It was a double celebration for Armidale soil scientist Dr Oliver Knox at the National Landcare awards in Sydney this week.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Knox, who is a researcher at the University of New England, brought home one of the major awards as the recipient of the 2022 General Jeffrey Soil Health Award.
It follows on from his success at the Australian Cotton Conference Awards Dinner on the Gold Coast last week.
He took out the Cotton Seed Distributors Researcher of the Year Award.
READ MORE:
Dr Knox is a passionate soil heath advocate, researcher and Associate Professor of Soil Systems Biology at the School of Environmental and Rural Science at the University of New England.
He has been instrumental in driving the Soil Your Undies program which seeks to improve Australians' understanding of the importance of soil health.
![ALL SMILES: Dr Oliver Knox has won two major awards this week, recognising his work in soil health. ALL SMILES: Dr Oliver Knox has won two major awards this week, recognising his work in soil health.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/PMrCA3Rpn38pKDFxaenbSb/299657f7-5633-42f4-a626-818c595a4c64.jpg/r0_0_1069_630_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
He recently released a new framework for soil health and is taking the research lead on cotton circularity with two projects scheduled for this year.
He was thrilled just to be nominated for the General Jeffery soil award.
'It is an honour to be considered for the General Jeffrey award for doing my little bit to help promote soil health," Dr Knox said.
"Although my work would not be possible without the farmers, school classes and community groups who are prepared to take a moment to share the magic of their soils with me, so this recognition is for them as well."
Meanwhile, Inverell farmer Geoff Bassett was a finalist in the Bob Hawke Landcare Award.
He is a nationally recognised specialist in regenerative agriculture and soil health and the founder of Farm Mojo, where he supports broad acre farmers across Australia to transition from contemporary chemical usage to working with natural systems.
A professional farmer for over 40 years, Bassett champions enhancing on-farm soil fertility through mineral balancing, microbiology, carbon sequestration and promoting biodiversity to increase net profitability and ensure long term environmental resilience to climate change.
Bassett has worked extensively with Landcare groups across Australia for the last 35 years and is a project leader and research collaborator with The Carbon Farm and Southern Cross University.
He has farms at Dorrigo and Inverell and consults widely to farmers throughout New England and the North West.
Make sure you are signed up for our breaking news and regular newsletters