Water use in agriculture is unavoidable but where possible, it can be decreased. If we are to have maximum impact on saving water, all water users should play their part in saving water, but the greatest impact comes from involving the role players in agriculture.
Soil is truly amazing. If it is struggling to remedy itself, it will show you. Weeds are a symptom of conditions deteriorating soil health and resultantly, pasture health
Soil respiration has been extensively promoted as a simple, holistic measure of microbial activity in the soil. Simply capture and measure the amount of carbon dioxide produced by soil and you will have an idea of the metabolic activity of the life in the soil.
As consumers, we should support our local farmers by buying local produce, might I dare to say, even if it costs us more.
Nutrients are brought into the farm through the farm gate, and nutrients are removed through the farm gate. The question that needs to be asked is, are there more nutrients brought into, or removed from the farm system?
Active carbon is the part of soil organic matter that is readily available as an energy source for soil life. It is a very good indicator of soil health, responding much faster to changes in management practices than most other indicators.
Progress, growth, improvement, development, these are all words that we positively associate with business. I think most people would agree that they want to improve, progress and grow. The big question is, are you actually improving? Are the practices you currently implement contributing to the continuous improvement of your farm?
There are numerous practices that farmers can implement which will contribute to biodiversity conservation.
Sustainability is more often about the process, than it is about achieving specific goals and then moving on to something different. There is always room for improvement, and opportunity to become more sustainable.