Nutrition Matters

NTS Soil Therapy™ is an in-depth soil analysis and nutrition programming service that has been the mainstay of NTS agronomy for the past 18 years. The easy-to-understand Soil Therapy™ reports ensure that growers are able to understand their mineral requirements in relation to balance and there are priority guidelines that

In-field monitoring is a critically important component of the biological approach. Proactive plant management involves precision nutrition to achieve the plant resilience that reduces the need for chemical intervention. Refractometers, sap pH meters, nitrate and potassium meters are tools that monitor the sap of the plant to determine nutrient requirements.

There are no magic bullets in agriculture but if you were aware that a substance in your soil could increase productivity, reduce pest pressure, enhance water use efficiency, reduce fertiliser requirements and spare the planet the chaos of global warming, you might prick up your ears and listen. This “magic”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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