What is Sustainable Agriculture? 

Sustainable Agriculture is the managed growing and harvesting of crops and pastures minimizing the negative impact on the environment, improving soil health, increasing biological diversity, and controlling pests. Sustainable agriculture is dependant on a whole system approach having as its focus the long term health of the land. Sustainable Agriculture concentrates on long term solutions to problems instead of short term treatment of symptoms. The use of chemicals and similar inputs are reduced, the land develops biological diversity and resiliency that further reduces the need for agriculture chemicals.

What is Best Practice (In Grazing)?

Every primary producer has an aim to achieve industry Best-Practice, (worlds highest standards) the most effective and efficient method of achieving personal and business goals with the least risk possible to those involved. That is ensuring that all activity is designed to minimise risk and maximise the outcomes.

Our company, “Grazing BestPrac” has been established to assist graziers in sourcing information and support towards achieving Grazing Best-Practice. The standards for “Best-Practice” are evolving month by month as new information and techniques become available. In the past 5 years, the industry in Australia has had many issues to deal with including vegetation management, water management, NLIS (livestock identification), animal nutrition, workplace health and safety, animal welfare and technology. In fact this industry has had more changes than any other industry within Australia and still no standards have been established.

We have developed a list of issues and levels of achievement, which you can utilise to begin an assessment of your enterprise/ business, measure the risk level and take appropriate action.

MINIMISING RISKS AND MAXIMISING BENEFITS

Click on the link above to download the Best Practice Survey to assist you in establishing a strategy to begin your new practices.

Food for thought:    

If a man has cancer, does he have cancer because of a lack of chemotherapy in his body? Absolutely not!  So it is with plants. Does a plant have a disease because of a lack of pesticides or herbicides?  "Healthy plants" grow in soils that are vibrant and full of microbial life.