This in-depth workshop enables the audience to hear from renowned soils expert Christine Jones and 3 other experienced farmers who have made changes in their own businesses about what they've experienced, how they handled challenges and grasped opportunities. The day starts with a deep dive into the science to help participants understand how soil functions as a living system. This will be followed by a Q&A session on the material presented. After lunch there will be short presentations from each farmer, concluding with an exploration of the topics brought forward by all participants in attendance. This is a unique opportunity to spend a day with Christine Jones and get deep into understanding how the soil really works and how we can use this understanding to improve our businesses.

Our three experienced farmers:

Aiden Coombe - Beef Farmer.

David Roberts-Thompson - Mixed Cropping Farmer.

Darren Long - Potato Farmer.

9.00: Registration [cuppa, name tags]

9.30: Welcome

9.45: Session 1 - Understanding the symbiotic relationships between plants and soil microbes with Christine Jones

10.30: Morning tea

11.00: Session 2 - Activating biological pathways to improve soil structure, soil carbon, nutrient status and moisture retention with Christine Jones

12.00: Q&A on material presented

12.30: Lunch and networking

1.30: Aiden Coombe - 10 min overview followed by 20 min guided discussion

2.00: David Roberts-Thompson - 10 min overview followed by 20 min guided discussion

2.30: Darren Long - 10 min overview followed by 20 min guided discussion

3.00: Key learnings from material presented and producer experiences (guided discussion)

4.00 Close

PLEASE NOTE:

Morning and afternoon tea and lunch provided

What is Grassroots Festival?

Grassroots Festival is an immersive, boots on the ground, hands in the soil, two day event. The main event will be hosted on the 15th of February in Montumana, at Gunningham Family Farms, with an additional learning day on the 14th of February. Grassroots Festival 2024 will be covering a range of topics including, soil health, alternative and diverse pasture species, livestock health, farm forestry, financial health, farmers stories, carbon and renewable energy.

There will be various demonstration sites on the day, hosted by experts to provide interpretation.

We will wrap up the day with a Farmers Feast and Fellowship Dinner, giving attendees an opportunity to connect and share the fellowship of being involved with the most important industry on earth!

The additional learning day includes a bus tour on the 14th of February, focusing on soils and pasture species.

Grassroots Festival is a family friendly event and welcomes small holders through to commercial farmers.