Methane Absorbing Soils

It appears that some Australian soils are capable of neutralising more methane than cattle can produce from the same land. A specific class of soil bacteria uses methane as part of its metabolic process. The soils most capable of oxidising methane are likely to be well-drained, with good structure, rich in organic matter, and will not have been heavily treated with fertilisers known to kill off microbial life.

Fertiliser and Nitrous Oxide

Nitrous oxide has a global warming potential 310 greater than carbon dioxide. Nitrous oxide emissions increases with increasing nitrogen fertilisation on pasture, but because soil aeration is generally better on the sandy soils the risk of nitrous oxide emissions is lowered with lowered denitrification risk. A high livestock protein intake also increases nitrogen excretion in urine and faeces, exacerbating the problem. This study suggests organic farming is an interesting option in Denmark for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Nitrous Oxide - A Necessary Evil?

How amazing. The grave problems of excess nitrous oxide in our atmosphere and its link to fertiliser applications are stepped through nicely in this article- but it all ends with the conclusion that it is impossible to grow food without synthetic nitrogen so it remains a necessary evil! Did they forget that there was and is a world without synthetic nitrogen inputs? Do they know anything about nitrogen-fixation? How silly.

Beneficial Fungi

While the list of destructive crop fungi is long and the bane of most farmers, there are fungi, like mycorrhizae, that bring multiple benefits to plants. Mycorrhiza-inoculated cereal crops can thrive on about a third less fertilizer; and the roots of some mycorrhizal associations have been found to be resistant to infection by root-rotting fungi.

Moist Soils Bring Rain

Studies of 30 years of monsoon patterns over India by Purdue University scientists showed that tropical storms are sustained by moist soil [over land], but tend to fizzle over dry ground. "The storm will have more moisture and energy available over wet soil than dry."

Mallee Plantations for Dryland Farming?

''Farmers will have to change to dryland practices and diversify their income.'' One vision for the Murray-Darling Basin is to plant native vegetation - the Mallee eucalypt - in windrows that still allow traditional farming, and eventually create a chain of 50 smaller biomass power stations that could be easily integrated into the electricity grid. Farmers could also look at other product streams, such as eucalyptus oil, from the trees.

Revival of Ancient Farming

Poor farmers in the heart of Bolivia's Amazon are being encouraged to embrace the annual floods - by using a centuries-old irrigation system for their crops. The system is based on building "camellones" - raised earth platforms of anything up to 2m high, surrounded by canals.

Cuban Agriculture

Climate change, drought, population growth - they could all threaten future food supplies. But global agriculture, with its dependence on fuel and fertilisers is also highly vulnerable to an oil shortage, as Cuba found out 20 years ago. Their rapid change to sustainable production is certainly an eye-opener for those likely to enter the same scenario.

Organic Farming in India

Valued at $20 million, India's organic farming sector is a sliver of the $26 billion global market. But with its promise of higher profit margins and lower production costs, organic farming provides an alternative to this debt spiral by eliminating a farmer's dependence on expensive pesticides. "If the government really promotes this, then it is my firm belief that the suicides will completely stop happening in my district."

Saving Agricultural Biodiversity

Just as biodiversity is now seen as the cornerstone of the resilience of natural world, so having a broad variety of agricultural crops is essential to the resilience of agriculture. Over the millennia, humans have relied on more than 10,000 different plant species for food. Today, we have barely 150 species under cultivation -- and of those only 12 species provide 80 percent of all of our food needs. A new $116 million global fund has begun to fund 11 projects to assist.

Environmental Education

Our children, some of them very young, see graphic images of habitats stripped bare and are told of extreme temperatures and rising sea levels upturning our lifestyles and risking our very existence. It is designed to stir up emotions but what are the consequences of the message that the world is a dangerous place and that their future is bleak? Perhaps if we want our children to protect the environment, we have to provide opportunities for them to experience it and to fall in love with it first.

Better Food, Not Just More

Its often said that that an increase in agricultural productivity is needed to feed the world's burgeoning human population. "Productivity" tends to be shorthand for yield: productivity per hectare. We're looking for more of what the Green Revolution gave us. There doesn't seem to be a conversation about productivity per gram, or producing more nutrient per hectare as distinct from more volume. [What a great concept, and a great read]

Food Labeling Laws Joke

Under current law, manufacturers can label their product with 'Made in Australia' as long as the box and label are locally made. Products carrying the ‘Product of Australia' claim must be 100% in Australia from all or nearly all Australian ingredients. Products can claim to be ‘Australian Made' when they are substantially transformed here with at least 50% of the cost of production incurred in Australia.

