I'm Back...Soil Carbon Can It Save Agriculture's Bacon, Microbes and Climate Change, Air Pollution and Drought, Tracking Farm Carbon Both Out AND In, Corporate vs Family Farms, It's About ROI Not Yield, Measuring Soil Moisture from Space, Have to Use Methyl Iodide?, Impacts of Mining on Agriculture, The Drive for Processed Food, Science-Free GM Bans, Genetic Resource Ownership, Power from Thin Air, Metal That Heals Itself, Why Not Bamboo Houses, People Vote Parties, Not Leaders, Call to End UFO Secrecy, What's New..., The YLAD Approach, Making Money Trading Cattle, Soil Foodweb Institute Downloads, RegenAG Workshops, Humus Management and Composting Seminar, Spiritual Foundations of Biodynamics, The Dynamics of Nutrition, Health (BPA in shopping receipts, olive extract for obesity, beetroot juice and blood pressure, cancer drug kills more patients than no drug, mitochondria, Environment and disease, toxic school dust, are you a quack too?, messing with our food, MSG - its multiple disguises and dangers), Quote, Cartoon, Events, Postscript

I'm Back...

It's been a few weeks of exceptional busyness, and I am only just starting to see a glimmer of time emerging to start tackling my hundreds of emails. I think the only rational approach is to start from the newest stories and events and work backwards. My apologies to those that sent through their events but have been missed over the last few weeks.

For those interested, Biodynamic Agriculture Australia now effectively has a new board -information will be posted on their website in the near future to keep everyone informed of board decisions, membership contributions; and most importantly upcoming events, workshops and preparation sales.

Soil Carbon Can It Save Agriculture's Bacon

Economic development is only sustainable if it strengthens, rather than depletes, natural resources. The soil’s ability to produce nutrient dense, high vitality food - which after all, is agriculture’s real purpose - depends on appropriate management. Enhancing the natural flow of carbon to soils will result in increased microbial diversity, improved nutrient cycles, enhanced soil water-holding capacity, greater resilience, improved catchment health - and a more satisfying, profitable future for farmers. [Brillant, brilliant, brillant!! This paper covers all aspects of agriculture, soil, carbon, methane, minerals, health etc. A must read. Well done Christine]

Microbes and Climate Change

Within the planet’s oceans and soils are trillions of bacteria that store and release far more carbon dioxide than all of the Earth’s trees and plants. Now, scientists are attempting to understand how the world’s bacteria will influence — and be influenced by — a warming climate. [Yet another natural feedback system of amazing potential]

Air Pollution and Drought

An increasing amount of scientific evidence suggests air pollution may be playing a role in drought. While air pollution isn't creating droughts, which are caused by larger atmospheric and climatic conditions; dirty air could be making the situation worse. Sulfate, nitrate and possibly some organic compounds in the form of tiny particles in the atmosphere are the culprits as they attract moisture and hold it in tiny, distributed packages. "This action prevents the water from gathering into droplets large enough to be removed from the sky by falling rain or snow. Instead, they just disperse and evaporate."

Tracking Farm Carbon Both Out AND In

Farmers are managing an enormous amount of carbon in their landscapes, but get very little credit for the fact under the current Kyoto greenhouse gas accounting rules. Under current accounting rules, virtually none of the carbon in the landscape - and very little of that cycled into the landscape from the atmosphere - is counted as an asset, while virtually all the emissions are counted as a liability.

Corporate vs Family Farms

Australian agriculture is heading into a prolonged “corporate” phase, the modern equivalent of the estates and fiefdoms that once squeezed money out of farmland in older nations. “According to our benchmarking, a well-run family operation can outperform a similar corporate operation any day of the week. One reason is that a family puts more passion and commitment into its own land. Another is that they are more efficient at cutting overheads.” But for the family farm to flourish, the family has to take the reins of its own destiny.

It's About ROI not Yield!

Most farmers wouldn’t want Matthew Barton’s 20-year-old Versatile tractor, or the visual messiness of his pasture cropping system, but they might envy his return on investment. He prefers not to talk of cropping success in terms of yield. Success, Mr Barton said, is 100% ROI on crop investment: this year that means $350/ha.

Measuring Soil Moisture from Space

Launched in November 2009, ESA's Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission is now coming to the end of its six-month commissioning period and will soon be delivering vital data to improve our understanding of the water cycle. A satellite captures images of 'brightness temperature', which correspond to microwave radiation from Earth's surface. These images will be used to derive global soil moisture maps at least every three days and maps of ocean salinity every 30 days.

Have to Use Methyl Iodide?

