Push for Organic Grape Crops
By Nina Smith of the Donnybrook - Bridgetown Mail
25/09/2008 11:11:00 AM
A LOWDEN biodynamic farmer is encouraging others to develop organic crops rather than focus on conventional crops.
Scientific studies show that organic agriculture results in lower greenhouse emissions, carbon sequestration, lower costs and better water efficiency, according to the Organic Federation of Australia.
Brett Kirkpatrick has been involved in biodynamics for the past 20 years.
His whole farm, including beef, brassicas, pumpkins, potatoes, corn, capsicum, cucumber and celery, has been managed biodynamically for the past 10 years.
He said while organic crops tended to grow in different ways than conventional crops, he did gain a higher yield.
"Biodynamic agriculture helps promote soil carbon and develops humus in the soil, which can retain and hold more moisture," he said.
According to Mr Kirkpatrick, when his farm gets heavy rainfall events, the rain stays on the farm rather than running off into the creeks.
"There's more dry matter content in the pastures," he said.
"A feature of biodynamic agriculture is that you don’t get this lush top growth people are used to – you get a lower, denser growth." Mr Kirkpatrick said biodynamic agriculture used preparations that helped enliven the soil. "They’re very high in bacteria and fungi, they act as a soil stimulant and we spray them out over the fields or crops," he said.
He said a key soil preparation in biodynamic farming was horn manure, where a mixture of cow manure and other materials are buried in cow horns in autumn.
Over winter, the mixture composts, to be dug up in the spring.
"We hope to see lots of white fungi threads through that as well, which comes off the horn," Mr Kirkpatrick said.
Another preparation called horn silica spends summer in the ground.
"We spray that more into the atmosphere above the plants to promote photosynthesis," said he.
"It also enhances flavours and contributes to the decline in fungal problems.
"There are a lot of microbial products you can buy to spray on the field in organics. The beauty of biodynamics is you can create these yourself at a lower cost."
According to Mr Kirkpatrick, the wine industry is the fastest-growing segment of biodynamics.
"They're not interested in being certified - they're interested in biodynamics as a management tool," he said.
Organic Federation of Australia chairman Andre Leu said researchers had found that best practice organic systems produced the high yields with lower fossil fuel use and reduced farming input costs.
"This is very significant with the rising price of oil and the huge cost increases in synthetic fertilisers and pesticides," he said. "The ability of organic farming practices to remove carbon dioxide from the air and sequester it in farmland is the key to the increase in productivity.
"Soil carbon ensures better water capture and retention, increased nutrient efficiency, especially nitrogen and phosphorous, and also reduces soil loss and nutrient run off into our rivers and the Great Barrier Reef."
25/09/2008 11:11:00 AM
A LOWDEN biodynamic farmer is encouraging others to develop organic crops rather than focus on conventional crops.
Scientific studies show that organic agriculture results in lower greenhouse emissions, carbon sequestration, lower costs and better water efficiency, according to the Organic Federation of Australia.
Brett Kirkpatrick has been involved in biodynamics for the past 20 years.
His whole farm, including beef, brassicas, pumpkins, potatoes, corn, capsicum, cucumber and celery, has been managed biodynamically for the past 10 years.
He said while organic crops tended to grow in different ways than conventional crops, he did gain a higher yield.
"Biodynamic agriculture helps promote soil carbon and develops humus in the soil, which can retain and hold more moisture," he said.
According to Mr Kirkpatrick, when his farm gets heavy rainfall events, the rain stays on the farm rather than running off into the creeks.
"There's more dry matter content in the pastures," he said.
"A feature of biodynamic agriculture is that you don’t get this lush top growth people are used to – you get a lower, denser growth." Mr Kirkpatrick said biodynamic agriculture used preparations that helped enliven the soil. "They’re very high in bacteria and fungi, they act as a soil stimulant and we spray them out over the fields or crops," he said.
He said a key soil preparation in biodynamic farming was horn manure, where a mixture of cow manure and other materials are buried in cow horns in autumn.
Over winter, the mixture composts, to be dug up in the spring.
"We hope to see lots of white fungi threads through that as well, which comes off the horn," Mr Kirkpatrick said.
Another preparation called horn silica spends summer in the ground.
"We spray that more into the atmosphere above the plants to promote photosynthesis," said he.
"It also enhances flavours and contributes to the decline in fungal problems.
"There are a lot of microbial products you can buy to spray on the field in organics. The beauty of biodynamics is you can create these yourself at a lower cost."
According to Mr Kirkpatrick, the wine industry is the fastest-growing segment of biodynamics.
"They're not interested in being certified - they're interested in biodynamics as a management tool," he said.
Organic Federation of Australia chairman Andre Leu said researchers had found that best practice organic systems produced the high yields with lower fossil fuel use and reduced farming input costs.
"This is very significant with the rising price of oil and the huge cost increases in synthetic fertilisers and pesticides," he said. "The ability of organic farming practices to remove carbon dioxide from the air and sequester it in farmland is the key to the increase in productivity.
"Soil carbon ensures better water capture and retention, increased nutrient efficiency, especially nitrogen and phosphorous, and also reduces soil loss and nutrient run off into our rivers and the Great Barrier Reef."
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