Colin Hamilton and his partner, Beverley, have embarked on a journey of discovery. They farm 3000 acres near Narromine, in the central west of NSW. They have cropped cereals, cotton and legumes on the farm for the past fifteen years using the standard range of farm chemicals and acid fertilisers. After attending seminars by some of the leaders in the burgeoning biological agriculture movement, Col decided to initiate changes on his farm. (more…)

In the second part of this two part feature we will look at the relationship between biology, soil food, compost, soil promotants and humates in our quest for productive combinations. (more…)

Nutrition Farming® is more about insight than inputs. It is a knowledge-based approach where the aim is to reduce inputs through smarter farming and increased sustainability. This often involves synergies where certain combinations optimise outcomes and knowledge of these synergies can be the key to success with this approach. In this article I will highlight seven key combinations. (more…)

Potassium (K) is the mineral with the greatest influence upon crop quality parameters and, in this context, foliar-applied potassium during the business end of the season (from flowering onwards), can be particularly productive. Potassium is unique amongst major minerals in that it never becomes part of functional molecules involved in plant structure. Instead, it serves as a spark plug that triggers numerous biochemical and physiological processes related to plant growth, yield and quality. (more…)

Humates are the most exciting yield building, profit boosting tool available in crop production and if you have yet to discover their multiple benefits, it’s time to realise their potential. Trial a small area and you will become a humate convert. We are yet to experience a grower who has not been impressed with the humate response. Often the level of success is based upon how this tool is utilised. Here are some tips to help maximise humate benefits (more…)

This is an interview from 2007 with my close friend, Jerry Brunetti. I taped a marathon seven hour interview/conversation while travelling through NZ on a speaking tour. Jerry is one of the world’s leading consultants in holistic agriculture and he has become something of a guru in human health in recent years. Here are the first few pages of this mammoth effort. I trust you will enjoy it. (more…)

I have only recently become aware of the potential for environmental disaster linked to the extraction of coal seam gas. This morning I received an email from my brother, Bryan, featuring a You Tube video that had a profound effect upon me. I was horrified and enraged to witness the potential outcome of senseless greed, environmental vandalism and political incompetence. It brought tears to my eyes, but served as a call for action and I sincerely hope it may have a similar effect upon you. (more…)

Liz Riley is a leading viticulture consultant in the Hunter Valley and she heads her own consultancy company. Liz attended one of our four day courses last year and she proved a wealth of intelligent queries and well reasoned opinions that we have come to expect from recipients of Nufield scholarships. An NTS Agronomist has since travelled to the Hunter to visit some of the vineyards that have begun to work with biological principles. There have been some great results with the precision nutrition associated with prescription blends but Liz has been particularly impressed with the performance of Grape-Tech™. (more…)

John Norton heads the groundbreaking South Australian company, Bio-Tech Organics. This company was the very first NTS distributor in Australia and for the past fifteen years they have carved out a role as leaders in biological horticulture. John is now one of the World’s leading potato consultants and he has been responsible for record yields of this crop, achieving both quantity and quality. He is also a gifted consultant in viticulture and small crops. Recently, I delivered a one day course in South Australia and I took the opportunity to question John about his strategies and successes. (more…)

Humates are the most exciting input for the increase of productivity and profitability in agriculture since the advent of commercial nitrogen. What began as a critical tool in biological agriculture has rapidly become an essential performance enhancer in all types of growing enterprises. What is all the noise about and should you be investigating this strategy? This article may serve to summarise some of the many benefits of humates and hopefully inspire you to trial these inputs if you are not already using them. (more…)