Here’s to our local farmers

Regional or local food production is imperative collaborative efforts to build more self reliant food economies that are sustainable, require little transportation, and provide the freshest produce. They provide a somewhat ideal system of food production and serves as an alternative to the many big corporate companies that provide food to the masses but also serve to separate the consumer from the farmer, resulting in food travelling many miles to reach you!!!

So what is local, everyone has their own definition of what local is, but when we use the term local, we refer to a 100 mile radius, but more than likely less than 50 miles. The basic concept is simple; we predominately support producers/farmers who grow close to us.

So imagine if you could source your produce that was not only local, but sustainable. The majority of our fresh produce is local, at the moment it's around 87%......and all of our produce is sustainable, grown organically… it really doesn't get much better than that, supporting our local farmers and nourishing your body with the freshest organic produce.

Essentially, local sustainable farming benefits the local community in so many ways,

• Supporting the environment that we live in, thus ensuring that we have a clean healthy environment for our children and ourselves.
  
• Enriching the soil and protecting water and air quality
  
  
• Massive reduction in fossil fuel use, through transportation and also conventional farming uses as much as 40% of the fossil fuels used in food production. Another reason to go organic.
  
• Massive difference in taste, local food is harvested when it's ripe. So this means that the flavours have developed naturally
  
• Increased health and nutrition
  
• Reduction in food miles
  

WE are not all fortunate enough to live amongst farming districts, hence the development of the Organic Empire, serving you with local organic fare from farm gate to your door, it really doesn't get much better or fresher than that…. Check out the price list, and look for the logo below next to the item to see if it's coming locally.

Get healthier, get more sustainable, get local and GO ORGANIC EMPIRE.

tastesbetter@organicempire.com.au

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Farmers are the Solution, this is the truth

This is an article that is available on www.biodynamics.net.au

Farmers are the solution©

There is growing concern and attention being directed to climate change and the environment. It is the farmers who can solve our environment problems - everyone else can slow the process of creating carbon emissions but only farmers can reverse them.


1. CARBON: "We require only 10% of our productive, degraded lands to absorb the estimated 6.1 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide emissions to make a carbon negative world possible in our lifetime" www.amazingcarbon.com/SummariesHORSHAM.pdf Note: biological carbon sequestration is very different to carbon GEOsequestration, a physical process.


2. SOIL: Australia loses 6.97 tonnes of soil per hectare per year across the entire continent. www.deh.gov.au/soe/2001/land/land01-5html Humus holds the soil as well as increasing drought tolerance

3. WATER: In a river catchment basin such as the River Murray (1,057,000 square Kilometres) a 2% increase in humus would equate to an increase in water –holding capacity of 33,824 gigalitres of water (which is approximately equivalent to one Olympic pool per 10 hectares).
http://www.biodynamics.net.au/documents/PlainOldDirt-Compactversion2006edn..doc

4. ECONOMY: Australia imports approximately $4 billion in agricultural chemicals. This is approximately $30,000 per farmer. If we can free ourselves from this requirement we have more resources: $4 billion - to spend in local communities - annually.


Politicians can encourage and scientists inform, only the farmers can achieve outcomes on the scale required, effective immediately.

Biodynamic Agriculture Australia Ltd is a not-for-profit, national, membership association with over 1,200 members. We educate, train and support farmers in the adoption of carbon efficient agriculture and the implementation of sustainable methods that are environmentally regenerative, simple and low cost to apply as well as providing high quality food and fibre.


Hamish Mackay,

CEO,
Bellingen, bdceo@biodynamics.net.au

August, 2007


Further information

The loss of water holding ability in Australian soils has initiated a devastating cycle of terrestrial and marine degradation ranging from the visible effects of soil erosion to the slower and more insidious effects of dryland salinity, acidity and marine sedimentation.
http://www.biodynamics.net.au/documents/PlainOldDirt-Compactversion2006edn..doc p6


The British Royal Society has estimated potential carbon dioxide sequestration on the worlds 2.5 billion acres of agricultural soils at 6.1 to 10.1 billion U.S. tons per year for the next 50 years.
http://www.newfarm.org/depts/NFfield_trials/1003/carbonsequest.shtml


Physical Processes of Humus Formation
Kay (1997) describes the formation of stable humus in the soil as a physical process by which humus material and inorganic matter interact; protecting the organic carbon from further microbial attack and in the process, sequestering organic carbon.
http://www.biodynamics.net.au/documents/PlainOldDirt-Compactversion2006edn..doc p8


Water-Holding Capacity Increase for One Hectare for Varying Levels of Humus Increase

Using the guideline ratio, which has been established for additional water retention the following gains can be expected.

