This project supports dairy farmers to improve soil health and productivity, reduce input costs and build climate resilience on their farms through field days, a 5-session program, and a demonstration site at a dairy farm in South Gippsland.
Name of Project: Dairy Resilience Project
Funded by: Australian Government’s Climate-Smart Agriculture Program under the Natural Heritage Trust.
Partners: Soils for Life, Stuart Tracy family, Maffra and District Landcare Network, Cradle Coast NRM (Tas), Lower Blackwood Land Conservation District Committee and South West NRM (WA), SQ Landscapes (SE Qld).
Timeframe: 2025-2028
Status: The first field day was held at Tracy’s dairy farm on 7 Oct 2026. The 5-session group program is kicking off with the first session in mid November. There are still a couple of spots remaining – please contact Cassie for more info on cassie@sgln.net.au.
Project Manager: Cassie Wright, cassie@sgln.net.au
About the project
This project supports Gippsland and Bass Coast dairy farmers to explore practical ways to build soil health, increase feed quality and climate resilience, and reduce input costs.
Practices the project explores may include:
– Multispecies pastures
– Adaptive grazing management
– Integrating trees
– Biological inputs (including novel effluent management)
– Reducing ground-applied fertilisers, increasing foliar applications
– Plant and soil monitoring and analysis
What’s involved
– 5-session program which includes practical training with relevant industry specialists, farm walks and learning from other dairy farmers. It also includes some funding for soil and plant testing and one-on-one consultant support for each participant. The final program topics and speakers will be guided based on the interests of the group
– A demonstration site in South Gippsland, at the Tracy family’s dairy farm, tracking and showcasing the production, financial, ecological and social outcomes of these practices over time.
– Two field days at the demonstration site to see these practices on the ground, hear directly from the farmers involved, and talk through the practicalities, costs and benefits.
Part of a national program
The Dairy Resilience Project is one of only five demonstration sites nationally, alongside sites at Maffra, South East Queensland, North West Tasmania and South West Western Australia. You can see results so far from the Maffra Soils for Life demonstration farm at soilsforlife.org.au/neaves-mirams-agriculture
Get involved
Dairy farmers from across the region are also invited to join the upcoming 5 session program to support farmers to improve soil health and productivity, and reduce input costs. It includes funds for soil and plant testing and agronomist support. Formal EOI’s closed mid October but there are a couple of spots left and we are still accepting new applicants – contact cassie@sgln.net.au or click here to complete the EOI.
The first session is Thursday 19 November at Grant Williams’ farm in Hallora, and will look at multispecies pastures and how to set up your own trial, with multispecies specialist Jade Killoran.
More info: https://soilsforlife.org.au/dairy-resilience-project/
Maffra demonstration site: https://soilsforlife.org.au/neaves-mirams-agriculture/