
Feed Diversity for Livestock
November 5, 2022
Food Security – Working out What You Need to Store.
April 7, 2023The first step we must all take in our effort to farm the land naturally is to stop harming the soil life. This action alone starts the slow journey to recovery. But as we start looking into what this means the sad reality of the situation of our worlds soil starts to hit home. Most land management practices harm the soil, be it horticulture, agriculture, forestry, park management or even just gardening. Even organic practices which are based on conventional methods are harmful. Through our studies of Natural Farming around the world we have come across some methods which are used and promoted which we would not use on our farm or garden. There is a broad range of methods which seem to be considered natural farming, but this is subjective to what you are wishing to achieve from your land. The views of a commercial farmer as to what is natural can be vastly different to the views of a homesteader aiming to provide their families food. We fall into the latter category, there is no commercial gain to be developed from our land. We seek only to produce highly nutritious food for our family, but we also think it is important to share what we do and learn along the way. There has been a great movement over the past few decades to bring awareness to the impacts of our actions on the soil, but it is a slow awakening.
Do no harm is where we must start, looking at our actions and seeing the impacts they have. But this does not only apply to our land-based decisions but our life decisions as well. Choosing to live a more natural life should be the at the fore front of all our decision making.
Stop using harmful sprays.
No insecticides, herbicides, fungicides. All these harm and kill soil life. Finding other methods which are less destructive is necessary to develop a natural system. But if your soil is healthy and full of life, you have diverse plantings and manage your livestock well, this should mitigate any issues. A healthy ecosystem will be able to balance itself.

Stop using non-natural fertilisers and overusing natural fertilisers
While the life on the land needs mineral elements to thrive it is the overuse of these applications which breaks the cycles within the soil. They provide a quick food source which removes the plants reliabilities on the soil life processes. Kind of like us having access to takeaways verses growing and cooking the food ourselves. Takeaways are easy but they remove the self-reliance of sustaining ourselves. When these easy foods aren’t available, we must re-establish our self-reliance. Building a sustainable nutrient cycling system within your soil is far better long term. When applying fertilisers, it should be done in response to the needs of your plants and gently. Most natural farming liquid fertiliser applications are done at the rate of 1/1000. That’s 1 ml of fertiliser to 1 litre of water. There is an argument in the ‘science’ world that artificial fertilisers do not harm the soil life if used at the correct application rate. That they are essentially the same elemental components as the natural elements. But they are a brought in component and Natural Farming should work on the practice of creating a closed loop system not reliant on outside resources. However, this will take time to establish, and nutritional support may be needed in the interim.
Limit tilling/digging
The process of tilling the soil destroys the delicate fungal networks which are necessary for healthy soil. It turns the soil, exposing the life to the drying sun which can kill these subterranean dwellers. Excessive tilling breaks the life cycles within the soil and turns the soil into a lifeless medium for growing rather than the thriving ecosystem it should be. Compaction is another impact caused by tilling especially when heavy equipment is used. The scraping action of rotary hoe can create a layer just below the tilled area which difficult for roots and water to penetrate. Soil loss and erosion is more common as the soil has no surface cover to hold it in place. The wind and rain can disperse the loose exposed soil with ease. Just look at cropping paddocks where the old fence lines stand in comparison to the field beyond. Most long term cropped paddocks have been compacted and eroded to well below the pre-cropping levels.
No dig gardening has grown in popularity as has seed drilling in larger farming and horticultural operations. While aeration may be needed in some areas this can be achieved without tilling the soil, through the use of deep-rooted plants and applying soil opening natural brews.

Cover the soil
Maintaining a cover on the soil helps retain moisture, protects and feeds the soil life and holds the soil in place. Nature will always strive to cover any bare soil; the nature of the soil dictates what plant species she will germinate as cover. High fungal soil will produce woody weeds, shrubs and trees. Bacterial dominant soil will be covered by softer scrambling plants or pasture species. This can be a good observational tool to see where your fungal/bacterial ration is at.
In the pasture situation we have found using locally sourced hay fed out over bare areas and hoofed in by the stock is the best way to provide soil coverage and develop new pasture. The use of the hay in areas which are being restored to pasture from other uses also aides in changing the germination signals to suit pasture species.
Build diversity
Mono cropping would have to be one of the worst practices in the food producing world. It allows for the establishment of diseases and pests, which are then managed by practices which produce further harm to your soil life. In a pasture it limits the availability of many minerals and self-treatment compounds which livestock need. Encouraging a variety of grasses and herbs creates a more sustainable and resilient pasture, which better provides for your livestock’s wider nutritional needs. Creating tree and shrub fodder and forage systems extends this diversity further.
Embracing the ‘Do no harm’ mentality is the only way your soil can recover and start to regain life. It is the beginning of our journey into Natural Farming.
