The Undercover on Cover Crops

This is a fabulous presentation on the potential benefits of soil life under cover crops - it suggests that microbes buffer low soil moisture (a problem that tends to occur with cover crops and pasture crops), build soil carbon and glomalin, increase nitrogen fixation and the release/transfer of other minerals, and overall improve soil aggregates and fertility. It is soil life that is likely to explain why cover crops still perform well despite the drying out of the soil.

Farming For a Sustainable Future

"The answer lies in the soil. How simple is this truth, yet how complex has our society made the issue of carbon sequestration, carbon trading and sustaining life in general? As a farmer speaking out I may risk being labeled as one of the simple folk, but in truth I choose simplicity over complexity. I prefer practicality ahead of process and use Mother Nature as my truest guide in front of scientific recommendations and media hype.." [A fabulous opinion piece on ABC's Unleashed which ought to be forwarded on far and wide]

Detecting Leaf Biology

For the first time, scientists have examined the genes and proteins of bacteria that live on leaves to clarify which unicellular organisms are found on leaf surfaces and what they are doing there. The bacteria in this ecosystem are so numerous that they influence the vital global carbon cycle. Result: whatever the plant, bacteria from the sphingomonas and methylobacterium genera and their proteins always dominated the scenery. Methylobacteria convert the methanol produced by the plants into carbon dioxide for energy and nourishment. Bacteria from the sphingomonas genus, are less specialized and utilize different food and energy sources, such as sugar.

Regenerative Organic Farming

Agriculture is an undervalued and underestimated climate change tool that could be one of the most powerful strategies in the fight against global warming. Nearly 30 years of Rodale Institute soil carbon data show conclusively that improved global terrestrial stewardship--specifically including regenerative organic agricultural practices--can be the most effective currently available strategy for mitigating CO2 emissions.

Putting Perennials into Cropping Systems

Putting perennials into the rotation have been shown to increase yield, lower inputs, limit pests, and increase carbon sequestration. Perennials have 27 times more litter and roots. But they require multi-year investments and can use more water (though water use efficiency seems to increase, see first article above). Trials are finding that no-till is perhaps the best system to proceed with [Though not mentioned, this helps explain why pasture cropping works]

Measuring Grass Proteins via Satellite

For the technophiles, you might enjoy this presentation about using satellites to measure pasture protein. Trials suggest the method is better than visual and nearly the same as clipping and analysis in a laboratory.

The Synergy of Livestock and Crops

So how does livestock change soil properties? Past research suggests livestock can improve soils. But does that happen when used with annual cropping too? Trials are suggesting they might just be. [Note the surprise that hoof action did not seem to result in compacted soils - soil biology was not taken into account in this analysis] The most interesting find for me was that they found soil carbon increased where grazing occurred, but not where it didn't!

Affects of Pasture on Horses

Horse owners frequently experience unexplained changes in their horses temperament and personality. There is a strong correlation between soils and pasture and the raft of health and behavioural problems our horses are plagued with. This paper gives clues as to the cause of many many common horse behavior/health problems.  Aspects of Pasture 19/10/2009,23:21 832.32 Kb

Micro Pigs

Not sure these would have an impact on grazing for carbon! Micro pigs grow to be just 14" tall, and have become so popular that they are now almost impossible to get hold of in Britain. They can live for up to 18 years, but make popular pets as they are low maintenance, quiet and surprisingly clean. [Check out the photos]

Linking Health with Soil

This USDA presentation steps through some of the statistical health crises data on human health, then links health solutions to our farming production systems by, for example, increasing Omega-3, zinc, iron and copper in food. There is a good role for perennials in this it seems.

The Real Cost of Factory Farming

Cheap meat has become a way of life in much of Europe, but the full price is being paid across Latin America as vast soya plantations and their attendant chemicals lead to poisonings and violence The film, Killing Fields: the battle to feed factory farms documents the experiences of some of those caught up in Paraguay's growing conflict over soy farming and reveals, for the first time, how intensive animal farming across the EU, including the UK, is fueling the problem.

