FARMING FOR PROFIT – BIOLOGICALLY
_A series of workshops and seminars promote the benefits to be gained from co-operating with nature.
By Peter Henning Thompson
SoilCare Life Member
By Peter Henning Thompson
SoilCare Life Member
Paul McCartney said it well:
“And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make”.
For Gary Zimmer, a world leader in biological agriculture, the basic principle is give, not get. The key to successful, sustainable farming is working with nature, not against it. Rather than sustainable, he likes to call it regenerative agriculture.
Together with scientist daughter Leilani Zimmer-Durand, Gary has been in Australia taking part in seminars in northern New South Wales. In March 2014 the Australian Government funded a series of workshops for farmers committed to transitioning away from chemical fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides and fungicides. The objective: to increase the knowledge and skill base of growers, who will act as trainers and exemplars of biological farming into the future.
“Suddenly, over the last 12 months,” says Leilani Zimmer-Durand, “everyone is talking about soil health, even mainstream American farming periodicals ”. She observes that the awareness of food issues is simultaneously accelerating in the United States with more consumers wanting to know where their food comes from and how it is grown. Anxiety and suspicion surround chemical additives and the chronic diseases associated with them.
Together with scientist daughter Leilani Zimmer-Durand, Gary has been in Australia taking part in seminars in northern New South Wales. In March 2014 the Australian Government funded a series of workshops for farmers committed to transitioning away from chemical fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides and fungicides. The objective: to increase the knowledge and skill base of growers, who will act as trainers and exemplars of biological farming into the future.
“Suddenly, over the last 12 months,” says Leilani Zimmer-Durand, “everyone is talking about soil health, even mainstream American farming periodicals ”. She observes that the awareness of food issues is simultaneously accelerating in the United States with more consumers wanting to know where their food comes from and how it is grown. Anxiety and suspicion surround chemical additives and the chronic diseases associated with them.
Healthy soils produce healthy plants that in turn produce healthy animals, including humans. Where the conventional approach is primarily on chemical inputs, biological farming puts equal emphasis on the physical structure of soils and on their living components. “It’s not magic in a gallon jug,” writes Gary Zimmer. “Biological agriculture is a system, a process with rules and goals”. Soil health is about soil life but it’s not only that. Like a three-legged stool, the system falls over when any one of its principal elements, any of its three legs, is neglected.
In the words of Bonnie Walker, avocado grower and chairperson of SoilCare based in Alstonville, New South Wales, “there’s an urgent need for educators to disseminate practical information about biological farming and to show, by example, that it can be profitable and, more importantly, sustainable in the long term”.
The Zimmers make soil health their major priority and they emphasize soil testing as the first step. Nutrient balance involves identifying deficiencies and determining corrections. But like any technical procedure, soil testing is only one of many approximate guides. Because biological farming is a system, not a magic bullet, observation of all the parameters, including soil structure and biological life, is essential.
Perhaps even more basic is Gary’s belief in farming for profit. As the demand grows for healthy, nutrient-rich food, he’s being proved right. A farmer seeking high yields but selling into depressed markets may also be seriously compromising the long term health of his or her soil. Judi Earl (Agricultural Information and Monitoring Services) lectured the grazing and cropping workshop on the concept of feed budgeting. “Virtually all pastoral land in Australia has suffered an over-grazing event,” says Judi, “and even one such event can drastically reduce its ability to regenerate and remain productive.” Judi defines clear parameters for pasture management, adding that the pasture’s best friend is the cow. Other ruminants are also welcome.
The Zimmers make soil health their major priority and they emphasize soil testing as the first step. Nutrient balance involves identifying deficiencies and determining corrections. But like any technical procedure, soil testing is only one of many approximate guides. Because biological farming is a system, not a magic bullet, observation of all the parameters, including soil structure and biological life, is essential.
Perhaps even more basic is Gary’s belief in farming for profit. As the demand grows for healthy, nutrient-rich food, he’s being proved right. A farmer seeking high yields but selling into depressed markets may also be seriously compromising the long term health of his or her soil. Judi Earl (Agricultural Information and Monitoring Services) lectured the grazing and cropping workshop on the concept of feed budgeting. “Virtually all pastoral land in Australia has suffered an over-grazing event,” says Judi, “and even one such event can drastically reduce its ability to regenerate and remain productive.” Judi defines clear parameters for pasture management, adding that the pasture’s best friend is the cow. Other ruminants are also welcome.
