Creating
ONGOING POSITIVE IMPACTS THROUGH ORGANIC FARMING
BY MEGAN WOODWARD Megan is a freelance writer & independent media consultant with nearly 20 years’ experience as a journalist & PR professional, passionate about rural & regional Australia.
Moving from conventional farming to organic farming isn’t always an easy road – but for those who have made the change, the blood, sweat and tears have returned rewards that go far beyond superior produce.
“The high turnover rate on our land means we’re actually cropping up to 700 acres across that 170 physical acres which is something we’re able to do only with great management and understanding the nuances of the two different farms,” he said.
As Organic Earth Week approaches, we speak with growers and suppliers who are working to not only to produce quality products but create ongoing positive impacts to the environment they operate in.
“We actually worked both the paddocks in Baxter and Barham as conventional farms for a lot of years and you just can’t even begin to compare the differences since I converted to organics.
Wayne Shields is the Owner/Director of Peninsula Fresh Organics based at Baxter on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.
“Most impressive is the improvement to the soil. I don’t need to work the ground as much because the biology does a lot of the hard work for me and the land has just come alive.
His move into growing organically was born out of the destruction of a conventional vegetable crop, due to a major chemical issue with unexplained toxins in a batch of imported horticultural product. “It was a pretty terrible time, but I wasn’t done with farming, so I took on three acres that my father had and started trialling organic growing,” Wayne said. “I started servicing a few veggie boxes around the Peninsula and did some farmers markets with the excess stock and could really see the opportunity that was available as an organic farmer,” he said. In 2010, Peninsula Fresh Organics become certified organic and over the past 11 years, have gone from the original three-acre block to nearly 170 acres of production across two sites – one at Baxter and one at Barham on the Murray River. “We grow around 40 different lines of vegetables, most of which are quick crops,” Wayne explained.
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INDUSTRY AUSTRALIAN ORGANIC CONNECT
“I can hoe a crop in the day after we’ve picked, the ground prepares itself – it’s pretty amazing. My favourite real-world example of the changes in the soil is how often I used to have to change my rotary hoe blades. The ground used to be so abrasive and totally void of organic matter that I was having to change my rotary hoe blades every 10 or 12 weeks on the sandy country – now I only change them once a year.” Wayne said he’s also observed much better water retention in the soils since going organic, with a reduction in irrigation of nearly 50% compared to when he was farming conventionally. He also abides by a strict, organic pest management regime that means he’s managing a much smaller number of pest incursions during any season. “These are all incredible outcomes, and I’d never farm any differently now that I’ve seen the results, but it’s
