We are often asked why it is necessary to invest in chelated products rather than simple sulphate-based trace elements so we finally decide to invest some research funds in a comparison. We decided to use manganese as an example as this is a deficiency we see so often when analysing dairy pasture. It is also a common deficiency in many horticultural crops, particularly strawberries, where several of the more recent hybrids seem to struggle with manganese uptake. (more…)

I recently spent a week consulting and lecturing in Malaysia on behalf of our new distributors in that region, a company called PanelTek. Michael Cheong, the CEO of this company is a fine example of why retirement is such a ridiculous concept if you are passionate in what you do. I shudder to think of the masses of wasted brains frittering away their lives on a bowling green when they should be at a productive and creative peak in terms of a worthwhile contribution to society. Anyway, enough of my outrage. Michael, a dynamo in his eighties, has decided to be a (more…)

We recently completed our first 4 day Certificate course on Norfolk Island and we hope that it will become an annual event. Norfolk is becoming a showpiece for biological agriculture, so the fifth day, where we build in a field trip to see the priciples in practice, was really something special. The course participants included equal numbers of locals and Australians and there were also people from the US and Africa.“The Big Night Out”, a feature of the course intended as an early bonding opportunity, involved a delicious 3 course meal and local wines. (more…)

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A refractometer is an invaluable pocket tool which measures dissolved solids in plant sap. Leaf tissue is balled up and rolled between the hands until green pigment is released. It is then placed inside the well of a garlic crusher and juice (plant sap)is expressed. A few drops of sap are placed on the screen of this device and it is held up to the light like a small, sawn-off telescope.The reading is called brix and is measured in degrees. A good brix level is above 12 degrees for most crops, although this “ideal” drops down to 8 degrees for root crops. (more…)

I have been researching a new presentation for my Radiance Health Festival between Christmas and New Year. It is called “Healthy Soils, Hardy People, Happy Planet” and it covers the inextricable intertwining of our food producing soils, personal health, community health and the environment. There is, of course, a heavy emphasis upon Climate Change and the profound implications of this coming crisis. Yesterday, while reading the work of British scientist, James Lovelock, and the research of James Hansen from NASA, I burst into tears at the enormity of their predictions. (more…)

When most of us consider the problems linked to chemical intervention in agriculture we commonly think of the potential for chemical residues on food and the associated assault on our immune systems. The more biologically astute might also think of the damage these chemicals have inflicted on soil-life and the fact that one chemical begets another and consequently the disease control capacity of the soil foodweb is increasingly compromised. However, there is another way in which our food supply is affected by chemical agriculture and it relates to both the plant’s immune system and an unanticipated viscious cycle that is linked to both nitrogen fertilisers and rescue chemicals. (more…)

Mountains and land masses are born from the ocean in massive geological upheavals called diastrophism. Then, in nature’s typical cyclical fashion, the process of erosion through wind and rain ensures the gradual return of minerals and topsoil in a relentless flow back to the ocean. Many of the seventy (+) minerals that were present in the first cell that developed in the Precambrian Ocean, are no longer present in our soils. The ocean, however, retains this mineral motherlode and creatures and plant life which live within this elemental soup contain the broad-spectrum minerals so lacking on land! (more…)

Late last year I was sponsored by the Norfolk Island Government to travel to the island for a 2 day seminar. The opportunity arose following enthusiastic promotion by Simon Bigg, who is the Course Superintendent for the Norfolk Island Golf Club. Simon had returned home from our 4 day Certificate in Sustainable Agriculture, determined that this was essential information that should be shared with the islanders. He teamed up with Robin Adams, a local identity with a passion for all things sustainable, to make his vision a reality. Robin, who works for the Government, helped Simon frame and submit a proposal for funding that was eventually accepted. (more…)

Crop and soil monitoring is an integral part of the biological farming approach. In fact, it could be argued that the comprehensive and integrated testing technologies involved are what differentiates biological agronomy from conventional agronomy. I have argued for years that this proactive monitoring approach is infinitely superior to the simplistic “record and react” response of the chemical system. During 15 years in the field I have seen nothing that sways me from that opinion. The seven essentials for proactive response include the following: (more…)