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On-Farm Experimentation Community Info No. 49
Jul 6, 2026
Co-editor of the month
Thanks to my co-editor of the month, Associate Professor Lisa Lobry de Bruyn at the University of New England in Armidale, New South Wales, Australia.
Talking Soil: A Podcast on Science, Soil Health, and the People Who Manage Land
Soil health depends on both biology and human decision-making, and making science and practice work together is precisely the challenge OFE seeks to address. This ConnectSci podcast with soil scientists Lisa Lobry de Bruyn and Oliver Knox explores what it means to truly know your soil. A companion book, Talking Soil, is forthcoming from CSIRO Publishing in early 2027. Listen to the podcast here.
The Value of Soil Testing for Long-Term Farm Decision-Making
Soil testing is often used for short-term decisions, but a longer-term vision is gaining ground. An MLA article makes the case for soil testing as a foundation for stocking rate decisions, and findings from the Soil CRC Rural Landholder Survey show that while farmers recognize its importance, implementation remains limited, often due to availability constraints. Understanding what farmers actually do and why is essential context for designing relevant OFE. Read the MLA article here.
Visualising Australasia's Soils: Open Soil Data for Better On-Farm Decisions
Visualising Australasia's Soils (VAS) is a Soil CRC portal bringing together public and private soil data from across Australia and New Zealand under FAIR principles. Its explicit goal of improving on-farm decision making through long-term trends and benchmarking makes it a directly relevant resource for OFE practitioners. Explore the project here or go directly to the data portal here.
Learning from Farmers Who Know Their Soil: Soils for Life
As soils are diverse then understanding your soil requires the landholder to become the local expert. Placing your trust in your own senses and intellect to get to know your soil. Soils for Life has built from its tradition and shares the stories of Australia’s leading farmers. They would like to inspire others to “move from curiosity to confidence”. To do this they have produced case studies and practice guides on monitoring soil health. To learn more, go to their website.
Common Ground: Soils for the Anthropocene Conference, Perth 2026
The 2026 Soil Science Australia National Conference takes place 1-5 November in Perth, bringing together over 450 voices from science, policy, industry, and community around soils as the foundation of productivity, security, and resilience. Early bird registration closes 31 July 2026. Register here.
OFE Community Business Meeting at ICPA 2026
Join us Tuesday, July 14th at 18:50 during the 17th ICPA & 11th ConBAP in Porto Alegre. We'll share Community updates, new places to publish OFE work, upcoming leadership opportunities, and discuss new activities for the Community. All welcome!
This letter was prepared by Louis Longchamps, co-chair of the ISPA OFE Community
Should you have something to share with the Community or the Community leaders, let us know here.