A Summary of our Digging In Event
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Mount Bolton Springs hosted “Digging In – A Morning on Multi-Species and Soil” on Sunday, 23 November 2025, bringing together around 40 regenerative agriculture enthusiasts. MC for the day was James Manning, Manager of Godolphin Thoroughbred Stud, Lachlan Hughes Foundation Alumni (2024), and Board Member of Vic NoTill.
Host and presenter Susanne Marro, Mount Bolton Springs Wagyu and Angus, shared insights from her on-farm multi-species cover crop project as part of her 2025 Lachlan Hughes Foundation Program scholarship, which focuses on three core pillars: Invest in Learning, Create Opportunities to Do, and Build Capacity to Influence.
Attendees participated in a paddock walk overlooking content cows and calves, observing the pilot paddock managed with no added inputs, relying solely on a soil test showing 5% organic matter. Susanne highlighted that while increasing organic matter is gradual, it is crucial because it feeds soil biology, which in turn feeds plants.
The key message reinforced throughout the morning was the value of multi-species cover crops: they build organic matter, improve soil hydration, increase productivity compared with single-species plantings, and offer highly palatable feed for cattle.
Post presentations and paddock walk, all participants enjoyed a Mount Bolton Springs Wagyu BBQ lunch including smoked brisket. Huge congratulations to the Waubra Hub ladies and locals for all their catering.
Mr Dom Walker - RCS
Dom Walker’s presentation argues that multispecies pastures are the key to profitable, resilient, and biologically healthy farming systems. He highlights the enormous biological activity in healthy soil and explains how traditional ryegrass–clover systems fail to cope with increasingly volatile seasons, dry summers, and feed gaps. Research shows that diverse pastures—combining grasses, legumes, forbs, and C4 warm-season plants—significantly increase soil carbon, extend growing seasons, and reduce dependence on purchased feed and synthetic nitrogen.
Studies cited demonstrate higher dry-matter production, better animal performance, faster finishing times, and lower parasite burdens in animals grazing diverse species mixes. Dom emphasises that root diversity and continuous root exudation drive soil function by feeding microbial life—the foundation of long-term soil health.
He provided practical seasonal species mixes for the Ballarat region and closes by reinforcing the RCS grazing principles: planning, adequate rest, and matching stocking rate to carrying capacity to maintain resilience and profitability.
See Dom Walker's Presentation.
Dr Matt Francis – DLF Seeds
Dr Matt Francis outlines how advanced legume breeding underpins more sustainable, resilient and productive pasture systems. He begins with an overview of DLF Seeds—one of the world’s leading forage seed companies—and explains the fundamentals of plant breeding: defining problems, creating genetic variation, selecting elite individuals, and conducting multi-year, multi-location trials. Legumes are highlighted as essential for natural nitrogen fixation, improved feed quality, soil health, and increased production across seasons.
Key breeding programs focus on grazing tolerance, selecting plants that maintain sub-surface buds, strong crowns, root reserves and stem number under intensive grazing. Drought tolerance is another priority, with lucerne lines evaluated under severe water stress to identify traits such as deep root systems, water-use efficiency and summer dormancy. The presentation also addresses breeding for mixed-species systems, selecting varieties that perform competitively alongside grasses and herbs. Overall, Dr Francis emphasises legumes as critical to future pasture resilience, productivity, and low-input sustainable farming.