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Natural Sequence Farming in Central West NSW, Species Selection by Grazing Management, FAO Supports Grassland Improvement, Liquid Injecting Compost Tea, The Links Between Phosphorus and Yield, Land Disputes to War, Interested in a Biological Abbattoir?, Awesome Ants, GM Eucalypts, Glyphosate Resistance, Monsanto Too Good, Soil Carbon Trading Facts, Climategate to the US, Moving Weather Posts, Recycling Batteries, Nanosilver Migrates to Environment, SFI Newsletter, Neal Kinsey in New Zealand, Certificate in Sustainable Agriculture, 70 Ways to Wellness, Policy Workshop for Women, Soil Health and Sustainable Living Workshop, Practical Carbon Farming, Health (just a another drug, fructose history, flu pandemic rort, ownership of a virus, treating pain holistically, mobile phone history, Dr Wakefield and MMR, creating disease to sell a drug, gardasil still harming), Quote, Cartoon, Miscellaneous, Events, Postscript
Natural Sequence Farming in Central West NSW
The Lake Cowal Foundation (LCF) undertook the first Natural Sequence Farming trial project in the Australian semi-arid zone in 2006 and has been working closely with many partners on this project since then. A Master of Environment research project was developed to assess the performance of the leaky weirs in relation to the condition of Spring Creek. This is an interview at the completion of this Masters in July 2009. [This is wonderful] By the way, Peter Hill is looking for other worthy ecoag projects to document - please feel free to contact him. Species Selection by Grazing Management
FAO Supports Grassland Improvement
Livestock and pastoral systems have a major role to play in climate change mitigation, a new review by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) argues. "In view of the vast extent of grasslands and rangelands and the degraded nature of large areas of these systems, the potential to sequester carbon through improved management is significant." Improved grazing management is cited as the most important tool for sequestering carbon, with well-managed grazing usually preferable to leaving grasslands untouched. Liquid Injecting Compost Tea
Bio TX 500 is an extracted compost tea that is applied as liquid injection at sowing. This practice injects living organisms around the seed, having a profound effect on fertility factors such as nutrient cycling, phosphorus and zinc availability, Extracted compost tea (BioTX 500) has been used in Bill Daly’s 800 hectare cropping regime over the past five years resulting in improved nitrogen fixation, tilth, hormonal and enzymatic influences and disease prevention. A three year trial has shown that farmers can reduce nitrogen and phosphorus inputs and fix free atmospheric nitrogen and solubilise ‘locked-up’ phosphorus when using microbial liquid injection. For more information contact Ylad Living Soils, or check out their testimonials at the bottom of their webpage.
The Links Between Phosphorus and Yield
Photosynthesis is all about the production of sugars and their conversion to higher compounds within the plant, ie grain or fruit/fibre. So if the cause of cotton boll shedding (for example) is lack of carbohydrate sugars, why not target improving sugar levels so there is not only plant energy for holding fruit, but surplus for the requirements of boll fill and its impact on fibre quality? Phosphorus is the key to sugar production in plants and the transfer of energy through the plant. Low leaf phosphorus reduces plant capacity for sugar production and its transfer to fruiting parts. [This is a great overview of the physiology of plants by Bionutrient Solutions]
Land Disputes to War
In light of Peter Spencer's call to sort out land ownership, this article argues that it is often land disputes that result in wars, and sorting them out early is an ideal way of preventing wars. But unfortunately such disputes are ignored until the war is underway in earnest. Prevention doesn't sell. What does sell – what gets airtime, aid dollars, and military or other attention – is the violent chaos the world fails to prevent.
Interested in a Biological Abbattoir?
It's been talked about amongst many ecoag graziers for a couple of years now, but I would like to throw out the concept publicly to gauge the real interest. There is a small abbattoir on the outskirts of Inverell that could possibly be turned into a commercial venture. Interest for such an enterprise is coming from biological and organic farmers of cattle, sheep, goats and pigs - ie, those farmers that do not use chemicals, but focus solely on quality, who find that butchering and selling their unique healthy enhancing meats has been an expensive logistical nightmare to date.
One of the farmers has just put his hand up to investigate all the legal and regulative requirements for such an enterprise (by-the-way, his meat is testing at a phenonmenal 2:1 omega6:omega3 ratio!!), and we have a local veterinarian willing to take on an inspection role. We also happen to have a skilled workforce that could be tapped into courtesy of Inverell's Bindaree Beef abbattoir...
