ORICoop hosted an impromptu online presentation regarding the current Avian Flu outbreak that was attended by Pastured Poultry producers around Australia. Thanks particularly to Karen Gurney from Redsun Nutrition, Paolo Crofts from Tall Poppy Farm and Venu from Melbourne Eggs. And thanks to the event sponsors NASAA and Organic Industries of Australia
Karen Gurney – Biosecurity Best Practice
FEED SECURITY
Ensuring sufficient quantities of ingredients are available to meet your feed requirements on an ongoing basis.
Grains and proteins make up the bulk of the feed composition and as farming crops they are dependent on climatic conditions. Both floods and droughts affect the quality, the energy and protein content of the grain or seed. The poultry industry has a large demand for soybean meal, and the local production volume does not meet this requirement, so it is imported. With the spotlight on sustainability, we are looking at replacements for soybean meal, especially locally grown crops. There is a lot of nutrition research covering what ingredients and how much can be fed to broilers and layers to maintain performance.
Micro ingredients usually come from overseas. Supply can be affected by shipping, freight and production issues in different countries. Interruption to the supply chain was severe during the covid years and still is not back to being reliable. We have been advised the coming Q3 and Q4 months will have supply delays due to shipping.
The requirement for organic grains and protein sources is even more difficult as the production volumes are much less than non-organic. We are always looking to the next harvest, looking for new farmers to grow organic crops, keeping track of new research, new crop rotational practices to improve soil and yields.
A few years ago, the local crop volumes were low, we had to source from overseas and this required strict exemption from the certifying bodies to allow us to do that. We needed to do this to keep feeding the birds, with welfare being our priority.
FEED NUTRITION 
There are a few parts to this. First is the nutrients required by the bird, as a growing pullet and as an egg producing hen. During these stages and throughout life, the nutrient requirements of poultry change. They depend on genetics and breed, age, sex (males for broilers or breeder sires), body weight, reproductive state, ambient temperature, housing system, range activity, health status, and production aims of egg numbers or egg size.
The 2nd part to nutrition is the nutrient intake. This is affected by the nutrient composition of the feed and the amount eaten. Ingredient quality, feed form as a pellet or mash, contamination can affect the amount of feed eaten. For egg layers, the aim is to maximise egg production at minimum feed cost, while controlling egg size and egg quality.
It is important to always know your feed intake so that either the feed intake or the ration specifications can be adjusted to meet the hen’s requirements. For example, a young pullet coming into lay will be eating 70 – 80 grams/day, at 25 weeks she will be eating around 115g/day and then as she ages and produces eggs that will be 125g to 145g/day. Usually, we will feed at least 3 different feeds; early, mid and late layer rations all with very different nutrient specifications. When only one ration is fed for the whole of production, it gets a bit trickier and the hens are often fed ad lib to allow them to regulate their intake.
The 3rd part is the nutrients. Carbohydrates are the main source of energy, provided by cereal grains. Fats and oils provide energy and essential fatty acids. Proteins and the amino acids that make up protein and are used mainly for tissue growth, feather growth, egg production. Vitamins and minerals are required for normal health, growth and production, they are required for many physiological processes in the body.
FEED BIOSECURITY
This covers the feeding of safe feed. Some questions to consider how they relate to your farm;
There was a time when I didn’t know a lot about biosecurity, I looked after nutrition, and I considered biosecurity to be veterinary. I have clients in Qld, NSW, Vic and PNG. I quarantine before and after visiting poultry farms, I sign the visitors log. I use the foot baths, I wash the wheels of my car, I wear PPE or shower on and off farms. I am now so much more diligent. It is our responsibility to keep the industry resilient and going forward.
What can you do? Build biosecurity into your everyday best work practice. Develop and on-farm biosecurity plan, use the National Farm Biosecurity Manual for Poultry Production as your guide. Ask for help; understanding how you can better safeguard your business can be the difference between being anxious about the worst case scenario and feeling empowered to keep prospering as individuals, as a business and as an industry.
FAQS – Questions asked by Attendees with answers from presenters.
QUESTION – Can water treatment help? ie with Hydrogen peroxide , Acetic Acid , EM effective microbes, this is assuming that waters are blocked off from access other than watering posts.
Re transport declarations – if it is organic then documentation should accompany each incoming load of stockfeed, if you have capacity built into your supply agreement a clause that covers biosecurity issues.
