We first used TM Agricultural in Autumn and Spring 2018 on our pastures and have again utilised the foliar spray in the Autumn of 2019. We have 160 hectares in Northern Tasmania running Gelbvieh and Murray Grey cattle, with a breeding herd of 110. We cut our own silage and observed an increase in the quality and volume of the silage we were able to produce.
Craig Butcher is a rural contractor who also operates a small property at Theebine, 30 km north of Gympie. Craig is a near neighbour to Stuart Volmerhausen and observed what Stuart did to attempt to arrest the advance of pasture dieback across his property 12 months ago. Craig followed suit.
A farmer and sheep grazier who’s farm is located at Dowerin, in the Central Wheatbelt Region of Western Australia, has been using TM Agricultural (TM Ag) for the past three years and in that time has noticed improvements in his wool and grain quality and the crop’s resilience, which was tested with a dry finish and severe frosts that affected the whole WA Wheatbelt in 2018.
Rodney Job, owner of ‘Condamine’ Tooraweenah was one of the very few farmers to harvest a crop in 2018. The crop yielded 1.1t/ha and despite only receiving between 60 and 75mm of in-crop rain. The Spitfire wheat crop was 13.8% Protein, 1.4% Screenings and 82.4% test weight. The paddock was sprayed with TM Agricultural back in March 2018 then dry sown at the end of April. A storm on 30th June that produced 30mm of rain across the paddock germinated the crop in July. Rodney also applied 1kg/ha of Best Foliar Fertiliser to the crop along with the second TM application in September. READ MORE
A Western Australian grazing family has doubled their carrying capacity and tripled soil carbon levels. Just by switching to a biological soil treatment. The program over the last eight years on the Thexton’s Northcliff property has resulted in reduced soil acidity and compaction, and increased soil aeration, boosting pasture growth and animal productivity. Colin, Kerry, Anthony and Kate Thexton have cut fertiliser costs by two-thirds, done away with insecticide applications. Aan have achieved year round ground cover and increased stocking rates.
Colin puts the productivity increase down to the use of TM Agricultural. An organic soil activation product produced by Best Environmental Technologies. So by paying close attention to root growth and biological activity. Mr Thexton has been able to turn off steers six to eight weeks earlier than a conventional system under high rates of chemical fertilisers.
Reduced screenings, improved grain weight along with soil moisture retention and reduced input costs has ticked all the boxes for Riverina mixed farmer Charlie Webb. Mr Webb, of Urana, has always been one for thinking outside the square and questioning the how and why of his surroundings. His aim is to achieve a healthy, balanced soil to conserve every millimetre of rainfall to lift productivity and profitability.
Mr Webb has used organic soil activation product TM Agricultural produced by Best Environmental Technologies across his cropping country for the past four years. He has noted reduced soil compaction, improved root development and increased soil biology. Soil moisture retention and better soil structure are high on his priority list. Year round ground cover is used to prevent soil erosion and maximize water infiltration. A decade ago Mr Webb was applying lime and gypsum to the red soils. At higher than the recommended rate to lift soil pH to grow dryland lucerne with a limited response. “Everyone has told us for years the soil pH is the issue, but we really need to balance the soil microbes to achieve soil health.’’ he said.
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Reaching a compromise between a biological and conventional farming system has resulted in increased stocking rates. Improved soil structure and reduced input costs for a Tasmanian producer. Rob Tole had been caught in a high input regime of fertilisers, fungicides and insecticides. In his cropping enterprise at Cressy when an issue with pugged soils had far reaching consequences. The waterlogged and compacted soils resulted in a yield penalty in the crops following and started Rob on a path to finding solutions.
He trialled TM Agricultural, an organic soil activation product produced by Best Environmental Technologies. On his worst paddocks with beneficial results and now uses the product across 100 per cent of his farm. Set in a 650mm rainfall zone, the 550ha property is at the foot of the Great Western Tiers with soil types comprising heavy black to lighter sandy loams. Around 60 per cent of the farm is dedicated to irrigation with nine fixed pivots irrigation 320ha. Applications of up to 10 tonnes/ha of lime has resulted in a soil pH of 5.9-6.2 and Olsen P levels are high at 25mg/kg.
Southern NSW grazier David Shuter has doubled his carrying capacity by achieving a balance between biological and conventional soil treatments. The planned program over the last four years has also resulted in reduced soil acidity and compaction. And increased soil aeration, boosting pasture growth and animal productivity. Mr Shuter and his son Nicholas run an aggregation of four properties (freehold and leasehold) totalling 1240ha. At Gerogery and Walla Walla. By focusing on lifting soil and pasture health. Their 2013-drop calves achieved a lifetime average daily weight gain of 1.1kg off grass.
Mr Shuter puts the productivity increase down to the use of worm juice and TM Agricultural. An organic soil activation product produced by Best Environmental Technologies. He said the improvement in soil biology had created ideal conditions for increased populations of earthworms and native dung beetles.
Riverina grower Rohan King has bumped his Durum wheat into a higher payment grade and improved soil biology simply by using a soil activator. Mr King, of Darlington Point, increased protein in the wheat crop by 1.5 per cent last year after trialling the organically certified TM Agricultural. The irrigated crop tested at 13.5 per cent protein and yielded an average of 8t/ha, compared to the district average of 6.5t/ha. Although the market for Durum is relatively small, Mr King prefers to grow it for its stripe rust resistance. He now plans to ramp up the applications of TM Ag, which uses plant extracts to stimulate indigenous soil microbes, from 40 to 300ha. Rohan, his wife Nerissa, children Madelyn and Paige, and parents Jeff and Margaret, farm the 800ha property, “Warangesda”, fronting the Murrumbidgee River. Set in a 350mm rainfall zone, the property ranges from alluvial to sandy loam soils.
A hefty $30,000 saving on his fertilizer bill, improved plant vigour and ground cover has resulted in a healthy triple bottom line for North East farmer Tony Iaria. The Iaria family run a diverse enterprise mix – a 300-cow dairy, a Limousin stud, fodder crops, chestnuts, cherries, hazelnuts, and a pick-your-own berry orchard. With rising fuel, machinery and labour costs compounded by lower farm-gate returns, Tony looked for ways of driving down production costs across all enterprises. He found a solution in the organically certified soil rejuvenator, TM Agricultural, which uses plant extracts to stimulate indigenous soil microbes. He simply applies the TM Ag as a liquid spray at 250mls/ha two to three times a year on all crops and pastures – on the chestnut orchard alone the fertilizer bill has been slashed from $35,000 to $1500 a year.