Farming organically means that we try to farm in harmony with nature – understanding, respecting and using the natural processes that have formed the earth and all plant and animal life. We do not use synthetic products such as herbicides, fertilizers and pesticides, but rely only on natural products. One of our core values that made us farm organically, is our drive to produce fruit on a sustainable basis. We are developing a robust farming system, where the quality of our soils improve every year. We are acutely aware of the need to farm in harmony with nature, and to always put back into our environment more than what we take out. 20% of our farms are conservation areas and will remain so forever.
The more we build up our soils, the more we improve the quality of our fruit. We use compost and Lucerne (Medicago sativa) as a basis for our soil fertility program. A critical component of our compost – cattle manure -is sourced from our own organically fed herd. Soils with high organic matter levels store more water, and are more drought resistant. They also reduce the danger of flooding and run off by being more permeable to rain.
By creating ecologically balanced farms, many common pests and diseases are reducing in importance year by year. Most pests and diseases are under biological control – beneficial insect predators and parasites are doing a lot of the work of pest control. Our orchards are becoming more biologically diverse – we see more earthworms in our soils, our dams are filled with frogs and orchards are alive with the hum of insects and the call of birds. Bee keepers are choosing to place hives on our organic farms in preference to conventional farms, as the colonies are stronger and healthier, and honey production is much higher.
