Facilitated by Conamine Alliance’s Sarah Hood, such was the success of the day that a similar format could be repeated down the track.

More than a dozen scientists hopped aboard their tour bus which set off from Highfields Tavern before arriving at Golden Vein on the Allora Road Clifton.

Top-of-mind discussion points included the latest nutrition, weed resistance, soil/water management systems, plus the incorporation of CTF technology.

At Nyoka, Felton, the focus was on strategies for bio-diversity and sustainability, cropping and grazing issues on slopes greater than five percent, requiring attention to contours, waterways, trees, more efficient fertiliser applications, plus testing cultivation and grazing strategies.

The initiative came about as a result of the strengths of Toowoomba’s burgeoning retired and semi-retired agriculture and natural resource scientists.

“We wanted to use their skills and knowledge – to engage with farmers and farming groups,” Ms Hood said.

“The idea was to make them Brains-in-Residence for a day at Clifton and Felton,” she added.

Ms Hood said the venture was “definitely the start of a long conversation” because both farming group were reluctant to wave the scientists goodbye.

“They were generating some importanmt discussions,” Ms Hood said.

The Condamine Alliance spokesperson said farmers principally wanted more information on how to demonstrate their environmental credentials, in turn underscoring the sustainability of farming - particulary in relation to soil health.

Also high on the discussion agenda was climate change, as well as the loss of land to mining.