Putting biology to work on the farm

Danseys Pass sheep and beef farmers Graeme and Rachel Blackler are gradually modifying their farm-management practices to include biological farming principles.

Not only do they hope to improve soil health but they also believe by improving the carbon-holding capacity of their soil they will be taking an important step toward becoming carbon neutral - something they believe all farmers should be encouraged to do.

"Farmers should be being paid for sequestering carbon into the soil," Mrs Blackler said.

Mr and Mrs Blackler run 3400 sheep and about 100 cattle on 1900ha of high country.

The couple attended the Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ) Under the Kakanuis Women in Farming Group field day - "An introduction to Biological Farming" - at the Ngapara Rugby Clubrooms last week.

Biological farming principles encourage establishing the right mineral balance in the soil and building up its beneficial micro-organisms.

Mrs Blackler said she was motivated to learn more about biological and organic farming when soon after arriving on the farm, about five years ago, she kicked over a cow pat and was surprised to find no sign of life under it.

Not only that, but over time it did not appear to rot down.

Since then she has attended several organic and biological farming courses to build up knowledge of the principles of management.

Mr Blackler said farmers needed to gain a greater understanding of what was going on within their soils so they could make the best decisions for their property.

"Every farmer should understand a soil test," he said.

After the soil on their farm was tested by Soil Food Web New Zealand - a Roxburgh-based laboratory which takes a biological approach - they applied compost tea and other organic nutrients to feed the micro-organisms in the soil and try to build up their numbers.

Despite the fact they had made only minor changes, there was some evidence of improvement as the brassica crops they had tested showed rising brix levels - a measure of sugar and other nutrient levels.

Mrs Blackler said their aim was to improve overall health and productivity, as well as reduce costs.

"If you have got it right in the soil and the plant is delivering the right nutrients, the animal is healthy," Mrs Blackler said.