Nutrition Matters

Ten Tips for Trace Mineral Triumph

A trace mineral deficiency can affect yield, disease protection, weed pressure, nodulation, reproduction or chlorophyll density and any of these will impact upon your profitability. Here are some guidelines that may help you in the management of trace mineral nutrition: 1. It is much more effective to apply trace minerals

pH Awareness Can Boost Profitability

A pH meter is essential equipment for all growers seeking to build productivity sustainably. Soil pH has a major impact upon nutrient uptake. The ideal soil pH for the majority of crops is 6.4 and at this level your soil will provide maximum nutrition. A low soil pH spells

Putting the Microbes Behind the Minerals

Mineral uptake is facilitated by micro-organisms, whether it takes place in the soil, the gut or the leaf surface. A simple recognition of this fact is a prerequisite if we are seeking to abandon old, unproductive paradigms. It is the belief that “science will look after us” that is at

Prescription Blends

At times we get asked the question: How long will my Prescription Blend™ last in the soil and will I require a blend next year? Unfortunately, there isn’t an easy answer to this question; it is really site specific. What it comes down to is how ‘completely’ the initial

Elise’s Journey

Elise Wenden is the driving force behind Fruition Nutrition, a consulting business involved in sustainable agriculture in Charlton near Bendigo. She also represents NTS in Northern Victoria. Elise has recently become a finalist in the 2012 Victorian Rural Women’s Award and she is using the associated media interest to

Biological Blueberries are World Beaters

Two years ago, as part of an NTS field day, we visited Dean and Helen Bryant’s blueberry farm at Peachester in the Sunshine Coast hinterland (Brymac Industries). During the visit I was demonstrating the use of a refractometer by testing the brix levels of the leaves of the healthy

The Top Ten Farming Tips for 2012

For the first time in my memory we are confronting a new year that holds more threat than promise. The triple specters of a European meltdown, a bursting Chinese property bubble and fragile “recoveries” in the US and Japan, present a torrid, tightrope walk through the coming months. Even if

8 Essentials for Successful Microbe Brewing

Brewing microorganisms is almost an act of faith. You add some ingredients to the brewing tank, wait 24 hours and then apply the discoloured water to your soils or crop. You can’t see the new workforce you have created so you simply trust that something worthwhile is involved. You

The Art and Science of Composting

Decomposition is a microbial process critical to life on this planet. Minerals are recycled, carbon is sequestered in the soil as humus and soils are constantly regenerated in a cyclical fashion. This natural decomposition involves the same processes found in composting. However, composting involves the fast-tracking of these natural processes

Springboard™ – A Revolution in Bio-Fertilising

Imagine a liquid fertiliser that has been specifically designed to nurture and promote the most important creatures in the soil, whilst also supplying a comprehensive food source for the developing crop. This dual functionality has often been promised but rarely achieved as a cost-effective liquid fertiliser. The soil organisms in

Soil Health Is Human Health

The central driving force behind the entire NTS approach relates to the critically important relationship between human health and soil health. Here we will answer some FAQ’s in relation to this link. How is Soil Health Linked to Human Health? We are what we eat and what we eat

biological farming

Shifting Paradigms – Navigating the Brave New World of Biology

Colin Hamilton and his partner, Beverley, have embarked on a journey of discovery. They farm 3000 acres near Narromine, in the central west of NSW. They have cropped cereals, cotton and legumes on the farm for the past fifteen years using the standard range of farm chemicals and acid fertilisers.

Seven Productive Synergies – Part 2

In the second part of this two-part feature, we will look at the relationship between biology, soil food, compost, soil promotants and humates in our quest for productive combinations. 5) Earthworms and Soil Food Reclaiming large numbers of earthworms in the soil is the Holy Grail of the biological approach.

biological farming

Seven Productive Synergies – Part 1

Nutrition Farming® is more about insight than inputs. It is a knowledge-based approach where the aim is to reduce inputs through smarter farming and increased sustainability. This often involves synergies where certain combinations optimise outcomes and knowledge of these synergies can be the key to success with this approach. In

biological farming

New Findings on Foliar Potassium

Potassium (K) is the mineral with the greatest influence upon crop quality parameters and, in this context, foliar-applied potassium during the business end of the season (from flowering onwards), can be particularly productive. Potassium is unique amongst major minerals in that it never becomes part of functional molecules involved in

11 Hot Tips to Profit from Humates

Humates are the most exciting yield building, profit boosting tool available in crop production and if you have yet to discover their multiple benefits, it’s time to realise their potential. Trial a small area and you will become a humate convert. We are yet to experience a grower who

Jerry Brunetti Interview – Parts 1 & 2

This is an interview from 2007 with my close friend, Jerry Brunetti. I taped a marathon seven hour interview/conversation while travelling through NZ on a speaking tour. Jerry is one of the world’s leading consultants in holistic agriculture and he has become something of a guru in human

Enough Is Enough! – It’s Time To Stand Up and Be Counted!

I have only recently become aware of the potential for environmental disaster linked to the extraction of coal seam gas. This morning I received an email from my brother, Bryan, featuring a YouTube video that had a profound effect upon me. I was horrified and enraged to witness the potential

Vine-Tech Triple Ten™ Impresses

Liz Riley is a leading viticulture consultant in the Hunter Valley and she heads her own consultancy company. Liz attended one of our four day courses last year and she proved a wealth of intelligent queries and well reasoned opinions that we have come to expect from recipients of Nufield

A Master Consultant Shares His Secrets

John Norton heads the groundbreaking South Australian company, Bio-Tech Organics. This company was the very first NTS distributor in Australia and for the past fifteen years they have carved out a role as leaders in biological horticulture. John is now one of the World’s leading potato consultants and he

The Humate Phenomenon

Humates are the most exciting input for the increase of productivity and profitability in agriculture since the advent of commercial nitrogen. What began as a critical tool in biological agriculture has rapidly become an essential performance enhancer in all types of growing enterprises. What is all the noise about and

Mycorrhizal Magic – New Biological Breakthrough

The creature most often missing in agricultural soils is a fungus that burrows into the crop roots. This usually evokes images of an undesirable parasite but this is not a disease organism. Once this creature is locked into a food source from the plant, it gives far more than it

Healthy Soil – Graeme Sait Interviewed by ABC

Graeme Sait is an internationally renowned speaker and author of "Nutrition Rules!" – a guidebook for improving both soil health and human health. Graeme is also the CEO of the Sunshine Coast based Nutri-Tech Solutions, which specialises in the relationship between soil health, animal health & human health. Mary-Lou

Grower Experiences Explosive Growth Using NTS Products

Dear NTS, After the impact I’ve experienced using your products, I felt compelled to email and show you the results. As a small market garden operation, I taken great pride in being able to produce intensive crops in a very finite area, all while adhering to organically approved methods.

glyphosate

Is Glyphosate Sustainable? – A Closer Look At The World’s Favourite Farm Chemical

Glyphosate was invented and patented in the mid seventies by the Monsanto Corporation and marketed as “Roundup”. It became their flagship product until the patent expired in 2000. The lower priced generic glyphosate products should theoretically have decimated sales for Monsanto but they cleverly introduced their genetically modified “Roundup Ready”