Organic Farmers Use Panadol

Putting Farmers on the Menu

"If you're not at the table, you're on the menu," says western Victoria grazier and chairman of The Climate Institute, Mark Wooton. Concern that agriculture is failing to be a constructive player at the emissions trading table has prompted The Climate Institute to develop a discussion paper on how the farm sector might engage with the CPRS, in the hope that it will jolt a useful discussion. [Yay, carbon farming perhaps involves change, and may be confronting to many, but it is so exciting and positive that it ought to be aired and included]

Consequences of Not Being on the Menu

Using a calculator based on the accounting rules used by the Department of Climate Change, farmers are learning what their emissions liability could be - and the tens of thousands of dollars it's going to cost them each year. Farming practices considered sustainable and good for the environment actually count for nothing based on current rules, with some management practices not being recognised under the calculator; notably no-till farming. [Well....perhaps non-chemical no-till and all the other carbon farming methods - no-till still has a cloud of doubt over its ability to sequester carbon anyway] International accounting rules need to be changed to ensure the natural lifecycle and positive attributes of agriculture are better recognised.

Michael Pollan Angers Agribusiness

A planned lecture on sustainable farming by Michael Pollan, author of 'The Omnivore's Dilemma' had to be changed after financial support was pulled by one of California's biggest ranching/feedlot operations.  "While I understand the need to expose students to alternative views, I find it unacceptable that the university would provide Michael Pollan an unchallenged forum to promote his stand against conventional agricultural practices." Some in the industry fear that the highly regarded agriculture school is veering away from its mission of teaching accepted farming practices. [Indeed, don't let those out-of-the box ideas get traction!]

Local GM Canola Hits Supermarkets

For the first time, locally produced genetically modified canola is entering our food chain. From oils to margarine, baby food to snacks, muesli to dairy products, GM canola oil can be found in many processed foods, but consumers are oblivious to what food it is in. "I believe that man's ingenuity can sometimes outrun his common sense."

Buyers Snub GM Canola

Major canola purchasers CBH and Elders will not be buying GM canola this season, in a nod to the market sensibilities of major customers in Europe and Japan. It is expected there will be a $5-15 discount for CS01, which includes GM lines. The pricing spread (between GM and non-GM0) may effect non-GM growers nearest to sites offering the CS01 segregation, with reports that buyers wanting non-GM not wishing to buy from sites co-mingling GM and non-GM segregations for fear of contamination. [Those poor non-GM growers - what did they do to deserve that? Do they get compensated?]

GM Contamination

The expanded GM canola crop this year means 12 GrainCorp silos in Victoria and five in NSW will receive both GM and non-GM canola, stored in separate bins. Last year, only two silos in Victoria did this. Elders have warned that "non-GM growers will have to ensure that they don't deliver to both GM and traditional sites because we won't be able to purchase it".

The Dangers of GM Food

Studies link genetically modified organisms (GMOs) with toxins, allergies, infertility, infant mortality, immune dysfunction, stunted growth, accelerated aging, and death. Whistleblowers were fired, threatened, and gagged. Warnings by FDA scientists were ignored. Expert Jeffrey M. Smith, author of Seeds of Deception, presents the evidence that these gene-spliced crops may lead to health and environmental catastrophes. Consumer choice is the answer, and its already having an impact.

Glyphosate Whistleblower Under Attack

This is a highly revealing interview (originally in Spanish) with Prof Andres Carrasco, who is having to cope with a vicious campaign of vilification in Argentina, involving Monsanto and its cohorts inside and outside of government, as a result of the publication of his findings on glyphosate and embryo development. He doesn't pull his punches. There are eerie echoes of what happened in 1999 with Arpad Pusztai.

