Biological Farming Roundtable

Cane farmers Alan and Jenny Lyn from Ingham in northern Queensland speak openly to Nakala Maddock from NutriSoil about the positive impacts traffic control and multispecies cover crops are having on their production system.

Alan and Lyn discuss the stabilisation of their soil structure, abundance of worms and plant available nitrogen thanks to permanent raised beds, traffic control, cover crops and a customised renovator.

They pay credit to their network of likeminded neighbours and colleagues, who provide a great support base for the transition, which the Lyn’s see will reap benefits for regulations relating to the Great Barrier Reef.

The post Episode 22 – Increasing profitability in cane production with less inputs, Alan and Jenny Lynn appeared first on NutriSoil.

Today’s episode is with dairy farmers Andrew and Linda whiting who farm 600acres, in Simpson Victoria with 800mm annual rainfall. With me is Shelley Scouller, Nutrisoil’s new Communications extraordinaire.

Andrew and Linda Whiting were share farming when they decided to become self-start dairy farmers 18 years ago. They bought a dairy farm which had become run down and in fact had stopped milking. Everything the Whitings had was put into the purchase, finding themselves in a position with low equity they just put their heads down and worked hard.

The Whitings inherited soil with low pH (4.3 in places), and low potassium areas, their soils were high in iron, phosphorus was locked up, and there was an abundance of sorrel and fog grass.

They were applying 300 units of Nitrogen per year and lime followed the cows every 3 weeks. While they achieved industry benchmark of 1 tonne per 100mm rainfall of dry matter, money was going around in circles and they could not get ahead. They were at the top of their field, but there were cracks in the system.

This is a story of never giving up, having an open mind, searching for their path ,taking one step after the other until their system came together. They now farm with no synthetic inputs, and the only herbicides they use are spot sprays for blackberries and thistles.

This is the path of Linda and Andrew Whiting.

The post Episode 21 – Dairy Farming Synthetic Free (Not Organic) with Andrew and Linda Whiting appeared first on NutriSoil.

Today’s episode is with our long term friends Paul and Wendy Weymes, who operate a broadacre grazing property from Tarcutta, NSW. 2017 to 2020 was a tough a tough drought, the toughest they had experienced on their farm. This episode talks about what they experienced coming out of that drought and the tools they chose to use. Co-hosting with me is Phill Lee from Regenerate earth. Phill has been helping Paul and Wendy assess and increase the biology in their soils.

The post Episode 20 – Coming back from the drought with Paul and Wendy Wemyss and Phill Lee appeared first on NutriSoil.

Today’s episode is a book review with John Kempf, who has recently released a NEW book, Quality Agriculture. This episode is FULL of new science in soil, animal, food and human health.

John is founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture, a plant nutrition and bio-stimulants consulting company in the US. He is an agronomist, host of the Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, a speaker and educator, and now an author.

In the book, John interviews a group of growers, consultants and scientists who describe how to think and farm differently in order to profit from producing high quality food. This conversation teases out these interviews and concepts including how pesticides and herbicides are tying up micronutrients; how plants take up whole microbes as their main source of nutrition; what measurements are important in identifying quality food that is premium for human health; and the role of cover crops.

It’s a book and conversation that has the potential to ignite BIG change in how we grow our food.

If you’re interested in purchasing the book, or learning more from John, please take a look at his website https://johnkempf.com/

The transcript for the Podcast is available through the link below.

Biological_Farming_Round_Table_John_Kempf_MASTER_TRANSCRIPT

The post Episode 19 – John Kempf – Author | Quality Agriculture appeared first on NutriSoil.

Today’s conversation is with David and Ruth Read from Wootcote Farms, a 823 Ha regenerative grazing property in Perry Bridge Victoria.

We discuss the natural processes they use to build health and productivity on their farm and in their life. We talk through how to make a compost extract system, a liquid inject system and their successes with pasture cropping and grazing management. David and Ruth share their experiences with RCS, KLR Marketing and a whole range of experts and support systems that have taken the overwhelm out of their farming system and facilitated happiness in their lives.

The post Episode 18 – Bio-stimulants, Compost Extract, Grazing and Pasture Cropping with David and Ruth Read appeared first on NutriSoil.

Today’s conversation is with Anthony Thomas and with me co-hosting is Dr Charles Massy. We recorded this podcast in March when we were there for the Three Springs Biological Farming Roundtable.

Anthony and Geraldine Thomas farm approx. 8000Ha in the North Midlands of W.A at Three Springs. Anthony and Geraldine operate Hill Padua Polls, breeding multipurpose Merinos, and crop 1300 Ha regeneratively. Adam Thomas their great nephew share farms the rest of the cropping program.

Anthony has always been focused on soil health starting in the 1970s working with Agro Nutritional Research Laboratories run by the late Tom Arkley who analysed their soils and pastures. Arden Anderson has been another influence for Anthony.

For the past two years, Anthony’s cropping system has dropped fertiliser inputs down to 5 units of Nitrogen and 5 L of NutriSoil at sowing and as a foliar, and he has been using NutriSoil and calcium across his pastures.

The combination of careful genetic breeding, low stress sheep management and working with nature has resulted in quiet, highly fertile sheep that do not require mulesing. His soils are visually increasing soil organic matter and measuring decreased compaction.

