Video

Soil carbon offers so many benefits both above and below the soil surface, from improving farm productivity to revenue raising in carbon trading. But while the case for building soil carbon is clear, the carbon market is still evolving. So what’s the potential, what are the risks and what can be done to unlock the potential of soil carbon as an enabler of better farm management and soil stewardship? In this episode we talk to farmers, scientists and policy makers to explore the soil carbon opportunity.

Stuart Austin, Wilmot Cattle Co. – soilsforlife.org.au/wilmot
Craig Carter, Tallawang – soilsforlife.org.au/tallawang-greener-pastures-through-restoring-landscape-hydrology
Dr. Susan Orgill – Soil Scientist, NSW Department of Primary Industries
Skye Glenday, Co-CEO, Climate Friendly – climatefriendly.com
Dr Michael Crawford, CEO, Soil CRC – soilcrc.com.au
Konrad Muller, Assistant Manager, Land, Forest and Blue Carbon Methods, Clean Energy Regulator – cleanenergyregulator.gov.au
Anthony Bennie, Assistant Secretary, Natural Capital and Markets – Federal Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment – agriculture.gov.au/ag-farm-food/natural-resources/landcare/sustaining-future-australian-farming/carbon-biodiversity-pilot

This Podcast has been produced by Grow Love Project in collaboration with Soils for Life.

2 1

The industrialisation of agriculture has created large paddocks of monoculture crops and increased the chemical burden on farmers and their environments. Global herbicide use has continued to increase as farmers have shifted to no till practices and adopted herbicide-tolerant crop cultivars over the last 30 years. One result of this is that the list of herbicide resistant weeds is growing.

Some farmers spend huge amounts of money on herbicide and scarce time removing weeds; Meanwhile, exactly how much damage is being done to native plant species and soils is not yet fully known. Either way, the current model is not sustainable

In this episode we are exploring a paradigm shift to an ecological systems approach to weeds with Soils for Life agroecologist Sarah Fea. We visit four farmers to understand their changing relationship to plants. Including a grazier, seed producer, a farmer who has enlisted the help of goats and another who has developed no kill cropping.

We take a fresh look at weeds and how we can benefit from seeing them through a different lens. We hear how specific weeds germinate to heal damaged soils, showing us what the soil needs and how we can help them heal it.

Thank you to all our guests:
Martin Royds at Jillamatong
Bruce Maynard at Willydah
Bruce Davison from Soilsmith
Russell Young at Young Seeds

Hosted by Susannah Kable from the Grow Love Project and James Diack and Sarah Fea from Soils for Life. This Podcast has been produced by Grow Love Project in collaboration with Soils for Life. This project is supported through funding from the Australian Government’s Smart Farms Program

www.soilsforlife.org.au/podcast
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/soils-for-life/id1582582411
https://open.spotify.com/show/1IWTdcQPOg2WvcYKRVuWCj?si=Bo4ydPB9SrOOLCUv3FC9hw&dl_branch=1

00:00 Deal with the cause, no the symptom
00:20 Introduction
00:44 Industrial agriculture problems
01:28 A paradigm shift
02:03 Martin Royds "I poisoned myself"
03:50 "The more you spray, the more weeds you get."
06:12 How can we change our approach?
07:14 Hearing from an agroecologist - Impact of chemicals
09:09 Russell Young - A cropper in transition
14:40 What are the issues with weeds?
15:15 What are weeds telling us?
17:15 Bruce Maynard - Listening to plants.
25:33 Weeds have benefits
27:35 Changing mindsets
29:24 Bruce Davison - Harnassing the benefits of weeds
30:33 Neighbours & Councils
33:40 The foundation of economics is ecology
34:30 Thinking long term - Weeds fix nurient imbalance in the soil
37:38 How can we advance the paradigm shift?
40:47 Russell Young - The power of biodiversity
43:06 Martin Royds - Focus on what you want - Biodiversity

#regenerativeagriculture #regen #weeds #cropping #ecological #biologicalfarming #biodiversity #regenerative

6 1

Meet Russell Young of Young Seeds. Russell’s story of farming offers insights into flood prone landscapes like the Condamine River region, and highlights some of the challenges for farmers who have been affected by unpredictable and extreme weather conditions in recent years. While still in the early days of practice change, Russell has observed promising changes to how the soil is behaving, as well as increased worm activity, especially in his multispecies paddocks. These results have given Russell a lot of confidence.

Read more about the Russell's journey at www.soilsforlife.org.au/young-seeds

#regenerativeagriculture #soilsforlife #casestudy #biodiversity #regenerative #cropping #australianfarming

9 0

Guided by the principle, ‘You can’t manage what you don’t measure’, Rob Hetherington took his first soil sample in the 1980s. This was when he began managing the family farm, in the Lakes district of the south-eastern wheatbelt, Western Australia. Since then, he has collected hundreds of samples, which help him achieve his goal of farming “deeper” to improve the health of the soil and plants, rather than expanding.

