There is a lot of information around organics and it can be confusing to understand what it really entails. Organic farming is really a way of growing food that doesn’t use synthetic chemical intervention or genetically modified organisms (GMO’s). It always prioritises building healthy soils and using alternative methods such as composting, cover cropping and biological inputs to grow fruit and vegetables.
For us, organic farming just makes sense! It’s how humans have grown food for centuries. We are super passionate about supporting farmers who prioritise building healthier soils which enables carbon sequestration. Farmers who use science and research to understand the root cause of pests and disease and are trying to rebalance our ecosystems. As nature is a biological, ecological, symbiotic system, for us it makes sense to work with this system to grow food.
HOW WE DO IT
There is a lot to it, but here are some of the main things that set us apart from conventional farming practices.
Soil
Some may not know know that soil can be full of life! We keep our soils thriving with life by applying organic compost and organic matter instead of synthetic fertilizers. Using compost means we have a slow release of nutrients over our growing seasons. We regenerate and build healthy topsoil which increases the water infiltration and retention and reduces leaching of nitrates into the groundwater.
Beneficial insects
When you’re farming over large areas outdoors, you are bound to have a problems with pests. Instead of spraying harmful chemicals on our food to eliminate the pests, we introduce beneficial insects into our crops! This means that we aren’t harming the ecosystems around our farm or leaching harmful chemicals into our water systems.
Crop rotation
By rotating our crops, we don’t grow the same crop in the same field year after year. Different plants give and take different nutrients and minerals from our soils. By rotating our crops we are making sure we don’t deplete our soils and instead replenish them naturally.
Cover crops
These crops are planted between growing seasons to regenerate our soils, prevent erosion, sequester carbon and add organic matter and nutrients to soils. They also help maintain insect eco systems and help control and suppress weeds.
