MY APPROACH TO REGENERATIVE FARMING.
I discovered that I am a regenerative farmer through indolence and luck. For 20 years I have taken the slow approach to pasture restoration. I bought this farm which had carried sheep for many years. It was sown with Towoomba Phalaris species and included fog grass, due to the swamp based soils. With the help of the previous owner, I purchased an Aerway aerator, Chamberlain disc plough, Lely power harrow and Connor Shea disc seeder. With this cheap, simple equipment the pastures are now becoming multi-species and with greater structure and higher organic content. I have since bought an old belt spreader and a mulcher.
I am naturally concerned that broad acre herbicides are a disaster,( in particular ROUNDUP). They of course kill growing plants but what about the seeds that will germinate post spraying? Why not turn over the paddock 2 or 3 times and then pasture harrow the tilth to destroy any new germination? This will be more effective. It may cost more in diesel but this is not an annual procedure. Annual aeration prior to and after cultivation will improve the soil structure. The Aerway is designed to pierce and fracture the soil to a depth of at least 12 cms. So with this philosophy I started the pasture improvements.
The book Alternative Agriculture. A history by Joan Thirsk was my first insight to regenerative farming. “There is nothing new in history”. Slow water movement, multi-species, animal and crop rotation are all pre-industrial concepts.
Kevin Hughes also gave me great advice, I applied Petriks foliar fertiliser at his suggestion. He also told me not to kill “weeds” such as nettles but to mow them slowly out of existence, as they are deep rooted, their different nutrients are released in decomposition.
Following soil analysis I initially I had lime and composted pig manure spread on the paddocks annually for two years.
I decided to turn over the selected paddock, rather than direct drill. I wanted to de-compact the soil, destroy the old pasture and introduce new pasture species, including broad leaf plants. My experience with the Wiltshires was that they are browsers rather than grazers. Also broad leaf plants are often deep rooted so remain active deep into hot summers. Rye grass goes brown very soon in hot dry weather. Chicory and Plantain have a high protein content and anti helminth properties as well. since then I am including Cocksfoot and Fescue as deep rooted grasses. The medieval peasants knew all this.
I am now applying mature chicken manure, fresh chicken manure and crushed concrete/brick dust each year. The fresh manure goes on to the newly turned over paddock prior to sowing. The old as organic matter on new and old pastures. The brick dust is “grainy lime”. It acts as a nidus for fungi and bacteria forming a slow release mechanism.
It is hard to predict the changing climate so I try to be understocked. Mulching is also part of my agenda. This is somewhat against a regenerative approach. However it puts old material back in the soil and stimulates new growth. The breakdown is relatively quick and for a short time protects the soil with a horizontal mulch. I mulch at about 14cm so as not to burn the soil and this is done in Autumn.
My biggest problem is the spreading of Barley grass out from the stock camps under the shelter belts. My current approach is to cultivate this area prior to seeding and then densely sowing with different species. Prior to this constant mowing reduces the strength of the plant but they learn to produce seed heads just beneath the reach of the mower blades! I hop and think my latest experiments are working.