Biological farming represents a major paradigm shift. Since the Second World War in the middle of last century, chemical agriculture has dominated food production. It, too, was a huge paradigm shift away from the preceding period of heavy tillage. Now, right across Australia from Queensland to Tasmania and to the west coast, increasing numbers of farmers and graziers are investigating and implementing biological practices.
Farmers everywhere are naturally risk averse but many judge the challenges of the transition to a biological system more manageable than the dangers of chemical farming. The harsh uncertainties of weather and fluctuating markets encourage conservatism. But paradoxically, many will rush into heavy investments in farm machinery and chemical inputs without realistically assessing the consequences. The Zimmers argue that not only is the biological approach more technically sound, it is ultimately more profitable.
On his farm in north eastern Wisconsin, Gary has been putting theory into practice for three decades, running a cropping operation and an expanding organic dairy. The emphasis is on soil health, crop rotation and green manures. The ground is never bare. Corn, for example, can be drilled straight into a legume such as hairy vetch that has been chopped and integrated with shallow tillage into the topsoil. Because of the savage winters, preserved forage crops are also essential.
Specific formulas imported over great distances may not be applicable to every farm, nor does one solution necessarily apply even across a single property. All the variables have to examined and the starting point must be the soil itself. Defining the mineral additions to enhance soil health allows specific individual programs to accompany appropriate production practices. The resulting soil microbial activity allows roots to access a greater volume of soil so that plants can grow to their full potential.
Much time in the 3-day grazing and cropping workshop was devoted to the Soil Health Card, a virtually cost-free method of evaluation. Developed by SoilCare with expert advice from Dave Forrest and Alan Coates of Wollongbar TAFE, it allows farmers to benchmark the condition of their soils and monitor their improvement over time. Attendees also visited Graham Lancaster’s Environmental Analysis Laboratories to study the latest techniques
Farmers everywhere are naturally risk averse but many judge the challenges of the transition to a biological system more manageable than the dangers of chemical farming. The harsh uncertainties of weather and fluctuating markets encourage conservatism. But paradoxically, many will rush into heavy investments in farm machinery and chemical inputs without realistically assessing the consequences. The Zimmers argue that not only is the biological approach more technically sound, it is ultimately more profitable.
On his farm in north eastern Wisconsin, Gary has been putting theory into practice for three decades, running a cropping operation and an expanding organic dairy. The emphasis is on soil health, crop rotation and green manures. The ground is never bare. Corn, for example, can be drilled straight into a legume such as hairy vetch that has been chopped and integrated with shallow tillage into the topsoil. Because of the savage winters, preserved forage crops are also essential.
Specific formulas imported over great distances may not be applicable to every farm, nor does one solution necessarily apply even across a single property. All the variables have to examined and the starting point must be the soil itself. Defining the mineral additions to enhance soil health allows specific individual programs to accompany appropriate production practices. The resulting soil microbial activity allows roots to access a greater volume of soil so that plants can grow to their full potential.
Much time in the 3-day grazing and cropping workshop was devoted to the Soil Health Card, a virtually cost-free method of evaluation. Developed by SoilCare with expert advice from Dave Forrest and Alan Coates of Wollongbar TAFE, it allows farmers to benchmark the condition of their soils and monitor their improvement over time. Attendees also visited Graham Lancaster’s Environmental Analysis Laboratories to study the latest techniques
The Soil Health Card process emphasizes close observation, getting down and dirty to assess water penetration rates, root system depth and visible life. Counting earthworms is a remarkably effective tool for assessing overall soil health. Testing pH is also a simple and highly significant procedure to indicate nutrient availability. It’s a quick and free record of a soil’s productive capacity.
Potential solutions to productivity in biological farming include: soil mineral corrections, additional crop fertilisers, appropriate ground cover management, green manures and composts, biological inputs, integrated pest management (IPM) and long term planning. As Gary Zimmer says, agriculture isn’t rocket science, it’s much more complicated than that!
Potential solutions to productivity in biological farming include: soil mineral corrections, additional crop fertilisers, appropriate ground cover management, green manures and composts, biological inputs, integrated pest management (IPM) and long term planning. As Gary Zimmer says, agriculture isn’t rocket science, it’s much more complicated than that!
Additional information:
SoilCare website: www.soilcare.org
Zimmers at www.midwesternbioag.com.
Graham Lancaster: [email protected]
Judi Earl can be contacted at [email protected]
SoilCare website: www.soilcare.org
Zimmers at www.midwesternbioag.com.
Graham Lancaster: [email protected]
Judi Earl can be contacted at [email protected]
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