Email me if you would be at all seriously interested in such a facility and would like to be updated on any progress. It could be marketed as a boutique butchery for high quality local chemical-free meats with the ability to brand products back to individual farms.
Awesome Ants
Ants and human beings have much in common, including that both species have globally conquered the planet. We are both highly socialized creatures, agriculturists and ruthless in warfare. Both depend on forests for sustenance. Ants are of crucial importance in dispersing and planting large numbers of seeds. They move more soil than earthworms, circulate vast amounts of soil nutrients and essentially keep forests healthy. One colony of ants were split by a highway, and an oak forest soon started to die back. A conservation group created tunnels under the highway to reconnect the colony. Within a few years the dying forests began to stabilize.
GM Eucalypts
Two industry giants, International Paper Co. and MeadWestvaco Corp., are planning to transform plantation forests of the southeastern United States by replacing native pine with genetically engineered eucalyptus, a rapidly growing Australian tree that in its conventional strains now dominates the tropical timber industry. The new genes confer frost resistance and infertility.
Glyphosate Resistance
Massive adoption of transgenic glyphosate-resistant crops has meant "excessive reliance" on glyphosate for weed control. A vigorous weed of cotton fields in the south-east United States, Palmer amaranth, has been found capable of resisting the effects of glyphosate through "gene amplification. "With this development, we have an even stronger basis to urge world agriculture to use glyphosate-resistant crop technology more wisely than has occurred until now."
Monsanto Too Good
Forbes magazine has declared Monsanto “Company of the Year,” calling criticism of the notorious company “vicious” attacks against a company that “has been working to make humanity better fed.” Forbes argues the attacks come because Monsanto are making “seeds that are too good.” [Mmmmm]
Soil Carbon Trading Facts
In response to the article 'Soil Carbon Warning' last week, the following comments came through from Michael Kiely of the Carbon Coalition, where he sets the record straight. "No soil carbon trading program forces the individual farmer to carry the risk. The CCX and its affiliates use a "Buffer Pool" of credits. For every 5 tonnes of CO2-e a farmer submits in the CCX world, only 4 can be sold. 20% are retained in a vault, never to be sold, as a surety against catastrophic or man-made losses. To reflect the increased danger of bushfire and drought in Australia, the Prime Carbon system puts one tonne in the vault for every tonne sold. The farmer is therefore part of a large collective self-insurance system."
Climategate to the US
Moving Weather Posts
The argument over weather stations, and how it affects an important set of data on global warming, has led to accusations of scientific fraud and may yet result in a significant revision of a scientific paper that is still cited by the UN's top climate science body. [Gosh, even more cover-ups] Recycling Batteries
Under a European directive, every shop selling more than a pack of batteries a day will be forced to accept old batteries for recycling and most are expected to set up in-store collection points, typically in the form of a cardboard box by the door. Some town halls, libraries and schools will voluntarily offer the service. [Gosh, I am unaware of any such system in Australia] Nanosilver Migrates to Environment
Silver nanoparticles used as antimicrobials in fabric can leach out of clothes as they are being washed. One brand lost over half of its silver content from the fabric with just two washings. It raises the question of whether the nanosilver is also transferred to your skin during normal wear, and, certainly, it washes down your drain and out into the environment. What do nanosilver particles do when they’re widely released into the environment? Nobody knows.
SFI Newsletter
January's Soil Foodweb Institute's newsletter includes details on the upcoming SFI university course (highly recommended!); GM Canola concerns; turning soil into a carbon sink with compost; microbes in cattle; compost tea for dicot weeds; pesticide persistence in compost; home composting scheme.
Neal Kinsey in New Zealand
This is a rare opportunity to learn from one the foremost practitioners of Albrecht soil fertility balancing and successful author of "Hands On Agronomy" - Neal Kinsey. Make a positive change in your production. If you are thinking about making the transition from chemical to biological agriculture, do not miss this workshop. Whangarei 2-4 March, Hamilton 9-11 March (New Zealand).
