Biological Agriculture 

Based on the science of energy flow through plant and soil systems, biological agriculture provides a management framework for healthy soils and sustainable farming. The result is reduced reliance on chemical fertilisers and pesticides, decreased weeds, diseases and insect pests, with increased crop yields and nutritional value.

• What is Biological Agriculture? - printable handout 
• Biological Agriculture uptake in New Zealand - read more here

So what is Biological Agriculture?

• Combining the best of chemistry, physics, biology and microbiology with sound farm management practices.
• Addressing and solving weed, disease and insect pest problems at their root causes rather than merely masking the symptoms.
• Maximising yield, quality, food nutrition and profit potentials.

BioAgNZ supports the view that:

• Human health and disease are directly linked to nutrition.
• Nutrition comes from agriculture and only agriculture.
• Agricultural practices over the last 60 years have substantially reduced plant vitamin and mineral levels degenerating our food, our environment and our health.
• Conventional (chemical or organic) agriculture is stealing our quality of life via cancer, Parkinson's, heart disease, dementia, etc.
• Conventional agriculture is reducing and weakening our next generation via cancer, Autism, ADHD, etc.
• Low quality food is slowly starving us of vital nutrients we need to be healthy, vibrant and live out our full genetic potential.
• The latest assault on our food quality, environment and health is GMO crops.
• Farming should be all about health.
• Farmers truly hold in their hands the health, well-being and longevity of their fellow humans. 

Biological agriculture is a mix of conventional and organic farming practices involving careful crop and soil monitoring to ensure optimum yields, nutritional density and humus production. It focuses on re-establishing mineral balance and enhancing beneficial microbiology in the soil. 

The first fundamental of biological farming is to consider people: their health and well being is the result of the food and environment that we create in farming.  The second fundamental is valuing the soil and its biology as the basis for all fertility.

Applying biological agriculture perspectives and methods results in:

• higher mineral and antioxidant levels in produce
• reduced erosion, fertiliser use, leaching
• fewer insect, weed and disease pressures

All this is accomplished profitably in an environmentally sustainable fashion and is applicable to all production sectors.  Biological agriculture is an approach not a product.  It stresses the importance of robust soil microbiology and considerate re-mineralisation of soils for maximum quality yields. 

There are no ‘single silver bullet' products that achieve high humus and brix* levels.  The emphasis is on understanding the natural sciences that underpin agriculture, monitoring soils and crops for plant-available nutrients and applying fertilisers in small, frequent doses to maintain optimum soil and plant energy levels.  We don't eat once a season and we shouldn't expect plants to either.

* Brix is related to the concentration of dissolved solids (mostly sucrose) in a fluid.  It can be easily measured in the field by squeezing plant tissue from a garlic press onto a handheld refractometer to determine percentage dissolved solids - sugars.  Brix can be used as an indicator of plant photosynthesis and complex sugar production and in turn, nutrient density and flavour. 

Creating healthier soils will produce healthier feed and healthier animals.  Biological farming addresses environmental and human health problems by dealing to their causes not simply trying to mask the symptoms created by unbalanced soils and poor soil biology.  A robust soil foodweb with many millions of diverse oxygen-loving micro-organisms per gram of soil is needed to achieve soil balance and health.  To get this we buffer the fertilisers with complex carbohydrates like humates and molasses which feed and stimulate the microbes to create humus and feed the plant.  Healthier well-fed plants produce complex sugars and complete proteins that are not attractive to insects and diseases thus reducing the need for pesticides. 

Biological agriculture is not bound by set procedures but instead focuses on the outcome of high brix, nutritionally dense produce.  It has a large and flexible toolbox of amendments and techniques to achieve optimum plant growth.

A shift to biological farming involves a three-year plan and the application of a protocol of:

• Testing soils for both mineral reserves and for minerals immediately available to the plant.
• Frequent application of fine lime with carbohydrate and trace minerals to strengthen cell walls and feed microbes.
• Applying microbe-friendly phosphate that is readily available such as MAP, fish emulsion, and soft rock phosphate.
• Use of soil amendments such as humic acid, fish emulsion and sea minerals to provide important trace elements and nutrient complexity.
• Re-introducing microbiology through compost, compost teas or soil inoculums to stimulate microbial digestion of residues and creation of humus.
• Monitoring soil nutrient levels, plant sap brix, electrical soil current and sap pH to assess whether plants are being fully nourished.
• Being prepared to quickly apply dilute doses of liquid fertilisers in the course of the growing season.
• Incorporating crop residues and green manure crops rapidly into the soil to speed humus formation.
• Understanding plant and soil relationships and doing what it takes to maximise oxygen levels in the soil for health microbiology.
  
  

  "Your most important livestock are the ones you can't see - the ones beneath your feet that are the source of all soil fertility."  Phyllis Tichinin 

• Growing crops without the need for herbicides, pesticides and fungicides while maintaining or increasing yields and farm profit.
• Producing food that has higher nutrition than conventionally grown produce, with a better yield / input ratio.
• Increasing soil humus and carbon levels along with improved nutrient density in foods.

Use of biology-friendly, broad spectrum fertilisation practices increases soil humus levels making it easier for the  soil eco-system to provide nutrients for greater productivity.  The end result is more carbon sequestering and better profits. 
 

This is happening now on New Zealand farms:

• Better calcium levels and less rot in squash plants with comparable yields (Bostock bio ag squash trial 2007 season).
• Doubled yield of early harvest high DM and brix kiwifruit at 2/3rds the average input cost in 2007 season (Clarrie Head, Katikati).
• 10% increase in MS production with better soil structure, palatability and no topping (Kevin Davidson, Plantation Rd Dairy Ongaonga Sept 06 - May 07).
• Topping the Stortford Lodge sales with ewe lambs and better submission rates for A.I, semen quality of sale bulls, sheep scanning figures and no flystrike (Will McFarlane, Maraekakaho, Hawke's Bay).
• Two tonne increase in maize yield with reduced N and pesticide use (April 2007 Ian Gavin, Hamilton). 

Important points to consider:

• Farmers need to understand the consequences of their actions or inactions.  Farmers produce FOOD FOR PEOPLE!
• Food and fibre are fundamental basic needs that determine the health and well being of people.  Whatever they contain - nutrients and toxins - directly determines our quality of life.
• Sustainability of human life requires sustainability of farming, which in turn requires comprehensive nutrition in the soil.
• Agriculture and medicine are intimately connected.

Our food today is LESS NUTRITIOUS than before WWII  

Mineral Depletion in Food  1940-1991 

The Composition of Foods, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Foods and the Royal Society of Chemistry, UK.

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