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INNOVATION IN PRACTICE
How to Transform Yields from the Ground Up
During the peak of a scorching summer, the microbes in your farm’s soil are likely accessing water locked up in soil. That’s moisture the plants can’t reach without those crucial microbes.
It’s all about balance According to Mark Gabsch, Founder and Man- aging Director of soil-enrichment company, Bactivate, healthy soil is the “engine room of agriculture”. “Australia’s soils are ancient and depleted, and the way we’ve been farming has largely broken the natural symbiotic systems that supported soil health,” he says. “Get the biology right and restore that balance, then the results above ground will follow.” Mark's experience as a mechanical engineer and cattle farmer equips him with highly transferable skills in problem-solving, data collection, and analysis.
Whether your farm grow crops, fruit and vegetables, cattle or sheep, each summer presents unique challenges: nutrient-depleted soils, unpredictable weather, and soaring input costs. Conventional chemical fertilisers often exacerbate soil imbalances, leading to diminishing returns over time. Embark on a journey beneath your feet, where clues to boosting harvests and productivity lie. It’s home to organisms ranging from 0.001 millimetres to twice that size for bacteria, with fungi extending their root networks up to several metres. These organisms are the heroes of an innovative biological approach that’s helping farmers across Australia and New Zealand.
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