Soil CRC Conference wrap-up

We were thrilled to see over 140 Soil CRC participants and stakeholders gather in Launceston, Tasmania, from 29 to 31 August for our 2023 Soil CRC Participants Conference.

Soil CRC staff and participants gathered on day one to take part in productive project team meetings, program workshops and our engaging PhD student workshop.

Day two of the conference was open to the public and started with an insightful Welcome to Country by Tasmanian First Nations man Geoff McLean, who shared a glimpse of local First Nations history.

Farmer, chef and author, Matthew Evans then delivered a captivating keynote address that set the tone for the rest of the conference. He presented a public perspective of soil and spoke about the importance of connecting people to soil, sharing his tips for engaging the public in the stories of soil.

“Soil – we can’t house ourselves without it, we can’t feed ourselves without it, we can’t clothe ourselves without it.”

Matthew Evans

Tasmanian Farm Innovation Hub’s Regional Soil Coordinator, Belinda Nielsen, then spoke about the issues, challenges and opportunities for soils in northern Tasmania and Dr Michael Rose from the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture provided an overview of agriculture in northern Tasmanian.

The opening session was followed by in-depth research presentations, insightful panel sessions and seven inspiring PhD student presentations that collectively provided a snapshot of the work being delivered by the Soil CRC and generated interesting discussions during the breaks. The presentations and panel discussions are available on Soil CRC’s YouTube channel.

Day three saw delegates head into the field, with three unique field trips providing an opportunity to see soil research in practice and dig deeper into soil management issues in northern Tasmania.

As always, the conference provided a valuable opportunity for delegates to network and collaborate, with lots of conversations and in-depth discussions happening across all three days.

We hope to see even more participants at next year’s conference when we’ll have further exciting research outcomes to share!

Watch the presentations and panel sessions on Soil CRC’s YouTube channel