NEWS
In February, world-renowned Canadian soil-health expert, Kevin Elmy, traversed Western Australia’s southwest to deliver a series of regenerative agriculture workshops. Thanks to a collaborative effort by Northern Agriculture Catchment Council (NACC), PHCC (soon to be renamed 5 Rivers NRM), Wheatbelt NRM, Lower Blackwood LCDC and RegenWA, the roadshow included six workshops plus additional meetings, ensuring his global expertise was accessible to landholders far and wide.
Soil health was the central theme of each event, with a strong focus on incorporating diversity into cropping and pasture systems and unearthing practical approaches for addressing common soil constraints.
Soil Restoration Farming Workshop (Wandering)
5 Rivers NRM hosted the series’ opening workshop in Wandering. Participant feedback from the day pointed to a significant increase in understanding of soil health principles, particularly soil microbes and soil biology. Kevin’s dynamic facilitation style encouraged active participation from attendees and continually grounded scientific concepts in actionable examples and activities. Attendees valued this approach, with one noting, “we could all add input and contribute…I liked the opportunity to do some practical work.”
Soil Health – What is it and how do we get there? (Margaret River)
Lower Blackwood LCDC brought Kevin Elmy to Margaret River for ‘Soil Health- What is it and how do we get there’ – another day of highly engaging delivery and actionable insights. Attendees enjoyed hands-on time in the field to to immerse themselves in management strategies tailored to local soil constraints. Kevin shared useful, cost-effective tools for improving knowledge and understanding of soil and plant health, emphasising 5 key indicators of soil health: plant needs, animal needs, water infiltration, erosion, and biodiversity. Kevin highlighted that resting perennials before dormancy is crucial for maximising long-term productivity – a topic of high interest for the group
Not Just Dirt: A Hidden Ecosystem Forum (Port Denison)
Held in Port Denison by NACC, Kevin’s third workshop unpacked the hidden soil landscape, explored plant interactions, functional plant groups, key soil principles and how everyday decisions impact life below ground. The overwhelming take home message for participants was that healthy soil biology (microbes, fungi, mycelium) is the foundation of productive, sustainable farming, and needs to be actively supported. Carbon, fertility, and plant health all flow from that one core principle, according to Kevin.
Where to Start Workshops (Cowalla)
The Where to Start Workshops in Cowalla saw two cohorts work through their respective farm businesses’ challenges with customised guidance from Kevin.
These workshops form part of the RegenWA Accelerating Regenerative Agriculture Adoption project’s peer learning program, and were held in collaboration with NACC through their Future Farm Foundations project.
Livestock and broadacre farmers comprised the first group, and were predominantly interested in common objectives like increasing fungal diversity, overcoming non-wetting soils, and selecting cover crop species best suited to their livestock.
The second group consisted of smaller landholders, namely fruit and vegetable growers. With Kevin’s guidance, the group workshopped topics of interest such as biological controls, efficient compost use, unlocking minerals for nutrition, and improving paddocks/pasture.
The strong desire to build a community of likeminded folk and support one another on their regenerative journey was clear. In response, NACC and RegenWA have maintained connections between participants via group WhatsApp chats and funded one-on-one follow up meetings with Kevin Elmy. This support is thanks to funding from the Western Australian Government’s State NRM Program and the National Heritage Trust’s Climate-Smart Agriculture Program.
Access to Environmental Markets Workshop: Current & future opportunities for Wheatbelt farmers (Northam)
The final WA event for Kevin was Wheatbelt NRM’s ‘Access to Environmental Markets’ workshop, which served as a key platform for launching the Wheatbelt Land-use Paradigms report and provided attendees with expert insights into the evolving landscape of natural capital. Alongside a characteristically absorbing presentation from Kevin, participants engaged with revegetation markets, biofuel opportunities like oil mallee, and practical economic models available to farmers. Feedback confirmed Kevin’s expertise in soil health and regenerative systems was a major drawcard, evidenced further by him fielding the majority of questions during the day’s closing panel session.
Throughout this series, Kevin bridged the gap between soil science and practical application. From teaching the nuances of the Soil Food Web to demonstrating accessible land-assessment techniques, he empowered growers to take practical steps towards regenerating the biology beneath their feet and unlocking the soil functionality that supports the food systems and ecosystems we depend on.
We extend an enormous thank you to all the groups involved in coordinating this roadshow. Connecting landholders from across the state with internationally acclaimed regenerative agriculture experts simply isn’t possible without this incredible scale of collaboration!
We hope to see Kevin back in Western Australia early 2027! If you’re an organisation or group interested in having Kevin talk with your community, please get in touch with us.
