graeme

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Catching Carbon – The Mechanics of Humus Building

The introduction of carbon credits for sequestering carbon into the soils is now on the political agenda. This may well herald a golden era for agriculture. Scientists and politicians are slowly realising that there is simply no alternative but to reward and motivate farmers to undertake this urgent task. If

The Radiance Festival Lineup 2009-2010

“In times of economic turmoil it is often the most important things that suffer – our relationships. Our connection to friends, family, lovers and life itself can be compromised and this distortion impacts the most important of all human emotions – happiness. To be “radiant” is to be happy, fulfilled and at

Aquavate™ Wins Award

The Aquavate™ water treatment unit marketed by NTS was the recipient of an award for “world leading innovation” and technology exports at the recent Water Industry Alliance Awards lunch. The Aquavate™ unit is a unique technology which softens water without the repeated use of salts and it is maintenance-free and

New Plants in a Fraction of the Time

NTS stocks the multi-award winning European innovation, the Rooter Pot™. The name is far from perfect considering Aussie colloquialisms. In fact it sounds like some kind of perverted sex toy. However, the Rooter Pot™ offers remarkable fast tracking of plant propagation to the extent that you can produce the equivalent

Dominate-F™ – Taking the Hit-and-Miss out of Brewing Fungi

One of the hardest things to achieve in the brave new world of microbe brewing is good fungi counts when brewing fungi. Bacteria multiply more rapidly than fungi and invariably take over and suppress the fungi numbers. i.e. fungi thrive in acidic conditions but bacteria are constantly releasing an

A Stock Saver Secret

Stock Saver Vet™ has long been considered the sleeping giant of the NTS range. There has always been an impressive flow of customer feedback about the performance of this product and that has further increased with the addition of a pet version called Pet Saver™.  Humates are our largest and

sustainable agriculture

What we Gain when we Allow Plants to Protect Themselves

When most of us consider the problems linked to chemical intervention in agriculture we commonly think of the potential for chemical residues on food and the associated assault on our immune systems. The more biologically astute might also think of the damage these chemicals have inflicted on soil life and

human health

Prostate Implosion – The Anatomy of A Plague

Prostate cancer is set to become the largest killer of Australian men by the end of this decade – yet the vast majority of men have no idea what function this little gland performs in our bodies, let alone how to look after it! This article is designed to correct that

home garden

Home Garden Happiness

I often argue that the home vegetable garden is the ultimate wellness tool. In a world of bastardised, denatured, industrial food, the veggie plot represents a rare opportunity to reclaim responsibility for your own nutrition. The production and consumption of home grown food offers more than forgotten flavours and nutrient

Salt as a Wellness Solution

Salt has shaped civilisation from the beginning. Homer called it a divine substance and Plato linked these pale crystals to the gods. Wars have been fought over salt and salt taxes have secured empires and inspired revolutions across Europe and Asia. In fact, it was Gandhi’s salt march in

The Role of Boron: Much More Than a Synergist

American consultant, Gary Zimmer, coined the term “Calcium the trucker of all minerals and boron the steering wheel” and he correctly highlighted the critically important, synergistic relationship between these two minerals. It is a simple fact that you will be disappointed in your lime response if your soils are boron

baby health

Beating Obesity Before Birth.

There are now over 20 million toddlers who are considered obese and this represents a looming health crisis which is evidenced by a 500% increase in Type 2 diabetes in Australian children during the past decade.  How do so many young children become overweight so rapidly?  I immediately conjure images

Age Proves No Barrier To Paradigm Shift - Enhancing The Yates Legacy

The greatest pleasure I have found during my 16 year involvement with biological agriculture is to witness a re-awakening of a passion in growers who have embraced this approach. Our work comprises the biggest part of our allotted time on this planet and it is one of life’s essentials

sustainable agriculture

Kelp Help

Mountains and land masses are born from the ocean in massive geological upheavals called diastrophism. Then, in nature’s typical cyclical fashion, the process of erosion through wind and rain ensures the gradual return of minerals and topsoil in a relentless flow back to the ocean. Many of the seventy

health

The Essential Salt

Wars have been fought over salt, fortunes have been made and lost on the back of this mineralised crystal and nations have been brought to their knees through soil salting practices that effectively shut down food supply. Our modern, industrial salt is found everywhere in our food supply but generates

sustainable agriculture

Island to become a Biological Showpiece

Late last year I was sponsored by the Norfolk Island Government to travel to the island for a 2 day seminar. The opportunity arose following enthusiastic promotion by Simon Bigg, who is the Course Superintendent for the Norfolk Island Golf Club. Simon had returned home from our 4 day Certificate

sustainable agriculture

Monitoring Myths

Crop and soil monitoring is an integral part of the biological farming approach. In fact, it could be argued that the comprehensive and integrated testing technologies involved are what differentiates biological agronomy from conventional agronomy. I have argued for years that this proactive monitoring approach is infinitely superior to the

South Africans Pioneer Nutrient-Dense Food

Two years ago, during one of my seminar tours to South Africa, a group from the Woolworths supermarket chainattended our four day Certificate in Sustainable Agriculture Course. Immediately following the course the principal of this privately owned organisation (not the Australian Woolworths) decided that all of his growers should learn

magnesium

Magnesium - The Master Mineral

Proactivity is not a recognised feature of the symptom-treating, modern medical machine and we are all paying the price for this lack of foresight. 70% to 80% of us are deficient in a mineral that is directly linked to most of the degenerative diseases that plague us! There are literally

trace elements

Zinc - The Leaf Enlarger

Zinc is the second largest mineral deficiency amongst Australians (just behind magnesium), but this shortage is not all linked to soil deficiencies. It can also be related to food processing, toxicity (the detox and immune systems are zinc dependent) and through over-consumption of cereal grains (which contain a natural acid

The Benefits of Trace Mineral Nutrition

If you own any form of food growing operation, from home garden to pasture property or horticulture enterprise, then you will benefit from the following information as it is highly likely that you have neglected trace mineral nutrition. We know this to be the case because our team of agronomists

Seminar Field Day - Boosting Avocados

The introduction of a field day involving farm visits, as an optional 5th day tag-on to the four day Certificate in Sustainable Agriculture, has proven a resounding success. This social and educational journey provides the perfect way of winding down from four days of intensive learning and allows for the

C-P-Ca v's N-P-K - The Fight for Soil Life

Nutri-Tech Solutions P/L has emerged as a “front-runner” in the soil fertility stakes. Their refreshing approach involves the provision of education, constructive advice, soil test analysis and other essential tools for cost effective, sustainable agriculture. This information-sharing policy, backed up by an impressive high-tech product range, has won many

The Fulvic Phenomenon

The term ‘phenomenon’ describes something extraordinary or remarkable. It is often used when reporting record-breaking sporting successes or the marketing achievements of pop culture icons. The term is rarely used outside of this reporting of events and persons. Australian swimming star, Ian Thorpe, is a sporting phenomenon, and the rocket-like

Multiplying the Workforce - Microbe Brewing Made Easy!

If there’s one thing we have learnt over the years, while working with thousands of clients involved in over 100 different crops, it is this: On most occasions, poor yield, poor quality and disease pressure are related to a failure or breakdown of biology. “Soil-life governs production” – it’s