Electrolysed Water Cleans Food

Electrolyzed water uses a process that separates the positive and negative ions of brine-water, creating two forms of water, one acidic and one alkaline. It can be used to clean and disinfect food, particularly poultry, and food contact surfaces and is effective against Salmonella, E.coli, Campylobacter and a range of other pathogens.

Community Power

Community power is the idea that neighborhoods and towns can install their own renewable power sources and rely less on electricity that flows from distant realms. But small projects, when grouped together, may add stress to the grid. If one analysis is correct, renewables will not be able to continue to expand without transmission upgrades, raising complex questions about who will pay.

40 Years Without Fossil Fuels

In the 1960s in a isolated Colombian desert an aristocratic Colombian development specialist created Las Gaviotas - a fossil fuel free community. More than two decades after pines were planted, with the help of a mycorrhiza fungus introduced to help digest the poor soils, jacaranda, ferns and laurels have flourished under their cover in what some agronomists call one of the developing world's most astonishing reforestation projects. The village uses resin from the pines for biofuel in its tractors and motorbikes, and processes other resin for sale to use in products like varnishes and linseed oil.

Energy Star Labels Not Tracked

The US Energy Department has concluded in an internal audit that it does not properly track whether manufacturers that give their appliances an Energy Star label have met the required specifications for energy efficiency. Some manufacturers could therefore be putting the stickers on unqualified products.

Pee Before You Fly

Japanese airline ANA thinks full bladders lead to airplanes being weighed down by excrement, so it is implementing a new policy: pee before you fly. The airline is putting up signs at airport gates asking passengers to go to the bathroom. So-called "loo attendants" stand guard as well, asking potential pee-ers if they need to take a trip to the restroom.

Turning Plastics to Oil

Waste plastic is shredded and melted and then processed in a way that separates the petroleum from the rest of the ingredients. The plant could produce up to 60,000 barrels of oil a year, and although some of that oil is used to keep the machinery running, the rest can be sold to an oil company for profit.

Land and Water Australia Closure

In May 2009, the Government decided to cease funding Land & Water Australia. Their website contains important outputs from 19 years of sustainable land use research. You will find a large variety of reports and publications produced by the Corporation, sorted by theme and program. All of these are freely available for use. There is also a brief section on Land & Water Australia, and its news archive at its closure in 2009.

What's New...

I am thrilled to 'officially' introduce you to Hybrid-Ag in Victoria. They have been run off their feet, so despite my pleas for information all year, I have only been able to promote them via a basic webpage that I did up for them a year or so ago. Apparently word-of-mouth has been working overtime, and perhaps this story helps explain why.

"I have attached some photos of a property in Murrindindi which we have been working on for three years. It had been an absolute standout in the area before the massive fires that razed the area last year. These photos give a small glimpse of the stunning recovery of the pastures and ecosystem on this farm. Compared to the neighbouring properties, the volume and value of the feed produced has been remarkable. Much of the surrounding area has turned golden as capeweed has taken over after the fires, but on this property, with some balanced nutrition and biology the grasses are thriving and the animals doing exceptionally well."

 After the fires

Regrowth Post Grazing

Healthy Growth

They have promised me more promotional material soon - so you will get an even better insight into their products and services in the weeks to come.

Soil Foodweb Institute Website

The Soil Foodweb Institute has upgraded its website where you are able to purchase SFI publications and book for seminars, workshops and their popular 2 week intensive University course. At present you can still download their sample submission forms which clearly indicate their current pricing. Very soon you will be able to complete and submit a sample submission form online.

Barrack Damage

Something seems to be going amiss. A subscriber has asked whether anyone has heard about a 'bad' batch of the fungicide Barrack. Damage has been observed on orchard trees, and initially were told that it was rampant across their valley on other trees. A week later they were told it was likely bacterial spot instaed...but it only shows where the spray landed. They managed to link it back to Barrack in the second season, and the damage is quite distressing.

