Jason’s main point of reference is learning from nature, and applying natural principles in managing his pasture and cattle herd. Their approach to agriculture at Boschendal is: “Working with nature, producing real food”.
Do you want to know more about what electrical conductivity can tell you about your soil? This blog explains briefly what soil EC can reveal about your soil health status, what soil properties are affected and how you can improve it.
Look at this journey of how a farm manager in the Tsitsikamma improved his soil health and what benefit it had on the environment.
A healthy agro-ecosystem contributes both directly and indirectly to agricultural production, and more emphasis should be placed on restoring and maintaining healthy agro-ecosystems.
On pasture-based farms, the roughage grown on pastures is the predominant feed source. It is therefore most beneficial to grow and utilise these pastures effectively.
Representetives from Boointjieskraal, Pennisands and Rheebokrant Farms
There is a lot more nutrient cycling taking place than just what is put into the soil through fertiliser, and taken out in grass and eventually milk. In order to develop a more efficient nutrient cycling system, farmers have to take into account the various losses and sources of nutrients.
Regenerative agriculture is an approach to farming that aims to restore soil, reduce erosion, increase soil carbon levels, enhance biodiversity, improve water cycling, enhance ecosystem services and generally restore and improve the health of the entire agroecosystem.
Farmers have the potential to significantly increase the productivity of their farm, and decrease their environmental impact, by implementing practices which improve the health of their soil.
The unfortunate truth is that there are no silver bullets in farming. The agro-ecosystem is way too complex, with far too many interactions, to have a simple, single solution to challenges.