Dr Charles Massy, my special co-host is a Monaro woolgrower, a scientist and a renowned author. His classic book The Australian Merino: The Story of a Nation, is the account of how Merino sheep became one of the main supports of the Australian economy. More recently, Charles’ book Call of the Reed Warbler: A New Agriculture, a New Earth, exemplifies his role as an advocate for regenerative agriculture.

This is my enlightening conversation with Anthony Thomas and Dr Charles Massy.

The post Episode 17 – Regenerative Cropping & Genetic Sheep Breeding with Anthony Thomas, Co-hosted with Dr Charles Massy appeared first on NutriSoil.

Today’s episode is with Cane Farmer, Michael Waring from Ingham, QLD. This podcast was recorded at the 2019 Regenerative Cane Farming Forum in March this year which is being repeated this year in March 2020 in Cairns. David Hardwick and Michael Waring are the contact for this event and details to register are below.

In this episode Michael tells us about what things he is doing to increase his soil heath including implementing controlled traffic, multispecies crops, and biological stimulants.

Michael has also done a course with Kym Kruse at RegenAG who teaches farmers how to make their own biofertilizers and he talks about how him and some farming friends have put in together to purchase a relocatable biofertilizer production plant.

We also talk about a great initiative called Catalyst that supports farmers to trial new farming initiatives and the positive steps Cane Farmers are taking to minimize run off from their farms into waterways, and of great public interest our beloved Great Barrier Reef.

https://www.regencane.com.au

The post Episode 16 – Regenerative Cane Farming appeared first on NutriSoil.

Today’s episode is with father and son, Bob and Ian Congdon from Organic Woodstock Farm and Flour in Berrigan, NSW.

Ian and his wife Courtney met at the University of Melbourne while they were studying landscape management and geography. They both had a passion for agriculture and local food markets and saw farming as a means for environmental restoration and building healthy communities.

Being young adults that were not in the thick of busy farming and were able to do their own market research. Together they built an innovative business milling and selling direct Ian’s dads organic grain.

In 2016 they purchased a New American Stone Mill. They now are the sole buyers of Woodstock grain and sell the milled flour to bakers, restaurants, shops and families in the local region and across Melbourne. Their flour is as soft as baby’s powder and a delight to bake with. Their marketing strategy is simple and effective and their packaging is stylish and sustainable.

The farm is now moving beyond organic and trialling regenerative pasture cropping.

In past episodes we have talked about closing profit margins and commodity market restraints. These restrains can limit farmers from operating a value driven farming system that is good for the farmer, the consumer and the planet. This is a great story to get you thinking….but how could we?

www.woodstockflour.com.au

The post Episode 15 – Building a local food market appeared first on NutriSoil.

The importance of a value driven farming system.

In this episode Rod Fraser talks about values, states and perceptions and the importance of these in making great farming and life decisions.

www.businessgrowthstrategies.biz

Rod Fraser and Ellyn Martin are the directors of Business Growth Strategies. They provide a wholistic approach to help you build something special. Starting with personal coaching for the business owner to help think things through and have those important conversations on multiple levels. Then they focus on getting your whole team firing around a sound achievable strategic plan. Consciously designing your business for purpose, people, profit AND planet.

Our co-host David Hardwick is an Agroecologist who provides extension work in soil health.

www.soillandfood.com.au

David and his team provide extension projects, workshops and courses in soils, regenerative agriculture, agroecology, organics, composting, biofertilisers, regional food systems and rural cooperatives. They take an ecological and systems approach to Australia’s farming and food systems. From orchards to grazing, cropping to dairying; horticulture to sugarcane; they help build landholder capacity. They also carry out a range of consultancy services to clients across agriculture.

Great reads recommended:

The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle.

The Intelligence Trap by David Robson.

The post Episode 14 – The importance of a value driven farming system appeared first on NutriSoil.

Today’s conversation is with Joel Salatin, a farmer, author, wordsmith, master communicator and world renown spokesperson for regenerative agriculture. Co-hosting with me is Charlie Arnot, Biodynamic, holistic, cattle, sheep and pig producer. This is the conversation we had the evening prior to the NutriSoil Sustainable Abundance Event. Two great men, nutting out the complexities and marvels of life. We talk farming, politics, psychology, health and carnivores.

I invite you to sit back and be a part of our conversation.

Joel Salatin’s non-industrial food production oasis (farm).http://www.polyfacefarms.com/

Award-winning Grazier,  Charlie Arnot, an educator and passionate advocate for Biodynamics and Regenerative Farming practices.https://www.charliearnott.com.au/our-story.html

Zach Bush, triple board certified physician,  applying the rigor of science, strength of humanity, and the intelligence of nature to transform our health & our world.https://zachbushmd.com/

Dr Jo Dispenza, researching the fields of neuroscience, epigenetics, and quantum physics to explore perception and the power of the mind.https://drjoedispenza.com/

Dr Christine Jones, Soil Ecologist and founder of the liquid carbon pathway.https://www.amazingcarbon.com/

Allan Savory, facilitating large-scale regeneration of the world’s grasslands through Holistic Management to address the global issues of desertification, climate change, and food and water insecurity.https://www.savory.global/

Col Seis, pasture cropping pioneer.http://www.pasturecropping.com/

The post Episode 13 – Sustainable Abundance with Joel Salatin appeared first on NutriSoil.