Director

Bev became interested in soil carbon, healthy soil and regenerative agriculture after a chance meeting on a plane with an old regenerative farmer.

“We had a discussion on buffalo grass (an introduced species dominating a lot of NT and WA) and during the four-hour flight he challenged much of my very urban views on conservation, climate change, agriculture and particularly about the role of carbon in the soil.” Bev wanted to know more.

Adding to that revelation, she spent time on a cattle station in the Murchison area in Western Australia. The pastoralists of the property were restoring the land, reducing the grazing pressures, bringing back the perennial grasses, slowing down the water flow and with the help of dingoes restoring the ecological balance. They were passionate and incredibly knowledgeable about the land they were on.

Bev decided she wanted to do something to raise awareness about soil health in Australia. The UN has a designated World Soil Day on December 5 th. But soil is so important it needs a week. So Soil Week Australia was born.

Tom Nicholas

Tom has extensive experience working in the regenerative agriculture sector
(Victoria, NSW and Queensland) and has first hand experience in the implementation
of regenerative practices that lead to improved soil biology, building soil carbon, and
greater water holding capacity (the soil carbon sponge). Tom is extremely well
connected with leading practitioners in this sector.

Calvin Muller

Calvin Muller grew up on a farm in the Warracknabeal area.  Even at a young age, he observed different on-farm practices that made a difference to the yields and quality of the grain.

In 1953 Calvin and his wife purchased a rundown farm with poor soil and low yields. He began a 25-year project to improve the soil structure and fertility of the land. An extensive tree project in the 1970s added to his vision for his farm to become healthy and productive.

Calvin started using No-Till techniques in the ’70s with stubble retention and experimenting with multi-species cover crops and limiting chemical applications.  Over time he has not only improved his yields and quality of his grains but rejuvenated the soil and reduced salinity problems.

Calvin’s interest in the importance of the health of the soil has extended to his belief that the increasing rate of chemical usage is detrimental to the soil and leads to less healthy plants.

Now in retirement, Calvin has become a major sponsor of the Healthy Soil Competition for students because he believes it’s the young people who can be the change for healthy soil, healthy plants, and human health.