The chemist who developed what environmentalists insist is a dangerous poison for use on California crops urged the state last week to approve his concoction so that farmers can produce the kind of disease- and bug-free fruit that consumers expect. Growers have to use the fumigant if they are going to continue feeding the nation. [Interesting that this chemist owns the patent to this chemical, but is obviously also ignoring that fact that crops grew without these poisons for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Perhaps something is wrong with the system, not the plants]

Impacts of Mining on Agriculture

The impact of the resources industry on agricultural production systems has received much media attention in recent times, however the reality is that this is not a new issue in Queensland. AgForce - through their Mining Taskforce - has taken the lead to identify these issues and lobby government to identify appropriate policy and planning mechanisms that protect strategic farming land in the face of mining, coal seam gas extraction and landscape competition from the resource sector. They would like to hear from you.

And on a similar topic, the Caroona Coal Action Group on the Liverpool Plains has set up an online petition in an attempt to protect one of the countries most important foodbowls.

The Drive for Processed Food

Around US$30bn worth of investment is needed to “revolutionise” India’s food processing sector to boost the volume of processed products to 10% of overall output by 2015. At present, India processes just over a third of its milk, 26% of its fisheries output, a fifth of all its buffalo meat, six% of poultry, while just 2.2% of fruit and vegetables. But given the necessary investment, these figures could rise to about 40% for fisheries, close to 15% for poultry, 60% for milk and 40% for buffalo meat. [Why not keep the food 'whole'? I smell profits, certainly not health and well-being...]

Science-Free GM Bans

A plan is afoot to bring genetically modified crops – mostly resisted for a decade – into Europe's fields. On 13 July, the 27 member states of the EU will vote on a plan to overhaul the current regulations, but there are concerns that the proposed solution will compromise Europe's current obligation to judge GM crops solely on science. As part of the solution, individual countries will be allowed to give socio-economic or cultural reasons for banning cultivation of GM crops. [An interesting move to topple science-only debates...]

Genetic Resource Ownership

Developing countries are demanding a larger share of benefits from their supplies of the plants and micro-organisms that form the raw materials for many food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics products. Companies in industrialized nations that develop these products already fear that these "genetic resources" may no longer be readily available if new rules favor developing countries.

Power from Thin Air

A little over a century ago, the inventor Nikola Tesla drew up ambitious plans to transmit electrical power without wires. But before the first tower was completed, the backers pulled out. They worried that the delivery of electricity through the air could not be metered, and there would be nothing to stop people from helping themselves. Now the first devices to be powered entirely by ambient energy are likely to be sensors, calculators and clocks. But the hope is that music-players, e-readers and mobile phones will eventually follow.

Metal That Heals Itself

The surfaces of many metal objects are coated with other metals for protection. Iron, for instance, is frequently galvanised with zinc. The basic idea of the new technology is to infiltrate this coating with tiny, fluid-filled capsules. When the metal coating is punctured or scratched, the capsules in the damaged area burst and ooze restorative liquids, in the form of compounds called trivalent chromates. These react with nearby metal atoms and form tough, protective films a few molecules thick to ameliorate the damage.

Why Not Bamboo Houses?

Bamboo houses combat climate change, encourage economic growth and protect the poor from natural disaster. Why aren’t there more of them? And in the age of global warming, bamboo has a benefit beyond construction: Both young and mature bamboo plantations capture more carbon than similar stands of trees. [Thought provoking]

People Vote Parties, Not Leaders

I loved this - the truth often lies in front of our eyes, but gets conveniently ignored or forgotten by the masses. The only other Labor prime minister to be overthrown by his own party in the postwar era, Bob Hawke, has vigorously defended the party's right to tear down the leader. "...the Australian people don't elect the prime minister; the Australian people have never elected the prime minister...The parties, on both sides of politics, elect the prime minister, and once they've done that, if they're still around at the time of the next election, he or she gets the chance to get the endorsement of the electorate...To say otherwise is a fundamental misunderstanding of the constitution and of parliamentary practice."

Call to End UFO Secrecy

European Union Parliamentarian calls for end to UFO secrecy after UFO Disclosure by UK, Denmark, Sweden, Uruguay, Russia, and New Zealand government's publishing its own x-files in public domain in next few weeks. And a CIA disclosure document revealing that DIA Remote Viewers 'saw' Extraterrestrial on Saturn moon Titan.

What's New...

I met Greg Hallet while training as a Soil Foodweb Institute adviser quite a few years ago and noted that his foray into high-quality composts became an enduring passion. I have just been alerted to his new business GroundGrocer.com, which is the world's premium secure online shop for composting products, compost tea brewers, monitoring equipment, microscopes and bioactive soil additives - everything you need to put the life back in your soils! Might be worth checking out. The advice comes with years of experience.