Grant for Sustainable Farming Groups

Woolworths, via Landcare Australia and the federal Minister for Agriculture, have just announced $1m in funding for sustainable farming projects. "The Woolworths Sustainable Farming Grants are an ideal way of fast tracking some of the ideas that farmers and other regional organisations have been considering ...... these grants give farmers the chance to carry out highly innovative projects that would have been otherwise impossible.....The innovations could focus on issues such as climate change adaptation, crop or animal production, water or nutrient use efficiency, management of waste or salinity.... " The grants are available to groups, and will be up to $22,000 (including GST) and applications must be submitted by 9th November.

Liquid Crop Tour Summary

The recent crop tour in the Darling Downs has teased out some more interesting observations from growers using liquid inject techniques. Using some minerals and biology in a liquid mix at the front end of the crop seems to be having major benefits, then sap analysis during crop growth can help identify any adjustments that need to be made. 

Sustainable Farming Workshops

Bob Shaffer is a horticulturist, agronomist and viticulturist for Soil Culture Consulting located in California and a regular presenter at Acres USA conferences. He will be presenting 4 different workshops at Wollongbar 9th - 12th November ranging from compost and soil biology to ground covers and soil minerals. He is also conducting a Masters class designed for consultants, agronomists and practiced biological or organic farmers.

Taste of the Liverpool Plains

The SOS Liverpool Plains Committee invites everyone to experience a weekend on the Liverpool Plains with a wide range of local food tastings, celebrity guests, including cooking (with a Slow Food emphasis) and entertainment at the historic 'Walhollow' Homestead, Caroona 8th November. The Blackville community are also holding their annual art show leading into the weekend 6th November.  Taste of Liverpool Plains 18/10/2009,23:09 691.69 Kb

 Blackville Art Show 18/10/2009,23:10 479.91 Kb

Soil Carbon Farming Conference

The program is out, and it is literally jam-packed with fantastic speakers - from scientists to farmers to foodies. Try and be there at Orange 4th - 5th November.  Conference Program 19/10/2009,00:43 698.55 Kb

Cartoon

Health

Posture Gives Confidence

Researchers found that people who were told to sit up straight were more likely to believe thoughts they wrote down while in that posture concerning whether they were qualified for a job. On the other hand, those who were slumped over their desks were less likely to accept these written-down feelings about their own qualifications.

Skeptical About Flu Vaccines

Some top flu researchers are deeply skeptical of both flu vaccines and antivirals. The flu, in many important respects, remains mysterious, with no cause being found for up to two-thirds of the cases of flu-like illnesses. The flu often does not kill people directly, but rather contributes to death by making the body more susceptible to secondary infections like pneumonia or bronchitis. Then there is the unscientific bias in flu research, which when properly analysed show that flu vaccines have little or no effect, but the established will do anything not to concede this, including circular arguments. An excellent read.

Getting the Science on Vaccines

The recent Fourth International Public Conference on Vaccination in the US raised more than $100,000 to launch an international fund raising campaign for scientific research to investigate health differences between vaccinated and unvaccinated children and identify those at risk for suffering vaccine injury. " We are not going to wait any longer for government or industry to answer the big question..."

Cancer Passed from Mother to Baby

Scientists have proved that it is possible for a mother's cancer cells to be passed to her unborn child. "This is really important research as it adds to the evidence that cancers need to evade the immune system before they can grow, giving hope that by alerting a patient's immune system to a cancer we can develop new types of treatment."

Becoming Pregnant Twice

A pregnant woman in the United States got shocking news when she went in for a routine ultrasound only to find out she is pregnant again. Doctors think Arkansas couple Julia and Todd conceived baby girl Jillian first, and two-and-a-half weeks later conceived baby boy Hudson. Jillian and Hudson have different due dates, and this rare development is called superfetation - when a mother conceives another child while pregnant.

