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Bio Agri Rules – Six Rules for Biological Farming

What is Biological Farming?

We at Earthworm believe it simply means farming with fewer chemicals with better soil stewardship and an unwavering focused on soil health. It is largely driven by the farmer.  The farmer is the closest to the soil and is concerned about groundwater contamination, soil erosion and profitability. To be truly “sustainable” agriculture must produce good food on a long-term basis without depleting the soil or polluting the environment.

Biological farming is not magic in a bottle, nor is it strictly organic or going back to oupa’s old ways.

Instead biological farming is a process with rules and goals. It works with natural laws and beneficial soil life – earthworms, bacteria and fungi. These microorganisms change the soil into a loose, crumbly, biologically active soil which resists erosion and soaks up water like a sponge. Soil organisms help release crop nutrition from the soil. This makes for healthier plants which provide protection against insects and disease.

Rules for Biological Farming

Rule 1: Test and Balance Your Soil

Good soil is not just a mass of minerals; it is a living thing, with minerals, water, air, organic matter and the organisms that turn the organic matter into humus. Plants need more than N, P and K, what about calcium, sulphur, magnesium, iron and boron. These plus a few others are all needed – in the proper amounts.

Click for more detail on soil balancing

Rule 2: Use Fertiliser Which Are Life-Promoting and Non-Harmful

Unacceptable Fertiliser material

  1. Dolomitic lime (calcium magnesium carbonate) is a calcium and magnesium source, useful in low-magnesium soil but most of our soil is already high in magnesium.
  2. Potassium chloride is a strong salt, having the highest salt index of any commonly used fertilizer. It is highly soluble and plants take up large amounts, causing nutrient imbalances. Stressed or damaged roots invite pests and disease, and crop growth and yield are hurt.
  3. Anhydrous ammonia. It may be the cheapest per-unit source of nitrogen, but it will cost you in the long run. Ammonia is a highly toxic gas. It will kill any life near the injection point. Worst of all is causes the soil’s humus to dissolve and leach, robbing roots of potential nutrients and eventually making the soil as hard as concrete. The high concentration of nitrogen upsets the carbon-nitrogen ratio, causing a burn-up of carbon in the soil.
  4. Oxid-form trace elements. They are cheaper but don’t have the availability of sulphates and chelates.
  5. Certain dry fertiliser are not recommended because they can release considerable amounts of ammonia in the soil, harming seedlings or roots. These are diammonium phosphate (DAP) and urea. Urea in liquid form is not harmful ate normal rates.

Rule 3: Use pesticides and Herbicides in Minimum Amounts and only when absolutely Necessary

Pesticides and herbicides are made to kill living things. They do not distinguish between good and bad. You will find that your need for pesticides and herbicides will decrease as your soil come into balance and is more biological active.

Rule 4: Use a Short Rotation

When crops are rotated every year or two, there are fewer weed, disease and pest problems. Crop yields are also higher and inputs lower than with long rotation or with a monocropping system.

Rule 5: Use Tillage to Control Decay of Organic Materials and Control Soil, Air and Water

Good soil should have adequate air and moisture because roots and beneficial soil organisms need oxygen and water. Raw organic matter (plant residues and manures) should be tilled into the upper layers for optimum decay into humus. Leaving it on the surface does little good and may waste nutrients.

When soil is tilled deeply, it should not be inverted (turned over), but can be sliced or uplifted (ripped).

Rule 6: Feed soil life

Beneficial soil organisms are a “voluntary army” willing to work tirelessly for you, if only you will let them. If you provide them with a comfortable “home” (soil with air and moisture), food (organic matter), a good mineral balance and freedom from toxic chemicals, they will go to work.

If you feed the soil microbes, they will feed the crop. It is Nature’s way.

CHEMICAL BALANCE
OUT OF BALANCE IN BALANCE
Calcium less than 65% of CEC

Magnesium over 20% of CEC

Potassium less than 3% of CEC or more than 5%

Phosphorus less than 20 ppm (P1)

Sulphur less than 20 ppm

N:S ratio over 15:1

pH less than 6.0 over 7.0

Low OM (Organic Material)

Low trace elements

 Calcium 70-85% of CEC

Magnesium over 12-18% of CEC

Potassium 3-5% of CEC

Phosphorus 50 ppm (P1)

Sulphur over 25 ppm

N:S ratio over 10:1

pH less than 6.5 – 6.8

Medium to High OM (Organic Material)

Adequate trace elements
SYMPTOMS RESULTS
  1. Hollow Stems (alfalfa), difficult to establish, short-lived stands.
  2. Poor dry-down of crops
  3. Low sugar content in plant
  4. Mineral imbalance in feed
  5. Herd health problems
  6. Crops stressed by weather
  7. Weed problems
  1. Solid stems (alfalfa), easy to establish, long-lived stands
  2. Good dry-down and keeping quality
  3. High Sugar content
  4. Good mineral balance
  5. Healthy animals
  6. High yield; low weather stress
  7. Few weeds

BIOLOGICAL BALANCE
OUT OF BALANCE

Anaerobic – decay without air

 IN BALANCE

Aerobic – decay with air
SYMPTOMS RESULTS
  1. Little decay of organic matter
  2. Sour smell; anaerobic decay which produces alcohol and formaldehyde
  3. Insect and disease problems
  1. Rapid decay of organic matter
  2. Loose soil with earthy smell
  3. Earthworms are naturally present
  4. Better plant growth
  5. Healthier plant
CAUSES REASONS
  1. Soil fertility out of balance
  2. Excessive nitrogen use
  3. Working soil with wrong tools at wrong time
  4. Poor organic matter management (till too deep, too much)
  5. Too many toxic materials; soil life is harmed
  1. Use of life promoting fertilizers to get balance
  2. Abundant soil organisms
  3. Proper tillage – Manage air and water
  4. Feeding soil life by managing organic matter
  5. High humus content

PHYSICAL BALANCE
OUT OF BALANCE

Common situation


 IN BALANCE

Ideal profit situation
SYMPTOMS RESULTS
  1. Poor water drainage; runoff
  2. Waterlogged, pothole problems
  3. Hardpan
  4. Ground cloudy, hard to till
  5. Poor residue decomposition
  6. Weed problems
  1. Good water intake and retention
  2. Mellow soil; easy to work
  3. No crusting or hardpan
  4. Reduced erosion
  5. Large root systems
  6. Fewer Weeds; improved herbicide performance, less required
CAUSES REASONS
  1. Too much of wrong types of fertilizers, humus destroyed.
  2. Excessive nitrogen use; nutrient imbalance
  3. Working soils with wrong tools at wrong time
  4. Poor organic matter management (till in too deep, too much)
  5. Too many toxic chemicals; soil life is harmed
  1. Use of life promoting fertilizers to achieve balance
  2. Abundant soil organisms
  3. Proper tillage
  4. High humus content
  5. Feeding soil life by managing organic matter