The YLAD Approach

The YLAD approach takes into account soil fertility including the chemistry, biology and physical structure, and how this interacts with pastures and grazing management. They find that the best results occur where the farmer pays careful attention to the soil fertility as well as how they are managing their grazing. Pastures on soils with balanced minerals, healthy microbiology, and good structure recover quickly after grazing and respond well to rain.

Making Money Trading Cattle

Losing money during the drought was an all-too-common experience for most graziers but at Coolatai in North West NSW, that was when the McKeesick family was making a solid profit. They attribute this to the KLR Marketing School – a unique system of livestock marketing that utilised a sell/buy strategy and a host of other tools to remove the guesswork from livestock trading.

Soil Foodweb Institute Downloads

RegenAG Workshops

Wow, what an impressive line-up of biological treats! Holistic Management workshops 4th - 6th August Woodend Vic; 16th - 18th August Mt Molloy Qld; 23rd - 25th August Mudgee NSW.  BioFertile Farms workshops 25th - 27th August New Zealand; 1st - 3rd September Mt Molloy Qld; 6th - 8th September Derwent Valley Tas; 13th - 15th September Woodend Vic; 29th September - 1st October Mudgee NSW. Keyline Farming workshops 4th - 6th October Huon Valley Tas; 11th - 13th October Woodend Vic; 18th - 20th October Mudgee NSW; 25th - 27th October Mt Molloy Qld; 5th - 7th November New Zealand. Local Farms & Community workshops (with Joel Salatin) 19th - 20th November New Zealand; 25th - 27th November Bungendore ACT, 29th - 30th November Launceston Tas; 2nd - 3rd December Woodend Vic; 7th - 8th December Mt Molloy Qld; 10th - 11th December Mudgee NSW. Alternatively you can book into all four in the series for a 20% discount!

Humus Management & Composting Seminar

Come and learn about Controlled Microbial Composting (CMC) and how to make high quality humus compost with Angela Luebke and Urs Hildebrant (internationally recognised compost consultants from AUSTRIA) and hosted by Break It Down Composting. Barraba NSW 19th - 24th July.

Spiritual Foundations of Biodynamics

There are increasing numbers of farmers and gardeners applying biodynamic practices. This workshop is for those who want to know more about the spiritual background and social context of biodynamics in the 21st Century. Presented by Hamish Mackay begin_of_the_skype_highlighting     end_of_the_skype_highlighting at Theodore Qld, 7th & 8th August and Booroowa 28th & 29th August.

The Dynamics of Nutrition

The significance of food and why some farmers will not eat the food they grow. Food is one of life’s mysteries. It is a very individual matter yet at the centre of all social events. Some live to eat, others eat to live, it matters not, food is central to our lives. This presentation by Hamish Mackay will introduce you to the dynamics of nutrition. Theodore 9th August.

Health

BPA in Shopping Receipts

BPA is known as an endocrine disrupter and interferes with the release of hormones. The compound, used to make ink visible on thermally sensitive paper [e.g. shopping receipts], is ingested by men [and women] when they handle the receipts and then touch their mouths or handle food. [While BPA in bottles and cans are being removed, even in Australia, this insidious source from shopping receipts does not seem to be openly discussed]

Olive Extract for Obestity

Drinking a cup of coffee fortified with olive leaf extract has the potential to combat obesity, new Australian research suggests. The phytochemical oleuropein is present in large quantities in the leaf but in lower quantities in olive oil. Oleuropein has already been hailed for its anti-microbial properties, and its anti-oxidant capacity is almost double that of green tea. It is recognised for its ability to lower blood pressure, ward off colds and treat cardiovascular problems.

Beetroot Juice and Blood Pressure

A small glass of nitrate-rich beetroot juice may help reduce blood pressure to the same extent as nitrate pills. “We also found that only a small amount of juice is needed – just 250ml – to have this effect, and that the higher the blood pressure at the start of the study the greater the decrease caused by the nitrate."

Cancer Drug Kills More Patients Than No Drug

Drugmaker Pfizer is pulling Mylotarg, a decade-old leukemia medicine, off the U.S. market after a study found a higher death rate and no benefit for patients. Mylotarg was one of at least two dozen cancer drugs that were approved under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) "fast-track" status. The death rate for Mylotarg patients was a steep 5.7%, compared to 1.4% without the drug.

