Biofertile Farms Workshop : September 2010
“To look at the soil micro-organisms in the microscope; one drop of compost tea and it looked like a planet! And the most enjoyable aspect of the workshop is that it’s practical” EarlyBird special expires August 20th! MAKE YOUR OWN FERTILISERThe upcoming RegenAG BioFertile Farms workshop is the FIRST EVER double bill COMPOST TEA and BIO-FERTILISER training opportunity presented by two very practical farmers – the highly experienced Paul Taylor & internationally respected Eugenio Gras. Over the three days we will explore not only AACT (Actively Aerated Compost Teas), but also the dynamic field of ‘Fermented Bio-Fertilisers’. These solutions are made from common ‘on-farm’ materials prepared in an enviroment that simulates the inside of a cow’s gut – the rumen – an activity more accurately described as ‘brewing’. This workshop offers a comprehensive exit strategy from costly and harmful chemical inputs letting you ‘go to the shed‘ rather than ‘go to the shop‘. This workshop will be conducted on Taranaki Farm; leading demonstration farm of regenerative agriculture methods and home to the ‘keyline super plow‘ – the heavily customised Yeomans plow that “deep rips, injects & sprays compost teas and biofertilisers while sowing pasture crops (annual and perennial) and maintaining 100% ground-cover- all in a single pass.“ |
Workshop Details
| Title | RegenAG Holistic Management |
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| Venue | Taranaki Farm | |
| Where | North Central Victoria [ 65km from Melbourne along Calder Fwy See map details further down this page ] |
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| When | 13th – 15th SEPTEMBER 2010 3 Days |
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Course Code: FRTC00741
If you are a farmer, land manager, primary producer or in the immediate family of any of these, you may be eligible for reimbursement under FarmReady. Go to our FarmReady page to learn more. |
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| FarmReady Approved |
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About this workshop
Typically, workshops that address biological farm fertility inputs focus only on the soil foodweb and the use of actively aerated compost teas. These ‘teas’ consist of billions and billions of soil microbes purposely bred inside a controlled aerobic enviroment – namely, a ‘brewing’ vessel.
Brewing aerated teas however is a misnomer, since ‘brewing’ implies a fermenting process and this is were the other half of this very special workshop comes plays in.
Over the three days we will explore not only AACT (Actively Aerated Compost Teas), but also the dynamic field of ‘Fermented Bio-Fertilisers’. These solutions are made from common ‘on-farm’ materials prepared in an enviroment that simulates the inside of a cow’s gut – the rumen – an activity more accurately described as ‘brewing’.
| “Feed the Soil” with AEROBICALLY BRED COMPOST TEA TEEMING WITH SOIL MICRO-ORGANISMS |
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| “Feed the Plants” with ANEROBICALLY FERMENTETD BIO-FERTILISER A ROBUST CHEMCIAL FERTILISER REPLACEMENT |
And where compost teas are ‘feeding the soil’ – a process that builds long-term soil health and productivity by restoring natural function, the bio-fertilisers address the immediate productivity benefits of ‘feeding the plants’ in a way analogous to conventional ‘fertilising’ – only without sacrificing the the near and long term health of the farm, pocketbook and broader enviroment.
What is Compost Tea?
The purpose of ‘compost tea’ is to populate soil with the organisms necessary for natural soil function to be restored. When soil is ‘working’ correctly, productivity is high, nutrient exchange is vibrant and water holding capacity maxiumal. The result is increased fertility and higher productivity where the soils natural potential is fully expressed. On many farms with poor soil conditions, this potential is ‘locked’ in the soil. When the right conditions are stimulated it is ‘unlocked’ or realised – a sudden shift that can radically regenerate soil and farm productivity in a short space of time.
To produce this biologically teeming solution, small quantities of microbe food (such as kelp, liquid fish, humates etc) is mixed with an appropriate volumn of clean water (e.g. 1000lt). A small but highly diverse population of soil microbes (living within specially produced compost) and contained in a ‘tea bag’ is then lowered into the water / food solution. Over a 24 hour period, the tea brewer (which is a device consisting of a high velicity air pump and plumbing) forces air into the solution via stainless steel tubes. This air escapes vigorously through perforations in the tubes at the bottom of the tank percolating rapidly through the solution.
