Territory Natural Resource Management

​Territory Natural Resource Management (TNRM) invites anyone with an interest in soils to get involved in conversations and networks through our peer-to-peer learning events and community of practice groups.

 

Sustainable Soils Skillset

The Sustainable Soils Skillset training program from the University of Queensland (UQ Skills) teaching units from the Diploma of Agriculture including face-to-face workshops in Alice Springs, Darwin and Katherine has now concluded. The program focused on supporting farmers, pastoralists, industry extension staff and land managers across the Northern Territory to learn and share knowledge and experiences with the common goal of regenerating and maintaining healthy soils in the Top End for ourselves and future generations. Territory NRM would like to thank all those involved for taking part. 

 

Soil Symposium

The Soil Symposium roadshow is held once a year in Darwin, Kathrine and Alice Springs. The Symposium brings scientists, farmers and passionate soil industry people to present ideas and experiences that promote soil conservation and soil health. 

​

Soil Health Visits ​

Our Soil Extension Officers work one on one with producers to assist in understanding soil management options, soil health and soil testing.

​

Soil Your Undies

The Soil Your Undies Challenge is a very useful tool to demonstrate to farmers the nutrient-cycling abilities of soil. Farmers are provided with a pair of cotton underpants which they bury in the topsoil and leave for a period of eight weeks. During this time soil microbes begin the process of breaking down the cotton fibres as they slowly decompose the underpants.

​

After eight weeks the undies are exhumed and farmers are exposed to the stark representation of their soil capacity to break down nutrients. The more decomposed the underpants the higher the nutrient cycling capacity and thus the healthier the soil.

​

The video focused on two growers and one agronomist from Katherine. We brought in Dr Oliver Knox from the University New England (UNE), the founder of the Soil Your Undies challenge in Australia, to help with the technical explanation of what we found. The aim of the video was to capture the candid responses of growers when seeing their undies after 8 weeks and to ask them questions about soil health and management practices.

​

The video highlights the function of biology in the soil it also shows how different types of soils and different management options affect the results. The fantastic thing about the video is it really shows the audience what producers feel when they dig up their undies and see all their hard work has paid off.