BMRG are excited to begin soil sampling across the region as part of the National Soil Monitoring Program (NSMP) Southern Queensland Project.
Engaged by the Australian Governments Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, and funded through the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program and the National Soil Action Plan, CSIRO has developed the NSMP initiative to collect and analyze soil data across various agricultural categories. The program will see around 3,000 sites surveyed across the country and aims to provide nationally consistent data, soil health indicators, condition and trends.
Working as part of the Southern Alliance and managed by Southern Queensland Landscapes NRM, BMRG will work with local councils, Queensland National Parks and individual landholders to collect data and classify soils over the next two years. By participating in the national significant collection, individual landholders will receive a printed report of their soil data direct from CSIRO. This information will empower producers to prioritise their soil health and strengthen their soil knowledge and capacity, increasing stewardship of their land and providing the tools to restore, improve and maintain healthy soils.
Staff recently spent a day on property training-the-trainer and completing the first of 65 sites to be collected within the Burnett Mary Region as part of the national wide program. Cores were drilled and collected for chemical and biological analysis, while a full soil classification (identification) was completed, revealing the specific characteristics and properties. This information is vital for guiding land management interventions and investment for sustainable agriculture and to address risks such as erosion, acidification and salinity.
A big thank you to our first landholder participant, Mr Don Emmerton from Gayndah, who provided access to his grazing property and completed a short survey on his management of the site. BMRG is currently contacting property owners, as pre-selected by CSIRO, to arrange access, collect data and provide access to the report. We look forward to working further with Mr Emmerton and all future participants through the program.
The National Soil Monitoring Program has been supported by funding through the Australian Government Natural Heritage Trust (Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) in collaboration with CSIRO.