Biofarming

After attending some recent rural seminars it became obvious farm expenditure on fertiliser has taken a significant hit in recent times.  I have limited knowledge of this field but understand enough to know that although a fertiliser program can be temporarily avoided or scaled back, in the end some sort of solution has to be found.  This is why when I read of a possible alternative my interest was sparked and I thought that at the least farmers could explore their options via this article and make up their own mind.  The below is a description of this alternative solution from someone who understands this science. 

- Seamus

Hi, I’m Phyllis Tichinin and I work as a biological farming consultant and educator.  I’ve been asked to give you a perspective on a powerful new approach to farming. 

Biological agriculture is a comprehensive, natural sciences approach that answers the issues vexing our environment and economy.  It provides a new farming model that creates fertile soils while growing tasty, nutrient dense products with less fertiliser and eventually no pesticides.  I work for the firm Abron where the most crucial aspect of our biological farming program is creating complex soil carbon, called humus, while increasing your bottom line farming profit.

The goal is to create maximum biodiversity and resilience in your soils. This requires an understanding of the complex relationships that govern soil chemistry, microbiology and physics.  A full spectrum approach is needed to restore soil mineral balance and microbes, not just single silver bullet products.  This full spectrum program involves a focus on calcium, trace elements, bio-stimulants and microbe friendly fertilisers, including humic acids, which feed soil microbes and stimulate carbon sequestration.  Regular farm monitoring of the changes in your soil and pasture response are key to the Abron approach.   ‘You can’t manage what you don’t measure.’

Biological farming is a new wholistic, hard science approach that improves the performance of fertilisers, so less is used.  On an Abron program often a quarter to a half less N or P is applied in the first year, with further reductions over time.  The cost per hectare is initially the same and eventually less than a standard urea or superphosphate program.  Less water soluble fertilisers in the soil prompts the natural soil microbes to kick in.  These microbes can pull nitrogen out of the atmosphere for free and can solubilise locked up phosphorous making it available to the plant.  The result is pasture and crops that have higher mineral levels and are healthier, meaning they are tastier to animals and to us.  It's about increasing farmer efficiency, productivity and profitability by working with the natural system rather than against it.

What I’ve noticed using an Abron program on my 48 ha irrigated block on the Maraetotara is 5 times higher sugar levels in the forage, with tremendous clover and chicory growth.  I’ve seen big leaps in rooting depth with darkening of the soil profile, along with heaps more worms – as much as 30+ per spade square. Pasture yields are up dramatically. The animals lap it up and put on weight fast. Fertiliser options include everything from dry ferts to fine particle and high tech foliar blends. This approach is catching on fast and we service clients throughout both islands and Australia. In the Hawkes Bay, Abron provides cutting edge, high performance farming programs to various dairies, The Amazing Maize, Village Press Olives, horticulture and hundreds of sheep and beef farms. With a better knowledge of the soil, we harness the power of soil microbes to increase photosynthesis and plant production.  This entails the smart use of carefully selected amounts of fertilisers and specialised amendments along with management techniques to boost soil health and production. 

The results are humus rich soils that hold more water and don’t require high input of agricultural chemicals but get great yields. This approach ticks all the environmental boxes while making soils more balanced and effective in delivering to their full potential. We can improve soil quality while providing real solutions to climate change and the environmental challenges of fertiliser leaching into our streams and rivers. It’s about growing great tasting produce that is nutritionally superior and about growing New Zealand’s farming profit.