QUESTION – We need to approach the government for subsidies to purchase effective equipment like the green lasers. We also need industry wide insurance to sustain businesses affected by closures. We spoke to Ag Vic today and they said it’s just a matter of time before the H5N1 appears in Australia. Do we have an industry body that can speak for us as a whole?
RESPONSE – currently there is not a Pastured Poultry representative group. However these are resources we would suggest growers get engaged with:-
QUESTION –Do chickens recover from Avian Influenza?
RESPONSE – Infected birds die from the severe symptoms with high mortality; it can be 100% mortality.
QUESTION – If the ducks are spreading it, are the ducks dying?
RESPONSE – Wild birds are carriers without showing symptoms of the disease.
QUESTION – How have these “outbreak farms” identified that they have Avian Influenza?
RESPONSE – The first signs would have been increased unexplained deaths or the onset of severe symptoms. This would have required veterinary assessment which if not explained would have escalated to calling the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline.
QUESTION – Why are the wild birds apparently not showing the signs of these viruses in a way that our poultry is showing up?
RESPONSE – Wild birds and ducks are the natural host of AI and they do not show symptoms of the disease. They shed the virus in saliva, nasal secretions and in faeces. Domestic poultry are very susceptible to the virus and develop symptoms and disease.
QUESTION – What is the risk with fermented food / sprouts and salmonella contamination
RESPONSE – Poultry feed is at high risk for salmonella contamination. Commercial feed is better when pelleted as the high temperatures used in the pelleting process kills the salmonella. Mash feeds and on farm mixing of ingredients requires good hygiene, good rodent control and clean ingredients. This will reduce the risk of contamination.
COMMENTS:- I sat on the Australian Eggs webinar yesterday and quickly discovered that farmers are not well equipped to stop the contamination from wild birds. And the pastured poultry people are almost blamed for this.
RESPONSE – Industry must be proactive – and have a high level of biosecurity and risk mitigation practices in place. Including records and paper trails.
COMMENTS:- Thank you Paola, great presentation. Are you only feeding fermented grain, or what else makes up your total ration? One further question, what is your brooder set up to raise your own chicks
Paola: We feed 36% of fermented organic grains and the rest is an organic pellet that they can eat as they choose. I have two brooders, one has heat and the other does not have heat until they go out on the pasture at 12 weeks. The brooder with heat is fully insulated and easy to clean with concrete floor so no rat issues. The outside brooder has an outside area with a high fence. Happy to discuss further.
Fermented food for 400 birds is 8 parts wheat to 1/2 part wheat (approx 20 kg in total) per day. This ration suggested was 8 parts wheat to 1/2 part peas, then double water, cover the wheat with twice as much water
Nicole: There is a professor who contacted me about antivirals for poultry against AI but it is only early days. If anyone is interested in this, happy to pass on his details.
Paola: A question regarding pursuing herd immunity rather than mass culling?
RESPONSE – Herd immunity is not recognised at this stage due to high fatality in existing cases.
Speakers contacts for further enquiry:-
Karen Gurney – Redsun Nutrition, Poultry Nutrition specialist
Email – redsunnutrition@optusnet.com.au
Paola Crofts – Tall Poppy Farm
Email –tallpoppyfarm@gmail.com
Venu – Melbourne Eggs
Email – vmetla@tekbytes.com.au
Jean Belstead – Natural homeopathic remedies for poultry (mentioned during latter part of presentation)
AVIAN FLU NATURAL PREVENTION & TREATMENT
Homeopathic component:
Herbal component:
Contact Jean directly to order remedies via email – jeanbelstead@gmail.com
Other Important Resources:-
Secure poultry feeders that minimises access by wild birds:-
Thanks again to our Sponsors – NASAA and Organic Industries of Australia
And our Speakers – Tall Poppy Farm Melbourne Eggs Redsun Nutrition
Thanks to those that attended the online event and asked lots of questions. We hope this blog is a helpful resource for producers that are managing and mitigating the risks of Avian Influenza. Feel free to contact the speakers directly via email or to follow ORICoop to connect with other pastured and/or organic producers for other beneficial resources.
Link to the live recording of the online Pastured Poultry event below or link HERE. We welcome you to listen, share and learn! And be proactive in mitigating the risk of Avian Flu and a health pastured poultry growing system on your farm!
