Is No-Till Killing Our Soils?

This interesting Acres Australia article by Cheryl Kemp highlights the dilemma of relying on glyphosate, especially in no-till situations. It follows from a debate I had a few weeks ago about chemical no-till and other farming techniques and the role of rhizodeposition.  Is No Till Killing Our Soils 26/05/2009,22:29 53.00 Kb

Ecosystems Can and Do Recover

Most polluted or damaged ecosystems worldwide can recover within a lifetime if societies commit to their cleanup or restoration, according to an analysis of 240 independent studies by researchers at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, USA. I have always held this belief - it is humans that may not pull through!

Buying Up Arable Land

Spurred on by the global food crisis, nations in the Middle-east and Asia have begun purchasing agricultural land abroad in order to make-up for a lack of arable land at home. Due to water shortages across the region, Middle-eastern nations like Qatar, Jordan, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia have turned largely to Africa for thousands upon thousands of hectares of land, while massive populations and dwindling land has led India, South Korea, and China to also buy up farmland overseas.

Connecting Soil to Good Food

This is a fascinating insight to David Wolfe - a renowned raw food nutritionist. His parents were both medical doctors, but he quickly saw that the conventional model was broke. He started a journey into understanding health through food, and along the way saw the obvious links with soil.

He then goes on to explain the importance of microbiology. We have a 100 times more bacteria living on us and outside of us and in us than we have cells in our body. He is currently working on functional probiotics and other ideas that deal with this idea directly.

The Downfall of The Green Revolution

Even model 'green revolution' farmers are turning organic in India. For about 20 years, the Green Revolution worked wonders. Crop yields and income soared. But then, things unraveled. Soil was deteriorating, so farmers had to buy more and more fertilizer every year to grow the same amount of crops. No matter how much pesticide was sprayed, insects still destroyed large portions of his crops. Sound familiar?

The Good and the Bad of Biochar

Enthusiasts say that biochar could go a long way towards mitigating climate change and bring with it a host of ancillary benefits. But others fear it could do more harm than good. At best we know too little, say critics, and at worst using biochar to sequester carbon could ultimately lead to unintended consequences, including the destruction of virgin forests to make way for plantations. Personally, I say why an expensive centralised factory when living biodiverse plants can do the job with less logistics and money.

Biochar Supporters

There is no commercial biochar production in Australia yet but there is palpable excitement; about 200 people attended a biochar conference on the Gold Coast last week. Others were turned away. It unites the passions of Malcolm Turnbull, Tim Flannery and James Lovelock. And a company is about take steps towards commercialisation. Good perhaps, but like most other carbon proponents, it only focuses on biomass utilisation, not the direct liquid carbon route through a living plant.

Poor Carbon Under Zero-Till

Research into short-medium term changes in soil carbon under zero tillage cropping systems and perennial vegetation on the Liverpool Plains concludes that much of the inland cropping country in eastern Australia is not conducive to accumulation of soil carbon under continuous cropping, but does accumulate under several years of healthy perennial pastures in rotation with zero tillage cropping. Imagine if they studied pasture cropping - putting the two enterprises together in the same space and time!!

Green Cross Interview

Green Cross Australia CEO Mara Bun talks to Alan Lauder about Carbon Grazing in 2 parts (1) and (2) - covering the main points on how to capture carbon into the landscape and the benefits for farmers. It also discusses methane and the carbon trading market.

Carbon Trading Financing Toxic Pollution

A factory being financed by carbon credits is responsible for polluting water and soils on surrounding land - to the point that neighbouring inhabitants are being poisoned without acknowledgment or compensation. A horrible tale of the non-holistic approach to being so-called 'green' which is not limited to this case alone. The UN carbon off-setting scheme is filled with similar examples of companies with poor environmental and human rights records being financially rewarded.

Fungi Benefits

Fungi are everywhere, on every continent and in every sea, floating in the air, lacing through the soil, resting on your skin, colonizing mucosal cavities within, and festively decorating that long-neglected peach. And though some fungi are pathogenic and will kill the living tissue they have penetrated, the vast majority are benign, and many are essential to the life forms around them.

Trees Help Us Live Longer

People living in areas with more parks, trees and grass live longer and happier lives, with less violence and improved mental and physical health, according to research presented at the conference of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Chicago. And communities with more green space have lower levels of crime and violence than communities with more green space.