False Free Range Eggs

An analysis of egg industry data has confirmed what most consumers have suspected: it is doubtful enough free-range layer hens in the country exist to produce the number of eggs labelled free-range. "Either the industry's making up the figures as it goes along or there's dodgy producers who are getting away with calling eggs free-range when they are not."

The Dangers of Industrial Farming

Indian activist, Vandana Shiva, has warned about the increasing dangers of industrial agriculture, genetically modified crops and seeds, and the burgeoning monopoly of the world's food system by transnational corporations. "Food is not a commodity for speculation and profit. It is our essential source of nutrition that life may continue."

Increasing Pesticide Residue Levels

The US Environmental Protection Agency has increased the tolerated level of pesticide residue for citrus fruits and oils, following a petition from Dow AgroSciences. The maximum tolerance level for citrus fruit for methoxyfenozide has shifted from two parts per million (ppm) to ten ppm, and the tolerance for citrus oil from 70 to 100ppm.

Carting Food Around the World is Efficient

The globalisation of the supply chain means transporting food across the world to be processed and back again to the country of origin to be sold can make environmental and commercial sense.

Duopoly Bigger Than Wal-Mart

The footprint of Australia's two largest retailers, Woolworths and Wesfarmers, has grown to such an extent that each company has a higher market share than the American retail juggernaut Wal-Mart in its US home. The march of the nation's super retailers appears unchecked.

Reconnecting the Mississippi to Its Delta

Four years after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita ravaged the Louisiana coast restoration advocates and scientists are increasing calls for a solution that takes advantage of the Mississippi River's natural land-building power by reconnecting the sediment-laden river to its sediment-starved delta.

Cleaning Pools with Moss

Sphagnum moss is being used to keep thousands of swimming pools clean while drastically reducing the use of chlorine and other harsh chemicals. The  moss treatment inhibits the formation of bacterial colonies called biofilms. Chlorine kills free-floating bacteria but biofilms absorb the chemical, requiring ever-greater doses to keep a pool clean. With the moss keeping a pool's biofilms under control, much less chlorine is needed

Synthetic Trees

Giant fly-swat shaped "synthetic trees" line the road into the office, where blooms of algae grow in tubes up the walls and the roof reflects heat back into the sky - all reducing the effects of global warming. The devices were thousands of times more effective at removing carbon from the atmosphere than real trees.

Hijacked by Climate Change?

If you look back to the latest definitive check on the planet's environmental health what emerges is a picture of decline that goes way, way beyond climate change. Species are going extinct; key habitats such as forests, wetlands and coral reefs are plundered; aquifers are being drained and fisheries exploited at unsustainable speed; soils are becoming saline, air quality is a huge cause of illness and premature death; the human population is bigger than our one Earth can currently sustain. So why are our current leaders only focusing on climate change? [A discussion I all too often raise. but I would suggest that it is not climate change vs biodiversity, but perhaps the two are connected....]

Global Warming Unknowns

[So little is known despite existing science...] So far, scientists have been unable to reproduce the "Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum" in a climate model. In order to get the climate they suspect existed, they have to crank up carbon dioxide far beyond what they think was actually the case. [The comments below this article are interesting too]

Contaminated by GM

Hundreds of products claim on their packaging that they do not contain genetically modified ingredients, but as plantings of conventional crops with genetic modifications soared in recent years, testing is indicating that this is not necessarily so. "The thing is, if we have a contamination problem that's growing in organics, what will happen one day when someone tests something and finds out that organics is contaminated beyond a reasonable amount, say 5 or 10 percent?".

New Japanese Government to Label GM

A change of government in Japan will hurt Australian canola producers, due to a hard-line stance by the new government on genetically modified (GM) products. Japan is likely to ramp up its GM labelling laws under the new Democrat government. "It has been claimed that GMOs are well-accepted in Japan, because Japan is the biggest importing country of Canadian GM canola but it is not true. In reality, a lot of Japanese consumers are eating oil derived from GM canola without knowing it."

Scientific Battlefield Over GM

Papers suggesting that biotech crops might harm the environment attract a hail of abuse from other scientists. One journalist asks if the critics fight fair. "People who look into safety issues and pollination and contamination issues get seriously harassed." .... "When scientists become afraid to even ask the questions ... that's a serious impediment to our progress."

GM Fish Concerns

The commercial breeding of certain species of GM fish should be approached with caution on fears they could pose a health risk to humans and threaten natural breeds, new research has said.

