Simon Osborne
Returning QS Board Member Simon Osbourne was a founding member of Quorum Sense and one of the original board members. He has been developing a more biological approach to agriculture for 30 years on the family farm at Doyleston. He initially stepped down from active board duty in August 2021, returning in early 2024.
"When I was young I traveled extensively in South East Asia and witnessed the genesis of the industrial Oil Palm plantation development and the massive environmental destruction, social upheaval and displacement caused.
“This was a wake-up call for me. I realised that globally farmers need strong communities and that industrial production systems weren't going to be my future. After working in the oil industry I returned to the farm and picked up the work my father Oakleigh started in the early 1970s with no-till. The system developed into Conservation Agriculture with heavy reliance on herbicides and fertiliser. After a meeting with Nicole Masters the penny dropped and I realised the future potential lay in soil biological function. I believe that life is for learning and sharing that knowledge there by creating strong supportive communities.”
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