Read more on the Hetherington's case study at www.soilsforlife.org.au/walma

#regenerativeagriculture #brucemaynard #soilsforlife #casestudy #biodiversity #regenerative #cropping #australianfarming

11 0

Bruce grew up farming with his parents. He remembers hearing stories about earlier farmers in their region stopping the machinery mid-field as they were ‘just dragging too many worms’. He always had an appreciation of nature and an inquiring and creative mind. Through a strong sense of curiosity and a bit of luck in his early farming years, Bruce was able to change the trajectory of his family farm, and paradigms of cropping.

Read more on Bruce's case study at www.soilsforlife.org.au/willydah

#regenerativeagriculture #brucemaynard #soilsforlife #casestudy #biodiversity #regenerative #cropping #australianfarming

19 1

Meet Josh and Peri McIntosh who manage Border Park Organics. Farming at Border Park has thrown many challenges their way, but Josh and Peri are resourceful people, guided by shared values, a strong sense of community and a can-do approach to life. While Josh and Peri value the legacy they inherited and see great benefits in organic farming, the choices they have made since taking over the farm reflect a shift in thinking toward a systems health and systems management approach. The changes and their observations of impact have contributed to a sense of renewed hope for the future.

Read more about the McIntoshs' journey at www.soilsforlife.org.au

15 2

Meet Rohan and Fiona Morris. Exposed to the environmental implications of conventional farming on Rohan’s family farm, the benefits of organic farming on their health, and the challenges of accessing fresh food in rural areas, Fiona and Rohan decided to grow their own healthy food for their family and local community.

The first year on their new farm was ‘extremely lush and beautiful’. They started with holistic management planning using organic, intensive, multispecies rotational grazing principles that incorporated pigs, chickens, cattle, goats and then sheep. But in their second year, a devastating drought hit. Rohan and Fiona navigated the drought using holistic management planning (intensive rotational-grazing management techniques), as well as support of their customer community and their close group of regenerative farming families. Towards the end of the drought, Fiona and Rohan introduced Natural Sequence Farming works on their property to rehydrate the landscape, and multispecies pasture cropping to improve herd health; and they are impressed with the effect on their land in the last two years.

It was during the drought, having experienced the challenges of marketing and farmers markets, that they made a successful transition to a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model, which was bolstered by their on-farm sales and on-farm camping. They found that once visitors saw the farm, they often asked to join the CSA and were keen to remain connected to the farm.

Looking to the future, Rohan and Fiona are building an abattoir and butchery on their property, as well as seeking to grow their agro-ecological tourism enterprises.

Read more about the Morrises' story: www.soilsforlife.or.au/gleneden

#regenerativefarming, #regenerativeagriculture, #regenag #australianagriculture, #biodiversity, #biologicalfarming, #soil, #soilhealth, #soilscience

25 0

Meet Rohan and Fiona Morris. Exposed to the environmental implications of conventional farming on Rohan’s family farm, the benefits of organic farming on their health, and the challenges of accessing fresh food in rural areas, Fiona and Rohan decided to grow their own healthy food for their family and local community.

The first year on their new farm was ‘extremely lush and beautiful’. They started with holistic management planning using organic, intensive, multispecies rotational grazing principles that incorporated pigs, chickens, cattle, goats and then sheep. But in their second year, a devastating drought hit. Rohan and Fiona navigated the drought using holistic management planning (intensive rotational-grazing management techniques), as well as support of their customer community and their close group of regenerative farming families. Towards the end of the drought, Fiona and Rohan introduced Natural Sequence Farming works on their property to rehydrate the landscape, and multispecies pasture cropping to improve herd health; and they are impressed with the effect on their land in the last two years.

It was during the drought, having experienced the challenges of marketing and farmers markets, that they made a successful transition to a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model, which was bolstered by their on-farm sales and on-farm camping. They found that once visitors saw the farm, they often asked to join the CSA and were keen to remain connected to the farm.

Looking to the future, Rohan and Fiona are building an abattoir and butchery on their property, as well as seeking to grow their agro-ecological tourism enterprises.

Read more about the Morrises' story: www.soilsforlife.or.au/gleneden

#regenerativefarming, #regenerativeagriculture, #regenag #australianagriculture, #biodiversity, #biologicalfarming, #soil, #soilhealth, #soilscience

20 1

Hear from Luke Winder at Tathra Place Free Range in Taralga, NSW as he talks to Sarah Fea from Soils for Life about the landscape, soils and biology on his farm.

Luke, together with his family and team, have managed the farm using biological and regenerative methods.

From early on their goal has been to ‘feed as many human beings nutrient-dense, chemical-free, ethical, free-range, hormone- and antibiotic-free food as possible’ as a result of continually healing and strengthening the health of the soils and the landscape.

For agriculture to transition at-scale towards practices of regenerating the landscape, Luke believes it is essential to prove that this way of farming is financially viable, including being able to start with a small budget.

Read more about Luke's story: www.soilsforlife.or.au/tathra

00:00:00 - "What was this paddock like when you first started and how did you improve it?
00:00:44" - "What are some of the changes in soil and landscape that Luke and Sarah are observing?
00:01:43 - "What kind of soil testing is Soils for Life undertaking on Luke's property?"
00:02:22 - "Why is Luke excited about these soils tests?"

#regenerativefarming #regenerativeagriculture #regenag #australianagriculture #biodiversity #biologicalfarming #soil #soilhealth #soilscience

9 0