Australia Moving to Approve GM Soy Food

Food Standards Australia New Zealand has published a second assessment report on the potential use of a herbicide-tolerant soybean line in food products, giving its preferred option of approval. It says soy from this line is "as safe and as wholesome as food derived from other commercial soybean varieties". Should the new line be approved, foods containing novel DNA and/or protein from the soybean line would have to have this presence declared on the label.  

Biohacking

The falling cost of equipment capable of manipulating DNA is opening up a new field of 'biohacking' to enthusiasts. The cost of sequencing DNA has fallen from about $1 per base pair in the mid-1990s to a tenth of a cent today. There are no laws banning the sale of DNA, reagents or equipment, yet the fear of viruses and other unsavory creations is ever present.

Pesticide Testing Questioned

Most scientists and EPA typically use four-day tests to determine whether a pesticide is safe- but a new study found that many negative effects occur after this length of time.

How Glyphosate Works

An interesting summary of how glyphosate works in plants that ends with a cautionary note about the increased likelihood of seeing more glyphosate-resistant plants in the future.

New Threat from Plastic in Oceans

Scientists have identified a new source of chemical pollution released by the huge amounts of plastic rubbish found floating in the oceans of the world. A study has found that as plastics break down in the sea they release potentially toxic substances not found in nature and which could affect the growth and development of marine organisms.

Environmental Cancers

Wild animals normally are killed by cancer only in rare cases. But scientists have found some deadly cancers in a range of animals. The cancers highlight the dangers that industrial activities pose - not just to animals, but to people in the same areas, exposed to the same compounds.

GDP Measures Outdated

[A topic of interest for many years - the history of the introduction (and consequences) of the GDP concept is incredibly interesting] The EU Commission plans to develop wider indicators for Europe's progress, including quality-of-life and environmental factors, deeming the traditional focus on GDP to be outdated. The EU executive will also look into using indicators of citizens' well-being and of developing a "sustainable development scoreboard", measuring how policymakers respect the limits of natural resources. [Looks like entering the realms of holistigoals].

Making Fuel At Home

Its a residential system that allows people to make fuel from waste products and use it to run their vehicles. The E-Fuel MicroFueler consists of a 250-gallon holding tank for organic feedstock, such as waste wine and beer, and a still that converts it to 100% ethanol, or E-Fuel. Although the MicroFueler is most effective with wastes that are already high in alcohol content, ethanol "can be made out of any waste - lawn clippings, dairy products, old chemicals, cardboard, paper, bruised and discarded apples from the grocery store.

Nanoparticle Sunscreen and Alzheimer's

Scientists are to examine a link between some man-made nanoparticles, such as those found in sunscreens, and Alzheimer's disease. 

Washing Without Water

One of the properties that makes nylon a poor choice of fabric for a shirt, namely its ability to attract and retain dirt and stains, is being exploited by a company that has developed a new laundry system. Its machine uses no more than a cup of water to wash each load. The system uses thousands of tiny nylon beads.

New All Things Liquid Tour Date

Based on feedback, Bionutrient Solutions have changed their All Things Liquid Crop Tour to only one day - the 8th September (not 8th & 9th as originally advertised). The tour is free and dinner is an optional extra that night.  Liquid Crop Tour 09 03/09/2009,17:33 197.50 Kb

Farming 2020 and Beyond

YLAD Living Soils is holding a humus/biological farming field day in Young 9th October with a fabulous line-up of diverse speakers: Edwin Blosser, Maarten Stapper, Hugh Lovel, Ash Martin, Rhonda Daly, Anthony Foo covering humus, working with nature, discussing the interplay with above ground and below ground, soil microbes, carbon myths, and 2008 trial data.  Farming 2020 Field Day 07/09/2009,03:20 930.32 Kb

Your Land, Your Soil & Your Future

What a line up of speakers - Christine Jones, Maarten Stapper, Hamish Mackay, Colin Seis and many more covering pasture cropping, composting, vermiculture, Natural Sequence Farming, Biodynamics- all for only $25! Yass 21st October.  Your Land 09 03/09/2009,17:46 585.51 Kb

Carbon Farming Conference

My biggest apologies! The Carbon Farming Conference and Expo is on in Orange 4th - 5th November and the Carbon Farming 101 Course the 3rd November. Last newsletter I referred and linked you all to last year's conference! [That is what happens when you work too fast trying to to catch up too quickly]

