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…)

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…)

Ten years ago, author/consultant, Graeme Sait, researched and developed the first Certificate in Sustainable Agriculture course and, along with a team of highly credentialed Agronomists, presented the information to a group of fifty farmers. Since then this four day learning opportunity, supported by a 360 page manual, has gone on to become the leading course of its type in the world. Thousands of growers and consultants have now been trained in four continents and the accolades have been many. The former head of the USDA organic division has referred to it as “the best course I have ever attended” and the CEO of Woolworths in South Africa has called it “essential training for all food producers on the planet”. Attendees regularly rank it at 10/10 on their post course evaluation forms and this unique educational event is invariably sold out at every sitting. (more…)

1) Lift Your Quality – Organics has a reputation for idealism, which can be good motivation but bad business. Consumers should get more than chemical-free when they buy organic. They should get forgotten flavours and extended shelf life to justify the premium, and this is all about nutrition. If you are deficient in zinc or boron, all of the compost in the world won’t correct that deficiency. You need soil and tissue tests and good advice to sponsor a quality-driven, precision nutrition approach that will bring the customer back for more. NTS are world leaders in soil and plant nutrition. (more…)

An article by Sonja Burger. Weeds have suffered from a bad reputation for centuries, and often undeservedly so. Yes, they can reduce crop yields and quality, harbour pests and diseases, taint milk, contaminate wool and poison livestock. But, they are often not given credit for colonizing bare soil and preventing erosion, for loosening up hard soil and transporting nutrients from the sub-soil.  Their role in scavenging and conserving nutrients such as nitrogen and sulfur, which might otherwise leach away, is often ignored. (more…)

In this article we will look at practical implementation of biological farming principles focusing upon the strategies that are proven to deliver greater yield and quality while reducing the need for chemical intervention. The following summary can serve as a box ticking audit of your progress along the biological path.  (more…)

Norfolk Island is a 10,000 hectare patch of Pacific paradise with rich volcanic soils, idyllic national parks and glorious beaches. The people of this island share the strong sense of community that is so sadly missing elsewhere in this trouble world. There is no imported fresh produce permitted here so the food producers on the island literally become stewards of their community’s health and many of the local growers have recognised the significance of their role. I have visited Norfolk Island several times over the last two years to educate the local producers about the benefits of biological agriculture. (more…)

A system dominated by chemical solutions that treat symptoms rather than address root causes is destined to falter at some point. We are seeing this fatal flaw in the current health care crisis. More drugs are prescribed each year and yet degenerative disease continues to grow and our bulging hospitals are struggling to cope with the flood. The pharmaceutical “solution” is anything but. Last year, prescription drugs became our fourth largest killers. There is a similar bankruptcy in the management of plant and animal health. (more…)

A major mineral is missing in many soils and most soil tests do not even monitor its presence. This mineral can increase stress resistance, boost photosynthesis and chlorophyll content, improve drought resistance, salt tolerance and soil fertility and prevent lodging. lt can also reduce insect pressure, frost damage and destructive disease while lowering irrigation rates, neutralising heavy metal toxicity and countering the negative effects of excess sodium. If I were to tell you that this same missing mineral can increase (more…)