Soil is made up of parent material such as finely ground rock, clay, peat and CARBON mixed with air and water. If any of these four basic parts are missing, there will be some deficiencies. So here is the problem - for almost 100 years we have considered that what was needed to grow exceptionally good food is soil, fertiliser and water. There was no consideration for carbon nor was air considered in the broader scheme of things. It has been considered as compaction where the soils have seized up. This is because there is limited, or no carbon left in the soil, and it has ceased to function as it should.
Soil is not inert; it is (or should be) alive. It is often spoken about by such sayings like “revive the soil” and “spell the soils”. These are common when farmers are discussing their soils.
Soils should be considered as we would any other living thing. We nurture and care for plants we grow and animals we care for. In the same way our soil’s ecosystem should be considered as living.
So, what to do? All soils need air so they can function to do this, and they also need carbon. Scientists tell us that soil needs to have about 5 percent of carbon to function properly. Inside the carbon is where much of the life in the soil starts from. It is home base.
Unfortunately, we often use soil to bury our rubbish and various other bits we no longer have use for, and this has led to a degenerative process which leaves the d in an unhealthy state.
All around the World we have been testing for AVAILABLE elements and not TOTAL nutrients. Not all fertiliser applied is or stays available and will not be considered or reported in most standard soil tests. This in effect creates a less than perfect environment for a plant to grow, and in turn leads to less than perfect animals and/or produce. We must be very careful what we put into the land.
Feeding the soil that feeds us is the start of the process of the food chain so it stands to reason that if the soil isn’t fed properly then what we eat will be inferior.
Every day, mostly 3 times per day, we rely on the soil to produce what we eat. We apply poison to kill the pests and the diseases in our crops or in our animals and then we consume them. It is quite possible that some of these chemicals will end up in our food. However, regenerative farmers are aware of these issues and have worked to correct them. They are now producing food that isn’t grown using chemicals, which gives their products a superior taste and is incredibly healthy. This leads to healthier people.
So, it all starts in the soil - a healthy soil will encourage a healthy plant.
Regenerative farmers start with a stocktake of their farm. What do they have as available elements and nutrients, what is there not being used but could become available, is there enough carbon and if there isn’t how will this be rectified, what numbers of beneficial microbes and fungi are on their farm and how do they get them to optimal levels? As they move to a more holistic approach and their ecosystems start working their produce will become sought after because it’s healthy.
For more information about how to regenerate your soil, contact our team www.fert nz.co.nz or on 0800 337 869