Certificate in Sustainable Agriculture
An international four day course educating farmers and consultants on strategies for sustainable farming - a key component for farming for the future. The Certificate in Sustainable Agriculture features the Nutri-Tech Solutions Management Approach where biological agronomists cover every aspect of microbe, soil and plant nutrition (and protection). The four days feature Mineral Management, Microbe Management, Plant Management and Pest Management with Human Health Management interspersed throughout.The next course dates are in: March 1st - 4th in Yandina and Taree 15th - 18th March (a heavily subsidised course - v. cheap!). They are FarmReady approved leaving no excuses! It's a brilliant way to kick-start your transition from chemical farming to biological farming.
70 Ways to Wellness
Be entertained and inspired while you learn about.....• Fats and heart disease; • Avoiding prostate problems; • Strategies to reduce insulin excess; • The ultimate wellness tool – your veggie garden! Listen to Graeme Sait of Nutri-Tech Solutions in Taree 17th March.
Policy Workshop for Women
Do you want to learn more about how policy is developed and influenced? Do you want to be equipped to influence the future of our land and communities? Book your spot in this vital seminar and make a positive contribution. Special Guest is Janice Jiggins, internationally recognized for her contribution to agriculture,
environment and gender issues. She has worked for the UN, EU and World Bank. Toowoomba 17th February.
Soil Health and Sustainable Living Workshop
Understanding your soil is a fundamental tool to have in creating profitable and sustainable farming systems. This workshop hosted by Munash Natural Fertilisers will include expert advice from Professor Stuart Hill who believes that “deep sustainability means transforming, not reforming agriculture.” This is not an ordinary soil workshop as the focus is a social ecology approach “it is about how to use nature as a model and source of inspiration”. Grenfell 11th February.
Practical Carbon Farming
This is a 2-day FarmReady Workshop (23rd - 24th February) in Bungendore about how to be part of the Climate Change solution, improve your soils and the environment, and enjoy more satisfying farming. Hosted by Mulloon Creek Natural Farms and presented by Michael and Louisa Kiely of Carbon Coation who will run you through the pitfalls and problems you could face; what are the risks, all while you learn what you need to know to make a safe decision about soil carbon. To register email
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or call 02 6374 0329.
Health
Just Add Another Drug
If one drug doesn't get rid of your symptoms, then simply add another - that's the message on this US ad. Do people really buy into this thinking? Note the list of side-effects that literally takes up half the ad space. It's much like watching the GM story or financial bail out story - people actually believe it.
Fructose History
What if you were to learn that every day, 25% of your calories came from a poison, disguised as a food? High Fructose Corn Syrup was invented in 1966 in Japan and introduced to the American market in 1975. Food and beverage manufacturers began switching their sweeteners from sucrose (table sugar) to corn syrup when they discovered that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) was far cheaper to make -- sucrose costs about three times as much as HFCS. Fructose is not the same as sugar.
Flu Pandemic Rort
The truth is out. More than half of the experts advising the World Health Organisation (WHO) to declare swine flu a 'pandemic' are linked to drug-makers that have reaped huge profits from untested vaccines and flu drugs. Seven other WHO experts have ties to the pharmaceutical industry, most of them not declared on the WHO website.
Ownership of a Virus
Developing nations have long fought passionately over plant and native human genes, but no one had ever before staked claim to microbes that birds could carry anywhere. Yet the Indonesian health minister insisted she had cause: Rich Western nations were patenting the viral genomes of the avian and swine flu, then using the information to create vaccines that were sold for profit to other Western powers while not benefiting Indonesia at all. [Curious twist on the flu story!]
Treating Pain Holistically
What a delight to discover a subscriber is also a holistic pain doctor who has put together a DIY online pain support guideline. I've just been working through my shoulder pain and discovering more about my internal workings - but it also covers all other pains and explains the anatomy of the pain, likely causes and appropriate treatments and relief.
Mobile Phone History
The evidence is starting to pour in, and it's not pretty. The only honest way to think of our cell phones is that they are tiny, low-power microwave ovens, without walls, that we hold against the sides of our heads. The coverups began many decades ago and continue. Even before cell phones were developed, the evidence was there! And Wi-fi is just as bad. "It just so happens that the frequencies and modulations of our cell phones seem to be the frequencies that humans are particularly sensitive to."
