A new perspective
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Approaching agriculture in new ways requires new perspectives on how to view things. One of the main differences between conventional and sustainable agriculture is the relative reliance on external inputs.
Author Archive for: Craig Galloway
Entries by Craig Galloway
Black maize beetles on dairy pastures
Reading Time: 4 minutes
The black maize beetle is a pest to many of the pasture grasses planted on Eastern Cape dairy farms. Two of the most prominent grasses which are favoured by these beetles are ryegrass and kikuyu.
Do you ever examine your soil?
Reading Time: 3 minutes
These two very simple visual assessments can give farmers an idea of how good the structure of the soil is on their farms. They are also a good demonstration of the benefits of soil carbon and how carbon contributes to well aggregated soil.
Can you afford not to change?
Reading Time: 3 minutes
The problem with change is that it is often very challenging. The usual, common and standard way of doing things is comfortable and known, but it very seldom brings about progress.
Are private and social goals aligned in pasture-based dairy production?
Reading Time: < 1 minute
To become more sustainable, dairy farms should aim to maximise productivity at a minimum cost to the environment. Standard environmental impact measures were combined with non-parametric total factor productivity analysis to investigate if this is possible in a pasture-based production system.
Opportunities to improve sustainability on commercial pasture-based dairy farms by assessing environmental impact
Reading Time: < 1 minute
For pasture-based dairy farming to become more sustainable, the negative environmental impacts associated with milk production must be minimized.
Who are the real environmentalists?
Reading Time: 2 minutes
There are many farmers out there who are really attempting to reduce their environmental impacts and provide agricultural produce which supports a sustainable future.
The potassium problem, or is it a nitrogen problem?
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Due to a lack of soil health, and an imbalance in soil fertility, farmers are relying for too heavily on nitrogen fertiliser for pasture growth. This can actually lead to potassium loss from the soil.
Is it too late for our soils?
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Rather than dwelling on the negative aspect of degradation, I would prefer to focus on the strategies and opportunities which are available to farmers in restoring the soil.
To eat or not to eat (animal produce), that is the question
Reading Time: 4 minutes
I really do believe we should be focussing on improving the manner in which animal production is done, focussing on supporting farmers which implement positive practices, rather than just blanketing the whole industry as terrible for the environment and writing it off.