The line up and registration form are in this Official Newsletter from The Soil Carbon Farming Conference.  Onwards! Newsletter 06/09/2009,03:20 307.29 Kb

Future Proof Farming in NZ

Make the best investment for your property by gaining simple skills with Independent Waipukurau agronomist, Nicole Masters (BSc, Cert Adult Ed), in interactive seminars focusing on the fascinating world of soil organisms, vital to soil and plant health in Waipukurau, Hawkes Bay throughout September and October. [What a comprehensive program]  Spring Seminars NZ 06/09/2009,03:27 272.00 Kb

Power of Engagement

The Power of Engagement is a Communications Improvement Program for Managers, Team Leaders and Teams. Communication is essential to every aspect of our lives, yet so many of us do not do it well: we do not engage, we do not listen and frequently we do not understand. The next course is in Tamworth 14th - 15th October.

Vedic Mathematics

I have just started to enter the world of vedic mathmatics - and it is jaw-droppingly easy, yet its applications can be applied to literally any form of mathematics. While it has been suppressed and dismissed by many over the years - the proof is always in the answers - they are correct every time. Our own aussie guru, Jain Mathemagics will be presenting at the upcoming Utopia Retreat in Noosaville 16th - 18th October, along with an array of other interesting speakers.

Rehydrating the Landscape

I get the opportunity to air my views on landscape rehydration - a pet topic for a long time in the Manning and Great Lakes districts 30th - 31st October. Skip to page 6 for more details.  Creek to Coast Newsletter 09 06/09/2009,04:07 631.61 Kb

Health

Scientific Ghost Writing

A growing body of evidence suggests that doctors at some of the US's top medical schools have been attaching their names and lending their reputations to scientific papers that were drafted by ghostwriters working for drug companies - articles that were carefully calibrated to help the manufacturers sell more products. But pressure is mounting to stop the practice.

Candles Linked to Cancer

Its been found that paraffin wax candles give off harmful fumes linked to lung cancer and asthma. The scientists suggest switching to candles made from beeswax or soy, which do not release significant levels of the chemicals.

Ozone Reacts with Skin

Ozone coming into contact with human skin and hair, specifically the oils on each of them, sets off a whole lot of chemistry. The issue was first studied on ozone in aircraft cabins and has extended into office environments, where ozone levels often can reach relatively high levels.

Mosquitoes Don't Like Stressed People

Researchers have identified a handful of the body's chemical odors - some of which may be related to stress - that are present in significantly larger concentrations in people that mosquitoes are happier to leave alone. If efforts to synthesize these particular chemicals are successful, the result could be an all-natural mosquito repellent that is more effective and safer than products currently available.

Folic Acid in Australian Bread

September 13th 2009 is ear marked as the date that Food Standards Australia and New Zealand have put into place the mandatory fortification of folic acid in all wheat flour used for bread making. The only breads that will not be fortified in Australia are organic breads and breads made from other grains, like rice, corn and rye. On October 9th 2009 the FSANZ mandatory fortification of bread with iodine will be also implemented.

The Argument Against Folic Acid Fortification

Look at the globe and you'd be hard pressed to find two countries further apart than Ireland and New Zealand. But they stand side-by-side on the folic acid fortification issue - it is not needed. New Zealand now looks set to work with voluntary fortification instead, while Australia goes ahead with mandatory inclusion this month.

US Indemnity for Vaccine Makers

The 2006 Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (the PREP Act) allows the DHHS Secretary to invoke almost complete immunity from liability for manufacturers of vaccines and drugs used to combat a declared public health emergency. That Secretary has not only given immunity to the makers of Tamiflu and Relenza for injuries stemming from their use against swine flu, she has granted immunity to future swine flu vaccines and "any associated adjuvants". This Act by default removes all financial incentive to make a safe product.

Swine Flu Vaccine Linked to Disease

A warning that the swine flu vaccine has been linked to a deadly nerve disease has been sent by the UK Government to senior neurologists in a confidential letter. It tells the neurologists that they must be alert for an increase in a brain disorder called Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), which could be triggered by the vaccine.

WHO Admits to Releasing Flu

The WHO website states that it is common procedure to release pandemic viruses into the population in order to get a jump ahead of the real pandemic, so as to fast track the vaccine for when it is needed.

The Dangers of Bromines

Bromines compete for the same receptors that are used to capture iodine, and it is a central nervous system depressant and can trigger a number of psychological symptoms such as acute paranoia and other psychotic symptoms. Its found in pesticides, car upholstery, soft drinks and even bread.