Mitochondria, Environment and Disease

Scientists increasingly believe mitochondria play a central role in many, if not most, human illnesses. Exquisitely sensitive to environmental threats, mitochondria convert dietary sugars into a high-energy molecule—adenosine triphosphate (ATP)—that cells use as fuel. They are linking mitochondria to an array of metabolic and age-related maladies, including cancer, autism, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, and cardiovascular illness.

Toxic School Dust

A first attempt at measuring flame retardants and PCBs in dust from daycare centers and classrooms in the United Kingdom shows these facilities to be an important source of exposure for toddlers and young children. Levels of certain chemical types were higher than those from house dust or car dust. Furniture, fabrics, carpets, computers, other electronics and many other household consumer products contain some type of chemical flame retardant.

Are You a Quack Too?

One definition of a quack: A physician or medical healer who does not profit from creating and maintaining disease, but rather respects the natural tendency of the body to heal itself; one who helps the body eliminate whatever toxins are causing illness, be they environmental, emotional or pharmaceutical; one who uses primarily non-toxic, non-surgical means for routine care, and uses pharmaceutical and surgical medicine as a last resort. [Nice article!]

Messing with Our Food

A new study indicates that the saturated fat content of frankfurters predominantly from the use of porkback fat, could be reduced by replacing the pork fat with olive oil emulsions. The emulsions were stabilised with various protein systems formulated using sodium caseinate, soy protein isolate, meat protein and microbial transglutaminase. [Mmmm, mmmm! I notice they talk of the saturated fat 'theory' in this story, which is encouraging because it is only a theory, and research is not backing it up]

MSG - Its Multiple Disguises and Dangers

Monosodium Glutamate is a salt that is chemically converted into a flavour enhancer. Research has shown that MSG, found in most popular processed foods, causes weight gain and obesity in lab animals by damaging the appetite regulation center in the area of the brain known as the hypothalamus. Corporations that sell processed food love MSG because it makes cheap ingredients taste great. They are unwilling to remove it from their products because without it, people wouldn't want to buy their food unless the quality was greatly improved, a task which would raise the cost of production. So they have gone to extremes to hide MSG in their products and this has been allowed by the FDA.

Quote

“Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.” - Plato

Cartoon

Events

All events listed in these newsletters can also be found at Events on the website in date order.

* Humus Management & Composting Seminar - Barraba NSW 19th - 24th July 2010.

* Holistic Management Workshop - Woodend Vic 4th - 6th August 2010.

* Spiritual Foundations of Biodynamics - Theodore Qld 7th - 8th August 2010.

* The Dynamics of Nutrition - Theodore Qld 9th August 2010.

* Holistic Management Workshop - Mt Molloy Qld 16th - 18th August 2010.

* Holistic Management Workshop - Mudgee NSw 23rd - 25th August 2010.

* BioFertile Farms Workshop - New Zealand 25th - 27th August 2010.

* Spiritual Foundations of Biodynamics - Booroowa NSW 28th - 29th August 2010.

* BioFertile Farms Workshop - Mt Molloy Qld 1st - 3rd September 2010.

* BioFertile Farms Workshop - Derwent Valley Tas 6th - 8th September 2010.

* BioFertile Farms Workshop - Woodend Vic 13th - 15th September 2010.

* BioFertile Farms Workshop - Mudgee NSW 29th September - 1st October 2010.

* Keyline Farming Workshop - Huon Valley Tas 4th - 6th October 2010.

* Keyline Farming Workshop - Woodend Vic 11th - 13th October 2010.

* Keyline Farming Workshop - Mudgee NSW 18th - 20th October 2010.

* Keyline Farming Workshop - Mt Molloy Qld 25th - 27th October 2010.

* Keyline Farming Workshop - New Zealand 5th - 7th November 2010.

* Local Farms & Community Workshop - New Zealand 19th - 20th November 2010.

* Local Farms & Community Workshop - Bungendore ACT 25th - 26th November 2010.

* Local Farms & Community Workshop - Launceston Tas 29th - 30th November 2010.

* Local Farms & Community Workshop - Woodend Vic 2nd - 3rd December 2010.

 * Local Farms & Community Workshop - Mt Molloy Qld 7th - 8th December 2010.

* Local Farms & Community Workshop - Mudgee NSW 10th - 11th December 2010. 

Postscript

Here is radio 2GB afternoon presenter Chris’ Smith’s interview with the newly appointed Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard. At least it seems to be her. This was played to air on Thursday 24th June 2010 just hours after Ms Gillard was announced as the new Prime Minister. It is a classic, a gem production that all Australians will enjoy, unless you are related to some of the callers Chris had after he aired this masterpiece of mirth who took it all far too seriously.