Death of Old Trees

In response to last week's article on the death of the oldest and largest trees within California's world famous Yosemite National Park, Hugh Lovel of Ag-Physics commented:

"I have to agree with you. The trees can take a lot of pollution, but they can't take auto pollution. It works like this. There is a huge amount of auto pollution in California, and most of it generally blows eastward up against the mountains where precipitation (usually snow in winter) settles it out. Unlike the coal burning power plants in other parts, auto pollution is not famous for acid rain because it is low sulphur; but it does contain significant amounts of nitrous oxides that generally precipitate as nitrates. You've seen it in agricultural land that when nitrates leach the first thing they deplete the soil of is its borates, as there is no stronger affinity in the periodic table as boron and nitrogen, and it's easy to deplete the soil of boron because there is so little of it. The hell of it for the big old trees is boron is absolutely essential for sap pressure, and the big trees need a lot of it. So they progressively die back from the tops, while the younger trees of their species have no trouble. So the young trees look fine, and even get a boost from the nitrogen, but the old trees are buggered."

Benefits of Hemp Seed Oil

Having spent nearly 7 years of my adult life researching hemp fibre and hemp seed oil, I was thrilled to see this article articulating the benefits of the hemp plant so well. Hemp oil is preferable to many other forms of Omega-3 laden oils like fish oils and flax oils for many reasons. And the seed can be used for so many other health food products as well. I remember going to world conferences and seeing hemp tofus, icecreams and even breads. And it really does have a wonderful nut flavour.

The History of Canola Oil

Its really not a pretty history, but interesting nonetheless. As many realise, canola oil is a genetic modification of rapeseed, but it's so-called health claims are flimsy, and the route to becoming the cheap premier oil for processed foods seems to hide some murky stories.

Golden Rice Scandal Unfolds

A group of scientists have claimed that GM Golden Rice trials were in breach of the Nuremberg Code of Ethics because they were conducted on children. The ‘Golden Rice' in the trials (GR2) appears to be an experimental collection of transgenic events still in the laboratory, uncharacterised in terms of basic molecular genetics or biological and biochemical properties, not tested pre-clinically on animals, or subjected to any other safety assessment.

Creating A Commodity from Thin Air

I said exactly the same thing a few years ago... Under the proposed climate-change bill the U.S. government would literally make a commodity - as tradable as a Pontiac or a pork belly - out of thin air. Today, carbon dioxide and methane are invisible, free and floating all around us. This bill would put a price on them. The proposal would also create official carbon "offsets" -- in some cases, a government-certified hypothetical calculation of an amount of gases that would have been emitted but were not. Those, too, could be bought by polluters.

Climate Change Musing

And in response to the Climate Change articles last week Hugh Lovel adds:

"Another thing that puzzles me. Global warming is blamed on carbon dioxide emission, which mostly has been soaked up by the oceans and is acidifying them, causing serious problems to ocean life - but it is nowhere near the bane of global climate stability that denuding the land has been. Denude the land and you no longer soak up the sunlight and store the energy. Then with a carbon dioxide blanket you do get global warming - which drives the world's weather systems more fiercely causing droughts, floods and both extremes of hot summers and cold winters.

Steven Chu, Obama's science adviser, has endorsed whitewashing roofs, roads, buildings, etc. as a way to reduce global warming-and it will help a little. But it will reflect the heat back up into the atmosphere driving the world's weather more and more strongly. Do we really want that? What do you think all the floods we've just had were about? There's a lot more water evaporating from the oceans than there used to be - which keeps the oceans temperatures from rising all that much. That moisture has to fall somewhere and it can't fall where the earth has been laid bare and turned into a radiator. If you look at settled areas where it is hot and dry and the houses, etc. are all painted white, that's what you've got - a radiator that drives away clouds and rain. It is imperative that we re-vegetate the earth and keep it re-vegetated - not only in agricultural and forestry lands, but also in deserts and cities. THAT would cool things down a LOT. I don't get it that whole systems approaches lose out in the myopia of single factor analysis. Come on, folks, let's wake up and look at the big, many-faceted picture. Single factor analysis is about as useful as spitting in the face of a big gorilla."

Changing Definitions to Help Agriculture

There is a movement within the agricultural industry to address weaknesses in carbon cap and trade (Kyoto Agreement) definitions, with the aim of presenting a new standard to the Obama administration, and ultimately influencing global inclusion of agriculture on the carbon reduction stage. This is the Draft Agricultural Soil Credit Standard for viewing and commenting on. Please feel free to submit your comments from an Australian perspective to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it of the Carbon Coalition.  Draft Soil Credit Standard 27/05/2009,23:42 41.00 Kb

This provides the background and outlines the Standard in detail.  Ag Soil Credit Standard V5 27/05/2009,23:46 235.89 Kb

Censoring Michael Pollan

Washington State University is drawing the wrath of the sustainable-food community after word leaked out that pressures from agribusiness had caused the school to pull Michael Pollan's best-selling book "The Omnivore's Dilemma" off the reading list for college freshmen.