Dr Wakefield and MMR
A common strategy - focus on something else and ignore the real problem. Dr Wakefield who first suggested a link between MMR vaccinations and autism has been found to have acted unethically. This may well be true (he really wanted to find the cause of these distressing problems) - but his 'conviction' is not about whether Dr Wakefield's findings were right or wrong, instead it's only focused on his methods of research. Yet many are using the 'unethical' research methods as a means of saying his results were wrong.... who is kidding who?
It appears that Dr Wakefield was being pressured against speaking about any suspected links 5 months before the article was originally published - which is interesting. The content was obviously viewed as a hot potato before it went public.
Creating Disease to Sell a Drug
Osteopenia is different from osteoporosis -- it is a slight thinning of bones that occurs naturally as women get older and typically doesn't result in disabling bone breaks. Until the early 1990’s, only a handful of people had even heard of the word. But osteopenia has transformed from a rarely heard word into a problem that millions of women swallow pills to treat. The story wraps around the pharmaceutical industry yet again.
Gardasil Still Harming
As of January, 2010, there were more than 17,000 reports of adverse reactions regarding this vaccine in the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System. Among them are 59 deaths, 18 of which were among girls under the age of 17. In an analysis comparing the vaccine to another for meningitis (Menactra), the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) found that, compared to Menactra, Gardasil was associated with: At least twice as many emergency room visit reports (5,021); Four times as many death reports (29); Seven times as many disabled reports (261); Three to six times more fainting reports
Quote
"Real change isn't motivated by either crisis or fear. The best inspiration comes from those who can create compelling and positive visions of the future."
-Alan Deutschman
Cartoon
Miscellaneous
Lies, lies, lies. It's amazing watching a replay of election promises and then noting the future reality. Obama's pledge for transparency with healthcare reform, can only now be referred to as Stealthcare Reform. Just incredible. And don't think Rudd has a better track record. Listen or read Senator Ron Paul's summary of the situation below this Obama story - it truly is a surreal world.
And this story was pulled from UK's The Telegraph just an hour or so after it was posted. It reports that fears of a euro breakup have reached the point where the European Central Bank feels compelled to issue a legal analysis of what would happen if a country tried to leave the monetary union. The analysis talks of half a century of ever-closer union creating a "new legal order" that transcends a "largely obsolete concept of sovereignty" and imposes a "permanent limitation" on the states' rights.
Events
* Soil Health and Sustainable Living Workshop - Grenfell NSW 11th February 2010.
* Policy Workshop for Women - Toowoomba Qld 17th February 2010.
* Practical Carbon Workshop - Bungendore NSW 23rd - 24th February 2010.
* Certificate in Sustainable Agriculture - Yandina Qld 1st - 4th March 2010.
* Neal Kinsey Workshop - Whangarei New Zealand 2nd - 4th March 2010.
* Neal Kinsey Workshop - Hamilton New Zealand 9th - 11th March 2010.
* Certificate in Sustainable Agriculture - Taree NSW 15th - 18th March 2010.
* 70 Ways to Wellness - Taree NSW 17th March 2010.
Postscript
The Salvation Army realized that it had never received a donation from the city's most successful lawyer. So a Salvation Army volunteer made an appointment to see the lawyer in his lavish office.
The volunteer opened the meeting by saying, ‘Our research shows that even though your annual income is over two million dollars, you don't give a cent to charity. Wouldn't you like to give something back to your community through the Salvation Army?'
The lawyer thought for a moment and said, ‘First, did your research also show you that my mother is dying after a long, painful illness and has huge medical bills that are far beyond her ability to pay?’
Embarrassed, the Salvation Army volunteer mumbled, ‘Uh... no, I didn't know that.'
'Secondly,’ says the lawyer, ‘did it show that my brother, a disabled Veteran, is blind, confined to a wheelchair and is unable to support his wife and six children?'
The stricken volunteer began to stammer an apology, but was cut off again.
'Thirdly,’ the lawyer said, ‘did your research also show you that my sister's husband died in a dreadful car accident, leaving her penniless with a mortgage and the burden of supporting three children, one of whom is disabled and another who has learning disabilities requiring an array of private tutors?'
Completely beaten, the humiliated Salvation Army volunteer said, ‘I'm so sorry. I had no idea.’
And then the lawyer said,
‘So, if I don't give any money to them, what makes you think I'd give any to you?' |