Fat Talk

The brain actually depends on your fat to "speak" to it, via leptin, to tell it how much energy your body has available, and then what to do with it. It can also "rewire" the very important areas of your brain that control hunger and metabolism. But when you become leptin-resistant, your body can no longer hear the messages telling it to stop eating and burn fat -- so it remains hungry and stores more fat.

How to Pick Plastics

Our homes are filled with plastics, and most of us don't really know what they're made of -- or whether they're safe. Environmental Working Group has put together tips to help you choose better plastics and plastic alternatives for your family.

Root Canal Dangers

Dr. Meinig brings a most curious perspective to an expose of the latent dangers of root canal therapy. As one of the original founders of the American Association of Endodontists (root canal specialists) he's filled his share of root canals. Since reading the detailed research of Dr. Weston Price, he is now devoting himself to radio, TV, and personal appearances in an attempt to blow the whistle and alert the public of the dangers of root canal therapy.

Pfizer Pays Up

A Gulf War veteran and former Pfizer sales representative will earn more than $51.5 million as a result of his whistleblower lawsuit against the world's biggest drugmaker. "In the Army I was expected to protect people at all costs. At Pfizer I was expected to increase profits at all costs, even when sales meant endangering lives."

Don't Heat HFCS

The formation of a toxic substance when high fructose corn syrup is heated is a concern to bee keepers, but should surely also be a concern for human safety as HFCS is used in many processed and often cooked foods.

Sugar Politics

I had no idea that the sugar industry is so regulated around the world. In India, the government sets tough limits of how much sugar a company can store and for how long, while the US has tough tariffs on sugar imported from all countries but Mexico. These regulations seem to be opening the door to alternative sugars for all the wrong reasons.

Banning Energy Drinks in NSW

New South Wales is considering a ban on high caffeine energy drinks in the Red Bull-led sector after the Primary Industries minister (Ian McDonald) highlighted products loaded with up to 15 times recommended caffeine limits.

Cartoon

Miscellaneous

What a way to re-vitalise a town - turn your rice paddies into exquisite artworks, that slowly emerge and reveal themselves as they mature. Different colours of rice plants have been precisely and strategically arranged and grown in the paddy fields. It started in 1996 and the pictures are getting larger and more complex. Just beautiful.

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.    

* Future Proof Farming - Hawkes Bay New Zealand 21st - 23rd September 2009.

* All Things Liquid Crop Tour - Moree NSW 8th September 2009.

* Farming 2020 and Beyond - Young NSW 9th October 2009.

* The Power of Engagement - Tamworth NSW 14th - 15th October 2009.

* Utopia Retreat - Noosaville Qld 16th - 18th October 2009.

* Future Proof Farming - Hawkes Bay New Zealand 19th - 21st October 2009.

* Your Land, Your Soil & Your Future - Yass NSW 21st October 2009.

* Rehydrating the Landscape - Manning/Great Lakes NSW 30th - 31st October 2009.

* Carbon Farming 101 - Orange NSW 3rd November 2009.

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

Postscript

Two aliens landed in a desert near a gas station that was closed for the night. They approached one of the gas pumps and the younger alien addressed it saying, 'Greetings, Earthling. We come in peace. Take us to your leader!

The gas pump, of course, didn't respond.

The younger alien became angry at the lack of response.

The older alien said, 'I'd calm down if I were you.'

The younger alien ignored the warning and repeated his greeting.  Again, there was no response.

Annoyed by what he perceived to be the pump's haughty attitude, he drew his Ray gun and  said impatiently, 'Greetings, Earthling. We come in peace.. Do not ignore us this way! Take us to your leader or I will fire!'

The older alien again warned his comrade saying, 'You probably don't want to do that! I really don't think you should make him mad.'

'Rubbish,' replied the cocky, young alien. He aimed his weapon at the pump and opened fire. There was a huge explosion. A massive fireball roared towards them and blew the younger alien off his feet and deposited him in a burnt, smoking mess about 200 yards away in a cactus patch...

Half an hour passed. When he finally regained consciousness.  He refocused his three eyes, straightened his bent antenna, and looked dazedly at the older, wiser alien who was standing over him shaking his big, green Head.

'What a ferocious creature!' exclaimed the young, fried alien. 'He damn near killed me! How did you know he was so dangerous?'

The older alien leaned over, placed a friendly feeler on his crispy friend and replied, 'If there's one thing I've learned during my intergalactic travels, you don't want to mess with a guy who can loop his willie over his shoulder twice and then stick it in his ear.'