A recent article in a farm weekly reports that farmers around Lake Taupo, in the North Island of New Zealand, will need a permit to farm. Authorities will restrict by 20% the amount of nitrogen the farmer can discharge into the water ways.
The decision is designed to reduce nitrogen run-off into the lake which is threatening the ecosystem. Under the new rules, farmers will be required to submit detailed annual plans for approval to meet a specified “nitrogen discharge allowance”. The newspaper report went on to say that this decision will effectively control the way farmers farm and veto some enterprises. It says that farmers will be required to switch from intensive high-nitrogen dairy farming to low-nitrogen farming such as growing blueberries.
Farmers are furious. “..this turns on its head the fundamental human rights to grow food.” the Federated Farmers of New Zealand spokesman said. They will consider an appeal to the High Court.
This article caught our eye because farming biologically in tune with nature; farmers do NOT need to apply nitrogen. So instead of dairy farmers having to consider low-nitrogen crops like blueberries, wouldn’t it be more appropriate to look at dairy farmers who successfully farm without the use of commercial nitrogen applications?
Maybe they are unaware of these farmers. It is unfortunate that the information from agricultural colleges and universities in the main is not directed to natural farming practices. Information instead is skewed towards the vested interests which have over influenced the institutes to promote commercial products that are costly to the farmers and the environment.
This is generally the information that farmers hear about time and again.
It makes it hard for a farmer to believe or at least listen to other information when it is not packaged, expensive and “scientifically” proven. However with the cost of fertilisers including urea going up, farmers are starting to look elsewhere for answers.
Did you know that nearly 70% of the air is made up of nitrogen which can easily be incorporated into a biologically active soil? At Farming Secrets we can direct you to knowledgeable experts and to farmers who have changed their farming practices to convert atmospheric nitrogen into available plant nitrogen. Many farmers have proven that synthetic nitrogen does not have to be used and therefore their costs have been reduced dramatically.
