How war in Iran helps an Aussie farming breakthrough

Seven years ago dairy farming team Kate Mirams and her husband Peter Neaves took a leap forward and it changed their land forever.

Stunned by the cost of keeping their herds in top condition and eager to improve the quality of their products, they decided to give it a try.

The result is a thriving regenerative agriculture operation.

The couple will not be paying big dollars for pasture-promoting fertilizers at a time when primary producers are on the brink of financial distress caused by conflict in the Middle East.

They actually have little need for scarce synthetic nitrogen crop inputs from the closed Strait of Hormuz.

Now or never.

But the 130-hectare Gippsland estate has some of the highest pasture consumption rates in its region, according to Dairy Australia’s annual monitoring project.

They are also in the top 25 percent in terms of return on assets.

It also caught the attention of other landowners both near and far, with 75 people attending a field day on Macalister River land this month.

“I would say there are still some people who are a little bit confronted by what we do, but there is definitely more interest,” Ms. Mirams says.

He and Mr. Neaves have turned to practices centered primarily on biology and ecology, and have shown that it is possible to remain profitable while reducing fossil fuel inputs and improving soil and landscape health.

“This is a very enjoyable thing,” he tells AAP.

“I can have microbes give me $60,000 worth of free fertilizer and also know that the quality of my soil and the food I provide is constantly improving.”

These days the farm uses about a tenth of the synthetic fertilizers it used before, and it has no effect on grass or milk production.

Their soils are also cooler and retain more moisture, creating a layer of resistance to fire and flood.

The key to success has been diversity.

Ms. Mirams and Mr. Neaves grow 14 different types of pasture plants at a time.

To begin with, some conventional fertilizers were used to stimulate growth, but these were mixed with water and applied to plant leaves rather than added to the soil where it could leach.

Worm broth, full of calcium, magnesium and beneficial microbes, was also added to the crop seeds.

Focusing on healthier plants ultimately meant improving the soil.

“Here we are seven years later and we have achieved outstanding results,” says Ms. Mirams.

“It is regenerative; if you want, farm for soil health.”

For Lands for Life Chief Executive Eli Court said the opportunity to invest in the app highlights the best reasons to reduce Australia’s dependence on fossil fuels and chemical inputs.

“About 90 percent of our production is imported, and about half of that comes from the Gulf countries. So it’s at risk because of conflict,” he says.

“Supporting fertilizer supply in a time of crisis like this is absolutely important, critically important.

“Farmers need it, so we need to make sure that supply is available.

“But like other market issues, there are two sides to the equation: There’s the supply side and the demand side, and… the public conversation seems to be pretty focused on the supply side.”

There is a sharp increase in fertilizer prices; Urea has risen to 50 percent in recent weeks due to shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.

However, Soils for Life, Australia’s National Food Security Strategy Risks that continue to link food security to imported fuel inputs.

“We can try to make sure there is a supply of the things we need to produce food in this country,” Mr. Court says.

“And on the demand side, we can look at making sure that we have as little need as possible for external inputs that could be disrupted or increase rapidly for reasons beyond our control.”

It’s a point that has the support of University of Sydney food systems expert Phil Baker.

“Narrowing policy to just fuel and fertilizer risks turning the food strategy into little more than an agricultural inputs strategy,” he says.

“It’s a situation that locks us even further into fossil fuel addiction.

“Contrary to what the industry claims, a broad, participatory consultation process is exactly what good food policy now requires.”

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