Big Bucks, Big Pharma

The video "Big Bucks, Big Pharma" pulls back the curtain on the multi-billion dollar drug industry to expose the insidious ways that illness is used, manipulated, and created for monetary gain. Direct-To-Consumer drug advertising glamorizes the use of prescription medication, and works in tandem with promotion to doctors. [Fortunately we don't get the blatant advertising in Australia, but doctor 'education' is certainly rampant here] This is an interesting admission: pharmaceutical companies spend twice as much on marketing than R&D, but they always state that marketing does not affect the price of drugs, rather they point to R&D costs...

The Science of Miracles

Everything that exists is connected by a subtle web of energy. It responds to human emotion. Are miracles possible? Gregg Braden is the author of many books including 'The Divine Matrix' which I found absolutely wonderful and includes many of the new scientific discoveries happening.

Heart Surgeon Admits Big Mistake

A heart surgeon with 25 years experience, and over 5,000 open-heart surgeries performed, has decided to right the wrong with medical and scientific fact. Prominent physicians insist that  heart disease results from the simple fact of elevated blood cholesterol, which needs lowering (via drugs) and low-fat diets. But these recommendations are no longer scientifically or morally defensible. Inflammation in the artery wall is the real cause of heart disease. The injury and inflammation in our blood vessels is caused by the low fat diet that has been recommended for years by mainstream medicine. [Please ignore the webmasters inclusion that canola oil is a good source of Omega-3 - in its unprocessed state maybe, but certainly not on the supermarket shelf]

Its Inflammation Not Obesity

Inflammatory responses create various disease processes in the body. Under the stress of inflammation, minerals and vitamins are depleted, circulatory damage is caused, free radicals spike endlessly, immune response becomes excessive but ineffective, pH lowers, endocrine glands become exhausted, digestion diminishes, nerves become frayed and irritable, periodic illness (like a headache every Friday) rules life and brain function decreases. When the body is overloaded with immune and inflammatory complexes that are "stuck on" it takes all the waste by-products and even some of the immune-complex particles and stuffs them into either fat or water... 

Harmonisation vs Freedom of Speech

In October the European Food Safety Authority failed 70% of the over 500 submitted health claims for supplement and nutritional food ingredients. Not a single botanical or probiotic claim drew a positive opinion. "We regard this regulation as probably the greatest infringement of freedom of speech to impact the health food industry anywhere in the world...[This] affects not only labels and supporting marketing material, but also the spoken word. Any health relationship that is not supported by EFSA will soon be banned, making any utterance or writing about such a relationship, when associated with a food or supplement product, an offence punishable by law."

Miscellaneous

The first woman to win the Nobel prize for economics dispels common myths about collectives. The findings of her research have been striking, as the Nobel committee pointed out, because they have challenged the established assumption that common property is poorly managed unless it is either regulated by government or privatised. She has shown how disparate individuals can band together and form collectives that protect the resource at hand. [Yes! Move over governments and let the individuals in]

Events

The calendar is playing up, so most of the links below are directed back to other websites where possible or to a contact email address. If there are no links, look to the related article above.   

* Soil Carbon Farming Conference - Orange 4th - 5th November 2009.

* Blackville Art Show - Blackville NSW 6th November 2009.

* Taste of the Liverpool Plains - Caroona NSW 8th November 2009.

* Sustainable Farming Workshops - Wollongbar NSW 9th - 12th November 2009.

Postscript

Beverage Packing Designs - love the new Evian bottle

What to make with some beer cans -  love the cars and bikes.

7 Secrets only 2 living people know - yes, coke and KFC are there, but the others are bizarre, though the Farmer's Almanac Weather Forecaster is interesting, especially its weather prediction success rate.

10 of the world's weirdest laws - e.g. permission to reincarnate, yellow margarine illegal... 

11 animals that saved lives - pig, goat, whale, bird, dog, horse...

The world's biggest dog - it drinks from a kitchen sink standing on all four paws.