Investor Information:
The Northern Pastoral Scholarship was launched in 2018 by the Australian Agricultural Company (AACo), Consolidated Pastoral Company (CPC), Elders and S. Kidman & Co.
Recognising the need to foster the Northern Australian pastoral sector, these four iconic agricultural companies joined forces to create the scholarship with the aim of enabling recipients to become leaders in their field.
AACo: www.aaco.com.au
CPC: www.pastoral.com
Elders: www.elders.com.au
S. Kidman & Co: www.kidman.com.au
Trudi Oxley
2025 Nuffield Scholar
Scholar searches for a boost to tropical soils
Building soil organic matter in tropical environments is notoriously difficult, but this Nuffield scholar is out to find ways to break down the barriers.
Trudi Oxley, who receives a Northern Pastoral Scholarship, believes incorporating intensive livestock grazing, crop rotation, improving the species mix and adding ameliorants could all help improve soil health at her family’s operation, Oxley Grazing.
“It seems that commercial soil carbon projects have shifted focus to more temperate environments on better quality soils, to understandably get easier wins,” Trudi explained.
“But that leaves us with a lack of focus in regions where it is more difficult."
“While I’ve been involved in grazing management extension and research that focused on land condition and preserving cover, it was not until I started irrigation farming on sand that I learned how critical it is to be able to efficiently build soil organic matter to retain nutrients and water.”
Trudi, who farms near Katherine in the Northern Territory with her husband Paul and their two sons, said much of the information currently available on the topic is not always directly applicable to tropical environments.
“It’s an expensive learning process trying to adapt it!”
Oxley Grazing runs a commercial herd of approximately 1500 breeders on 17,000 hectares of owned and 26,000ha of leased land near Katherine, supplying steers to the live export market.
It also incorporates a hay growing and contracting business, including 130ha of dryland and three 50ha centre pivots producing cavalcade and rhodes grass hay.
She hopes to visit the Understanding Ag network in the USA, as well as the Savory Institute in Africa, to further her knowledge. She intends to tap into Nuffield networks in Brazil in areas with similar climatic and agronomic challenges.
The focus of her visits will be with farmers who have successfully implemented systems to improve their soil organic matter levels and profitability.
Trudi said the knowledge will help other farmers in the wet tropics in the north of Australia, and particularly looks forward to sharing her learnings with other beef producers in the Katherine region as intensifying pasture and crop development is an industry priority.
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