Humus Increase Increased Volume of Water Retained /ha (to 30 cm)
(OC% x 4,000,000kg x 4)
0.5% 80,000 litres (average 2004 level)
1 % 160,000 litres
2 % 320,000 litres
3 % 480,000 litres
4 % 640,000 litres
5 % 800,000 litres (pre-settlement level)


The Clarence Valley catchment has an area of 2,300,000 ha, a 0.5% increase in humus (organic carbon) would therefore store an additional 184,000,000,000 litres of water following an adequate rainfall event.
http://www.biodynamics.net.au/documents/PlainOldDirt-Compactversion2006edn..doc p11

Green Revolution

“Irrigated farming takes two-thirds of all water abstracted from rivers and underground reserves. This is largely because of the green revolution. The ‘high yielding’ plant varieties that have kept the world fed as populations doubled over the past 30 years turn out to be high-yielding only when measured against land area. Measured against water use, they are generally worse than the crops they replaced. They produce less crop per drop.

The world grows twice as much food as it did a generation ago, but abstracts three times as much water to do it.”

Guardian Weekly; Supplement Every Last Drop, p 2, September 29 – October 5 2006 Vol 175/No 15/Printed in Sydney. The article is based on When the Rivers Run Dry, by Fred Pearce, published by Eden Project Books.


See also DVD: How to Save the World available $30 incl.GST p&p at www.biodynamics.net.au

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What is Biodynamic farming?

WHAT IS BIODYNAMICS?
Biodynamics is a regenerative agriculture, holistic in approach and practice, through which the farmer and gardener brings the substances and forces of nature into a quality and sustainable production.


Biodynamics - Tools for making organics easier
Let increased soil biology work for you
Strengthens plants and animals against stress
Optimise growth cycles using lunar and cosmic rhythms
Quality Produce
Tastes good
Reflects the essence of your farm or garden
With increased shelf life
Cost Effective
Reduced fertility inputs
Premium quality products
Consistent production and high net returns
Biodynamic Preparations
Create deeper soil and root depth
Increases water holding capacity of soils - good in drought and flood
Improve plant and animal health and yield, reducing weeds and pests
The Grower
Empowerment of human skills - understanding of natural cycles
Increased professional satisfaction
Health for individual, family, farm and customer

A healthy, well-structured soil, rich in humus and high in biological activity is a prerequisite for any sustainable agricultural system.

Decades of experience with the Biodynamic (BD) method on Australian farms have shown that these soil qualities can be promoted and degradation reversed by the correct application of BD techniques.

Mixed farms practising the Biodynamic method have been in existence for over 65 years with none showing any evidence of loss of fertility or productivity.

Biodynamic practitioners seek to understand and work with the life processes as well as enhance their understanding of the mineral processes used in conventional agriculture. Healthy soil is a prime basis for healthy plants, animals and people.

BD farming practices are of an organic nature, not relying on bringing artificial fertilisers on to the farm, although some organic or natural mineral fertiliser may be necessary during the establishment phase.

On Biodynamic farms we seek instead to enhance the soils structure and nutrient cycles as well as plant growth and development with the use of specific Preparations which are made from farm-sourced materials.

These are the Biodynamic Preparations numbered 500 to 507 used in conjunction with established agricultural practices such as composting and manuring, crop and pasture rotations, tree planting, the integrated use of livestock, etc. As the name suggests, these Preparations are designed to work directly with the dynamic biological processes and cycles which are the basis of soil fertility.

Pest and disease control is generally managed by developing the farm as a total organism. However, BD practitioners may make use of specific products for weed and pest control, which they make from the weeds and pests themselves.

Weeds and pests are very useful indicators of imbalances in soil, plants and animals; and the aim in the Biodynamic method is to use such indicators in a positive way.

The Biodynamic Preparations were developed out of indications by Dr Rudolf Steiner in 1924. They are not fertilisers themselves but greatly assist the fertilising process. As such they only need to be used in very small amounts.

Horn Manure Preparation (500) is used to enliven the soil, increasing the microflora and availability of nutrients and trace elements. Through it the root growth, in particular, is strengthened in a balanced way, especially the fine root hairs. Develops humus formation, soil structure and water holding capacity.

Horn Silica Preparation (501) enhances the light and warmth assimilation of the plant, leading to better fruit and seed development with improved flavour, aroma, colour and nutritional quality.

Compost Preparations (502 to 507), known collectively as the compost preparations, help the dynamic cycles of the macro- and micro-nutrients, via biological processes in the soil and in material breakdown.

wwww.biodynamics.net.au

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