NZ Dairy Winter 2021

16 | nz dairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Organic Dairy & Pastoral Group Sharing knowledge focus for organic farming group • from page 14 Talk to us today about your farms soil fertility. We offer a soil testing service and will supply you with a fertiliser program to suit you and your farms individual needs. 0800 65 65 88 info@sustainablesoils.co.nz www.sustainablesoils.co.nz • More Total Feed • Even Spread of Growth • Less Pest & Disease pressure • Healthier Crops & Stock • Less Reliance on Fertiliser “N” • Improved Soil Structure • Increase the Water & Nutrient Holding capacity of your soil • Feed your Soil with Products that remain available for longer • Better for the Environment At the heart of Penergetic’s product range is working in harmony with nature and using natural processes to treat root causes of problems, rather than the symptoms. The Swiss-headquarted company’s approach is based on values: respectful interaction with humans, animals, plants and the environment, focusing on making a positive contribution to address future challenges. Penergetic technology relies on bio-stimulation, using selected combinations of low-frequency electromagnetic ields copied from pure, natural substances. Twenty years of development preceding 20 plus years of on-farm experience has re ined the applications of its products to achieve more optimal results. Penergetic’s fully-developed agricultural range of products covers soil, plants, compost, farm e luent, animals and water. Bio-stimulation activates soil microbiology, optimises photosynthesis, accelerates composting, assists aerobic decomposition of farm e luent, improves animal digestion, and revitalises water. Root-exudates increase and mycorrhizal fungi proliferate with the symbiotic exchange. More humus forms, soils become naturally fertile, more water permeable and drought tolerant. Plants are healthier, higher yielding and more pest and disease tolerant which directly bene its pasture-grazing animals in health and growth. Penergetic opened in New Zealand in April last year with Stuart Chaney, who comes from an extensive corporate management and inancial background in Working in harmony with nature Australasia, taking up the Penergetic distribution rights for New Zealand. “Penergetic’s mission is to provide farmers and agriculture in general with some new tools to transition away from chemical inputs to more natural organic inputs that do an equivalent, or even better job, because they stimulate the natural processes,” Stuart says. “By using Penergetic products, you can expect to achieve improved soil structures, healthier and higher yielding plants and livestock and at the same time you can reduce reliance on chemicals and minimise your environmental impact.” Penergetic New Zealand can provide a consultation process to assess the needs of any agricultural system and to recommend custom solutions from its range of products. Stuart recommends initially trialling a product on a small scale while reducing conventional inputs. As a system is transitioned from chemical inputs, biological activity is boosted and a system’s restorative process commences. “With correct application, you should start to see an improvement in yields.” With increasingly stringent regulations putting greater pressure on farmers, especially in the dairy industry, Penergetic products could have an important role in the future of agriculture in improving water quality. Penergetic’s claims of increased productivity are supported by numerous farmer’s testimonials, ield trials and scienti ic research on a great variety of crops world-wide. 0210 258 3325 admin@penergetic.co.nz www.penergetic.co.nz “ It’s been really interesting, really inspiring and it puts a whole new light on farming - it’s enjoyable again!” says Janette. They farm north of Whangarei where they have let their certification lapse due to the added expense of maintaining it when Fonterra doesn’t collect organic milk north of Whangarei . They were certified for ten years and still fully adhere to its principles but no longer claim the label. “We only own the herd, not the land,” explains Janette. “We’ve had to convert it from conventional farming methods but our principles have never changed. We haven’t used antibiotics since 2006, choosing to use homeopathy and the vet comes once a year if he’s lucky. We make our own fertiliz- ers and fish emulsion, expanding EM, Effective Micro-organisms to add to the mix” As far as Janette’s concerned chipping Scotch thistles and pulling ragworts isn’t difficult and is much kinder to the surrounding environment than using chemicals. “We just don’t let them seed, that’s the moral of the story,” says Janette. The Organic Dairy and Pastoral Group of NZ was formed 20 years ago by a group of farmers who saw the need to share their knowledge and compare successes and failures. Over the last few years it’s been gaining popularity with 50 of the approximately 150 members having joined in the last year to 18 months. Janette puts it down at least in part to the media coverage around regenerative farming. “It’s a good time to get our name out there. A few years ago we were called ‘tree-huggers’ now we’re seen as doing a good thing so we want to advertise the group and say yes, we’re here, we’ve done it and we can help with the transition.” One of the drawcards she believes is their annual conference with inspirational and educational guest speakers covering all sorts of topics. For Janette as Chair, the challenge is to keep the new ideas going and ensure there’s enough happening to give members value for their annual subscription. The “How-to” webinars, such as How-to keep the weeds under control” and “ How to feed the soil”, came about thanks to Covid, and are a good exam- ple of what they’re doing to achieve that goal. Jenny Erickson guiding her R2 heifers home during the field day on their property at Chaos Springs, Waihi. Janette Perrett, chairperson of the Organic Dairy & Pastoral Group of NZ. “A few years ago we were called ‘tree-huggers’ now we’re seen as doing a good thing so we want to advertise the group and say yes, we’re here, we’ve done it and we can help with the transition.”