passion for helping develop agricultural systems that are as productive as possible while minimising offsite impacts.  Dave believes that “getting soils right” is one of the few areas where you can have massive positive impacts on the productivity and profitability of the farm while improving environmental outcomes.  In this conversation Dave chats with Jo and Kate about soil testing – the what, the whys and the hows!

In this episode, Jo and Kate are joined by world leading sustainable agriculture educator Graeme Sait, the CEO and co-founder of Nutri-Tech Solutions (NTS).  He is also an author, responsible for over 300 published articles and a popular book, “Nutrition Rules!”. He also created the internationally acclaimed, ‘NTS Certificate in Nutrition Farming®. This course has now extended the understanding of over 40,000 farmers, on four continents.  Graeme is passionate in sharing his knowledge and experience to help farmers in building resilient and healthy farms without sacrificing profitability.   In this conversation, Graeme chats with Kate and Jo about the hot topic of cover cropping – the what, the why & the how.

In this episode, Jo and Kate are joined by Mark Tupman from Productive Ecology.  For over two decades Mark has been active in the fields of organic/biodynamic production, permaculture, sustainability, agro-ecology and holistic management and in between times managed an orchard, animals and food gardens on his own property.  In this conversation, Mark shares some of his extensive knowledge on the interplay between the soil environment, soil biology and nutrient availability.  

In this episode, Jo and Kate are joined by Michelle McManus from Southampton Homestead in Balingup.   Michelle, together with her husband Jeff Pow, run WA’s first pasture-raised poultry farm.  Michelle and Jeff manage their poultry as part of a planned grazing program, following a small herd of cows and moved every day onto fresh, biodiverse and mostly perennial pasture.   The birds are harvested by hand in their on-farm poultry micro-abattoir.  In this conversation, Jo and Kate take a closer look at the ins and outs of direct marketing farm produce. 

In this episode, Jo and Kate are joined by agroecologist & partner in the rural change management company Soil Land Food, David Hardwick. With over 20 years’ experience in rural landscapes, farming and food systems, David & his company have developed and delivered many extension projects that focus on providing farmers with the knowledge & skills they need to move towards a more regenerative, ecological future. In this conversation, Jo and Kate take a closer look into the topic of landscape function and the key elements to consider when planning a regenerative farming enterprise. 

In this episode, Jo and Kate are joined by local South West viticulturalist & regenerative agriculture management specialist Matt Dermody. Matt began working in the vineyards from the age of 17 & over the last 20 years Matt has amassed a wealth of knowledge and skills through work & travel in the viticulture business, also completing a Bachelor in Agribusiness along the way. More recently Matt has developed a strong passion to focus on studying and implementing regenerative agricultural methods. In this conversation, Jo and Kate delve into Matt's extensive experience in planning for biodiversity in a farming operation.

In this episode, Jo and Kate are joined by internationally renowned agro-ecologist, educator & systems thinker Nicole Masters. Nicole has spent over 20 years working throughout Australasia & North America, coaching, consulting & advising producers on the approaches, tools & thinking required to build soil & ecosystem health, food quality & profitability. Nicole has recently added ‘author’ to her list of accomplishments, publishing her first book “For the Love of Soil” last year.  In this conversation Jo, Kate and Nicole chat all things soil compaction.