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We setup these conditions, where aerobic microbes (formerly dwelling inside compost) now propagate at an astonishing rate, feeding on the introduced microbe food. A veritable ‘big bang’ occures during the brewing period resulting in a liquid solution containing a microbial population vast enough to treat hectares of land. |
The vessels highly aerated ‘environment’ is perfectly suited to microbe reproduction – in particular – microbes that thrive in ‘aerobic’ environments. These beasties are especially adapted to healthy productive soil. These microbes also produce topsoil as a by-produce of their natural function.
What is Bio-Fertiliser?
Inversely, the process of brewing bio-fertiliser employes anaerobic microbes in a low oxygen enviroment to break down a group of minerally rich, nutrient dense ingredients from their original inaccessable form to one readily available to actively growing plants. These brews are referred to as ‘bio’ because they are made from natural materials and are not destructive to soil microbes.
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The productivity boost from bio-fertilisers promotes further activity in both existing and introduced (via compost tea) microbial populations . Now a positive feedback cycle, these circumstances accelerate natural nutrient exchange increasing available ‘plant food’ for growing vegetation – a truly regenerative process. The end result of which is precious new topsoil. |
Gathing a diverse collection of easily sourced ‘on-farm’ materials like minerally dense rock dust, calcium and microbially rich raw milk, sweet molasses, wood ash and a cow rumen or cow manure for the working microbes, this process simulates conditions like that inside a cow’s gut – and anaerobic process achieved inside a regular airtight vessel (200lts) with specially constructed ‘off-gasing’ mechanism.
Over a period of time, this material breaks down biologically via the organisms that were introduces with the cow manure or rumen. This transforms into a solution (once diluted) that is suitable for application on plants (garden/pasture/crop etc) via whatever means available. The end result is a potent plant stimulating fertiliser.
FarmReady Approved
Primary producers and Indigenous land managers (and their immediate family members) are able to claim up to $1500 each financial year to attend approved training courses, with additional funding also available to cover excess travel, accommodation and child care expenses. This allowance is offered on a per-person basis, not per property basis so that families can attend these workshops together (each with their own allowance). This workshop is FarmReady Approved (FRTC00741).
“Go to the shed… not to the shop…”
… and don’t miss this workshop!
Booking Your Place
This upcoming Biofertile Farms Workshop at Taranaki Farm is being staged by Fusion Farms as one in many workshops offered by a group of education providers across Australia. This workshop is therefore a part of the ‘Regenerative Agriculture Workshop Series‘ or RegenAG for short.
In agreement with the RegenAG Group (of which Fusion Farms is a founder), all bookings for the workshop series (including this workshop) are made on the official RegenAG website. Payments are handled by Paypal. For alternative payment options, please contact us via email (sales@fusionfarms.com) or use out contact form.
To book your place in the upcoming Biofertile Farms Workshop (13-15th September 2010) @ Taranaki Farm, visit the Official RegenAG Biofertile Farms webpage. Full instructions for booking your place in this VICTORIA Biofertile Farms Workshop can be found on that page. Your booking payment (through the RegenAG website) is direct to us (via the Fusion Farms Paypal account) with RegenAG providing information on the broader workshop series.
To book your place in the VIC Biofertile Farms Workshop
Visit this address:
http://www.RegenAG.com/biofert
We use PayPal to receive payments and take bookings for our courses. You can book your course via PayPal without creating an account by providing them with your credit card details. Your banking details are secure and will not be provided to Fusion Farms or any other third party. If you are not comfortable using PayPal please contact us via email (sales@fusionfarms.com) or use out contact form and we will arrange an alternative payment methods.
Once you’ve booked
Once you’ve booked into this course, we will contact you via email regarding food preferences, what to bring along with you, and any further info you might need or request regarding this workshop.
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