All in the Name of Sound Science

What an interesting insight into the furtive world of conservative think tanks, where 'sound science' is used to undermine public confidence in the scientific community. They have worked out how science, not just the legislative arena, could be a means of influencing policy. The debate on DDT and malaria interweaves itself into a range of environmental issues designed to thwart environmentalists - e.g. environmentalists are to blame for millions of malaria deaths. The campaigns have included tobacco and looks like heading into health reform.

Paying to Leave Oil in the Ground

An idea envisions wealthy countries effectively paying Ecuador to leave its oil - and the carbon dioxide that would result from using it - in the ground. Environmentalists hail the proposal as a potentially precedent-setting approach to conservation in developing countries. But the devil is in the details of how.

Geothermal Pollution Problems

Geothermal energy has always been thought of as a clean, renewable form of power, but since one of Iceland's power plants began operation, various problems have come to light. It appears that hydrogen sulfide and mercury found in the steam is polluting the air and corroding items and killing vegetation.

Bottled Water

A graphic presentation of the cost of bottled water to the environment - both on land and in water, in energy, in pollution and of course in dollars to you. Really something to consider when you next make a purchase.

The Long Arm of the Law or Not?

Know the difference between legal and lawful? This is a incredible expose about the difference between Common Law and Statute Law. It draws from history, in particular the Magna Carta. But more importantly it relates it all back to humans vs corporations. Statute laws relate to corporations and require your consent to be enforced... Ever wondered why you are called to the dock in court, and why the layout of a court room resembles a ship? Absolutely fascinating.

What's New...

Now this is exciting, partly because I used to work with Ash Martin many years ago, but more because he is finally putting his mycorrhizal knowledge and soil biology expertise up for public consumption. His lab, Creative Innovation Agriculture and Forestry, is conducting soil biology tests with a difference, which will be incredibly useful for assessing soil health and program efficacy - and the prices are remarkably affordable. As well as the listed tests, the lab is capable of assessing other biological markers, and can custom design tests to track specific changes over time. A wonderful tool for those wanting to know exactly what might be happening under their feet.

Australian Story - Maarten Stapper

Maarten Stapper is the subject of this week's 'Australian Story' on ABC1 Saturday 6th June 12.30pm. As the promo goes: Dr Maarten Stapper is a man with some fascinating ideas on how to manage our land better... As an advocate for biological farming, Dr Stapper has paid a high price for promoting a greener, cleaner way to grow food...

Bionutrient Solution Clearance Sale

Bionutrient Solutions are clearing excess stock and are prepared to clear Guano Powder suitable for pasture topdressing at 33% below cost to $600ex/tonne ex Moree (25kg bags, but minimum 1 tonne lots)

They are also offering 1 tonne lots of 25kg bags of Fulvic Acid Powder at $275ex per bag ($11/kg) ex Moree (discounted from $375/bag). Prices valid until 10th June or stocks runs out. Call 02 6752 7583.

SLEX 2009 Live.Garden.Farm

The wonderfully successful Sustainable Living Expo in Armidale is coming around again with 25, 26 & 27th September 2009 confirmed. The organisers are currently calling for interested exhibitors. It would be great to see some of you showing off your wares there.

Lachlan Grazing Management Project Field Day

This project is demonstrating how production, soil health and biodiversity can be improved through the application of high density short duration planned grazing with full pasture recovery before the next grazing event. Several farmers who are participating in the Lachlan Grazing Management Project will share their experiences and learnings to date with the community. Lake Cowal 18th June.  Lachlan Grazing Field Day 02/06/2009,05:54 576.06 Kb

Health

Whooping Cough

Fear is one of the most effective marketing tools - and boy, is it used to great effect with vaccines. So what is the truth about pertussis (whooping cough)...Living Wisdom magazine has put together a great story with the real statistics. You really need to look behind the headlines to get to the bottom of anything.  Pertussis 09 30/04/2009,23:54 579.14 Kb

Low Dose Naltrexone

Low dose Naltrexone can have amazing effects on arthritis, lupus, and other autoimmune diseases.  It is conventionally used to treat drug- and alcohol addiction. Naltrexone has immunomodulating properties that may be able to successfully treat cancer malignancies, and a wide range of autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, fibromyalgia, and Crohn's disease, just to name a few. Added benefits include its low-cost, and few, if any, of the detrimental side effects you normally experience with pharmaceutical drugs.

