Bill Cotching - Soil Scientist & Ceramic Artist

View my science week webinar about sustainable agriculture in Tasmania 

View my soil health diagnosis video

Fire and Earth Ceramic Artist - view here

Dr Bill Cotching, PhD. was a leading expert on soil management for agriculture. Bill worked with farmers, natural resource management groups, local government and industry representatives and indigenous communities across a wide range of regions, farms and environments.

Bill has retired and no longer provides consultancy services to Tasmanian agriculture.

Bill provided advice and undertook research on: 

Soil health : Soil carbon : Maximising crop yield : Reducing environmental impacts : Minimising input costs : Water quality : Natural resource management : Biodiversity

Bill was employed by the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, University of Tasmania to advance agriculture with leading edge soil research from 2006-2012 and 2016-2018.

Bill is well known for his passionate and persistent work to improve farming practices across Australia.

Tasmanian soil management and research was Bill's specialty.

Bill's work encompasses:

• Land evaluation & problem diagnosis
• Land reclamation & remediation
• Soil mapping
• Land capability assessment & land use interpretation
• Land drainage for productivity improvement
• Farm nutrient management planning
• NRM project management
• Effluent and biosolids re-use
• Soil monitoring & analysis
• Identification of soil hazards and sensitive environments

Bill worked with farmer groups to extend knowledge of best soil management practices on topics such as soil carbon, nutrients and fertilisers, soil structure and erosion control.

Bill invented and promotes a technique and specialist implement to control soil erosion under intensive cropping in Tasmania.

Bill undertook landscape (Broome) and soil mapping at a range of scales from farm to region and state.

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BOOK (large file 4 Mb)

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