Natural Sequence Farming Hitting Mainstream

Compost teas, cell-grazing and Natural Sequence Farming are apparently inspiring graziers in Central Queensland which is brilliant news! There is also a short video attached to this article with Peter Andrews.

Alternative Energy

More and more ideas are popping up about sourcing clean green energy - from filling the skies with soot to block the sun, to cultivating oceans of seaweed to absorb the atmosphere's heat-trapping carbon dioxide. One idea that even the Pentagon is starting to investigate is beaming energy down from satellites because solar energy is eight times more powerful in outer space than it is after passing through Earth's atmosphere. Mmmm, worrying technology that could bring benefits, but likely to have a huge downside if put into the wrong hands.

Global Warming

Australia's Prof. Ian Plimer supports the fact that water vapour is more significant in atmospheric warming than CO2 and has some other interesting comments to make on man's unlikely influence on climate.

This short video visually shows the increased sunspot activity from the sun between 1996 - 2001 with an attached thought-provoking article on new evidence suggesting increasing radiation is responsible for recent global climate changes.

And the admission that no one knows what actually happens to most of the CO2 released by man is interesting. The importance of vegetation as a sink seems to wax and and wane throughout this article which is frustrating. While reading, keep in mind that they are only measuring existing vegetation and agricultural plant growth, which is only a shadow of what the land would have and could be capable of. Also note that man-induced dehydrated landscapes set the scene for severe droughts and raging bushfires - not just climate change itself - humans need to take responsibility in this area surely.

Interestingly the melting of the arctic does appear to be due to more than rising atmospheric CO2 - and while the scientists hold onto the man-made impact theory, they seem to agree that nature does this sort of thing anyway.

Too Many Trees

What a shame - Tree Plantations Australia, is backing the Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association in believing that trees are agriculture's answer to climate change. They are supporting the use of prime agricultural land to establish tree plantations. The ability of soils and pastures to sequester massive amounts of CO2 (more than trees and over longer time frames) is being sadly ignored.

The True Cost of Food

What a fabulous animation! It's simply, but effectively demonstrates the true of cost of conventionally produced food vs natural organic food. What you eat affects so much more than just your own well-being.

And the so-called greenwashing of 'environmental' products helps hide these costs - claims of being organic, energy efficient, chemical-free etc are often misleading or totally incorrect. The Six Sins of Greenwashing has been put together by an eco marketing company to highlight some of the tricks in the trade which no doubt many of us have already suspected.

Native Foods

Traditional native Australian bushfoods are being treated as 'novel' foods in the EU, requiring a lot of scientific proof, and creating export barriers. Codex seems to be flexing its muscles again, and doesn't seem to be acknowledging traditional knowledge and use yet.

Gary Zimmer Newsletter

This Midwestern Bio-Ag newsletter (Winter 2007) has great articles about soil and animal health, some written by Gary himself. Note that many of the products mentioned have equivalents here in Australia - contact me.

Part of this newsletter is dedicated to describing healthy animals from pasture - and this video furthers that idea with a wonderfully passionate dairy farmer explaining the digestive system of cattle and the effects of bacteria and antibiotics on it, and the follow through to human disease - including Crohn's disease. There is also a good overview of milk treatments and their associated problems.

Arden Anderson Workshop

Arden Anderson is a soil scientist, agricultural consultant and physician. He specialises in the management of soils, crops and animals in a productive, profitable and economically sustainable way and has become a world authority in biological agriculture. A one-day workshop is being held in Coonabarabran on Monday 11th February.

Advanced Composting System Workshop

Hosted by YLAD Living Soils Australia and Midwest Bio-Systems USA, this 3-day workshop in Young NSW 25-27th February provides valuable information on how to convert agricultural and industrial waste into high value fertiliser. It combines classroom instruction with compost site work and features Edwin Blosser as the keynote international speaker.

Humus Based Soil Fertility Systems Seminar

Conducted by Edwin Blosser in Young 28th February and Mackay 29th February, this seminar gives an overview of Humus Based Fertility Systems; understanding of soil tests, balancing soil nutrients, accessing soil reserves to optimise plant growth and health; leverage of soil micro-life, enzymes and other microbial by-products; promotion of nitrogen fixation, benefits of incorporating crop rotation and utilising cover crops; the impact of different tillage systems; understanding and working with insects, weeds and disease.

Surat Carp Buster Competition

Join the Surat Fishing Club on the banks of the Balonne River to help eradicate this pest and restock the system with native species on 26th January.

Sofenica - Part 24

Heading back to our house plans...we were initially keen to have earthen floors throughout the house, but realised that concrete was going to be most appropriate for our wet areas and perfectly suited to sitting the top corners of each pavilion directly onto the ground (see past newsletter).

While earth floors have a fabulous feel to them (see photo) and are suitably solid, they have an amazing softness to them unlike concrete or tiles, and seem to buffer noise well - plus they look terrific! But after visiting many earthen floors we did notice that some seemed to deteriorate under high traffic where they slowly eroded into dust, leaving pocked cavities in the floor.

Apparently this can be countered by ensuring the earthen mix is correct (clay, sand, water, straw), the floor is left to dry for an appropriate amount of time and then sealed properly afterwards, or additions such as extra straw, perhaps a little concrete, and particularly cow dung and blood are used to harden it up so that it won't erode. But our confidence wavered, especially as we were aiming to pour the earth onto piered flooring, not onto a typically hard ground surface.

Fortunately we also have an enormous love of wood, and so in the end we have settled on having mixed flooring throughout the house - concrete for the wet areas, wooden floor boards for the main traffic/living areas, and earthen floors for the bedrooms.

Health

World Health Organisation Statistics

Americans consume nearly 80% of all drugs manufactured in the world. But rank 39th in overall health in the world.

Cell Phone Dangers

After talking about cell phones in the last newsletter, this 30-page book summary on the dangers of cell phones came through as a free gift, which may interest some of you. The full book will be published in 2009.

In support of the concern raised in the last newsletter about the upgraded Next G 'country phone' - researchers are already stating that long-term cell-phone users living in rural areas faced a "consistently elevated risk" of developing tumors in the parotid gland (a salivary gland located just below the ear) compared with users who live in suburban or urban areas.

Meanwhile the French Health Ministry has issued a warning against excessive mobile phone use, especially by children, though it recognized science had not proved cellular technology was dangerous.

Gardasil

I think the statistics speak volumes - more than 17 girls a week in Australia have experienced reactions (ranging from seizures and numbness to dizzy spells, fainting and paralysis) after receiving the Gardasil vaccination, but the Department of Health and Aging refuses to release their details.

Miscellaneous

Oh the tyranny of governments - this snippet provides some gems on the Bush administration - the secrecy and priorities that are being seriously questioned more and more.

Events

For all January events

For all February events

* Surat Carp Buster Competition - Surat Qld 26th January 2008.

* Arden Anderson Workshop - Coonabarabran NSW 11th February 2008.

* Advanced Composting System Workshop - Young NSW 25th - 27th February 2008.

* Humus Based Soil Fertility Systems Seminar - Young NSW 28th February 2008.

* Humus Based Soil Fertility Systems Seminar - Mackay Qld 29th February 2008.

Postscript

George Carlin - a comedian of the 70s and 80s - wrote this wonderful message.

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees, but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbour. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, not not out prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than eve, but we communicate less and less.