Erythritol Sweetener

Erythritol is a sugar alcohol, a sweetener that does not provide as many calories as sugar. But the reason that sugar alcohols provide fewer calories than sugar is because they are not completely absorbed into your body. For this reason, high intakes of foods containing sugar alcohols can lead to abdominal gas and diarrhea. It is an ingredient of Coca-Cola's VitaminWater range.

Forced Chemotherapy

This article doesn't pull the punches, but does put forward a remarkable testament that chemotherapy is not the only choice people have for cancer treatment. Unfortunately in the US, it has pretty much turned into gunpoint medicine with patients being forced to submit to institutional forms of treatment.

Banning Mobile Phones in Schools

Not a bad idea. Mobile telephones are to be banned from French primary schools, and operators must offer handsets that allow only text messages, under government measures to reduce the health risk to children.

Multivitamins Linked to Anti-Aging

The cells of multivitamin users may have a younger biological age than cells from non-users, according to new research from the US.

Alpha Relaxation for Kids

By learning to orient their thinking at the alpha brain wave frequency using the Alpha Relaxation techniques, children can achieve anything they set their minds on! They can attract anything they desire, get the top grades, work smarter, and even have abundance of free time and money! By harnessing this internal power of the subconscious, they can apply their charismatic skills and purpose to achieve the goals that are best for them and Humanity.

Swine Flu a Human Mistake?

The World Health Organization is investigating a claim by Australian researcher Adrian Gibbs, who says that the swine flu virus circling the globe may have been created as a result of human error. Gibbs originally collaborated on research that led to the development of Tamiflu.

Cutting Umbilical Cords Too Early?

Newborn lungs exist in a "compacted state" suitable for the womb. When the infant is born, the placenta and cord pulse for up to 20 minutes, delivering a burst of blood volume to the infant's system. This blood burst is just what is needed for the lungs of the newborn to expand. But often hospitals clamp umbilical cords - within minutes of birth.

Raw Food Benefits

This is an interesting interview from a raw food advocate of many years, but more importantly a researcher of history as well. As he states: its easy to tell if raw food is bad, even before it reaches the mouth, but cooking food allows you to take bad food and present it as if it was good.

Talking Up BPA

With bans on Bisphenol A spreading around the world, food-packaging executives and lobbyists for the chemical makers are hammering out a strategy, including showcasing a pregnant woman to talk about the chemical's benefits! The meeting, of course, was private.

Calcium Fluoride vs Sodium Fluoride

The difference in enormous - one is natural and safe, the other is an extremely toxic industrial waste - so which one do you think is used in our conventinal toothpastes and municipal water???

Blatant Lies by Drug Company

Drug giant AstraZeneca instructed its sales representatives to tell doctors that there was no link between its antipsychotic drug Seroquel and an increased risk of diabetes, even though studies conducted by the company had already shown otherwise. Its nice to know that it is our health they are concerned for - not profits...

Miscellaneous

How do you describe this one! Imagine being able to interact your everyday life with all the information available on the internet? It's referred to as a sixth sense. As you look at a book cover, additional information pops up in front of you to read; or you set up a shopping criteria (ie environmental wants) and when you pick up a product you are told if the product suits your choice; or you draw a watch on your hand and look up the time whenever... hard to describe, but a fascinating vision.

And imagine taking some DNA - from skin or hair samples, reading the genetic code to then photoshop a face! Forensic scientists are working on that possibility, which will make it near impossible for criminals to get away with their crimes - even if they have not been identified as a suspect first.

Events

* Lachlan Grazing Management Project Field Day - Lake Cowal NSW 18th June 2009.

* SLEX 2009 Live.Garden.Farm - Armidale NSW 25th - 27th September 2009.

Postscript

Rudd, Gillard and Swan are flying on the Executive Airbus to a gathering in Canberra when Rudd turns to Gillard and says, chuckling,

'You know, I could throw a $1000 bill out the window right now and make someone very happy.'

Gillard shrugs and replies, 'Well, I could throw ten $100 bills out the window and make ten people happy.'

Not to be outdone, Swan says, 'Well I could throw a hundred $10 bills out the window and make a hundred people happy.'

The pilot, who had overheard all of this, rolls his eyes and says to his co-pilot,  

'Such arrogant jerks back there. Heck, I could throw all three of them out the window and make 21 million people happy.'