ORICoop and the presenters have collated this information to the best of their ability. It is provided in good faith and should be used as suggestions only for mitigating risk to a poultry enterprise. At no time does ORICoop or presenters guarantee these suggestions will prevent infection or transmission in what is an unknown or quantified risk. We recommend you seek expert veterinary advice for any sick birds and consult with your Agricultural department or certifier with regard to any treatment protocols.
The little known lupin is likely the most powerful superfood you’ve never heard of. While lupins have been used as a food for as much as 6000 years in the Andean highlands and over 3000 years around the Mediterranean, they are slowly making their way onto supermarket shelves in Australia and around the globe. Meanwhile, farmers are recognising their multiple advantages in both sustainable cropping systems and as a high-protein addition to animal feed.
With over 200 species, lupins are grown in a wide array of regions across the globe, ranging from the Mediterranean to the southwestern United States, northern Mexico to both eastern and western parts of Australia. Two varieties of lupin are most commonly grown in Australia, with the majority of lupin production occurring in the winter/spring rain-fed parts of southwestern Western Australia. Australia produces about 730,000 metric tonnes of lupins per year, the equivalent of approximately 80–85% of the world’s lupin production. About 30% are used domestically within Australia, while approximately 70% are exported to Asia, North Africa and the Middle East for animal feed. As a high-protein grain, lupins are most commonly grown and harvested for human and animal consumption, yet they also hold many advantages in both cropping and mixed cropping–livestock farming systems.
Farmers can enrich their soil naturally by planting an annual that produces a kaleidoscope of pea-like flowers with bold spikes of vibrant purples, pinks and blues, rich reds and yellows, or crisp, clean whites, attracting a range of pollinators including bees and butterflies. In regenerative cropping systems, lupins produce a significant nitrogen contribution for subsequent crops in soils. They provide a disease break for cereal crops and can help control grass weeds within well planned cropping sequences. With taproots that stretch deep into the earth, lupins are drought-tolerant and also help break up compacted soil. When lupin plants die back, the taproots slowly break down, increasing the organic content in the soil, helping the soil retain water. These combined benefits can increase the yields of cereals following lupin crop rotation, particularly when grown in sandy soils.
The nutrient content of lupin grain, in protein, amino acid, energy and mineral levels makes it both a nutritional and economical addition to stock feed formulations. Among the various grain legumes used in stock feed, lupins can be used as an alternative to soybeans and are highly regarded as feed for poultry, pigs, ruminants, and fish. Research has shown that replacing soybean meal with lupin meal as an alternative poultry protein feed source reduces cost of production and improves poultry egg productivity. In other studies, using lupin grain in feed rations has been shown to increase the milk production of beef and dairy cattle. It can be more valuable to include in the diet than cereal grain because it tends to not lower the fat content of milk (as high levels of cereal grains may do). Researchers have also investigated the potential for lupin grain to be used as a plant based feed source in aquaculture operations and found that lupin was particularly useful for fish diets because of the highly digestible level of protein, good levels of digestible energy and highly digestible phosphorus.
While the crop is grown mostly to produce stock feed, there is a small, but growing market for lupin grain for human consumption. Lupins are slowly growing in popularity among consumers due to their many health benefits: protein-rich, highly nutritious, sustainable, and versatile, lupins are a powerhouse of goodness. They are one of the richest sources of plant protein and fibre (at least twice as much as other legumes) and packed full of nutrients and antioxidants including thiamine, riboflavin, vitamin C, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron and zinc. Eating lupin beans has been linked to lowering blood pressure, improving blood lipids and insulin sensitivity and favourably altering the gut microbiome in studies. The Australian food industry is beginning to recognise the value of lupin and a range of lupin products are now available, including whole lupin flakes, flour, crumb, semolina, or enriched food products such as pasta, cereal and cookie mix.
ORICoop has been working with key organic growers in Western Australia and the Riverina – to expand and diversify their crop selections to include lupins. This provides producers a unique and valuable intercrop option – and enables a strong cash crop for organic dairy and poultry producers. ‘There is a strong appetite for lupins as a livestock feed, and with our Farmers Own ‘ORCA’ Brand we are pushing through the barriers to get bulk lupins from growers to end users in Victoria, Southern Australia and Queensland. Our next ambition is to tap into strategic export markets. This legume has a well deserved place of prominence in the organic and regenerative cropping market – and we are looking forward to it’s initiation across the Australian organic sector’ says Carolyn, ORICoop Executive Director
Ian and Jodi are well experienced with growing lupins in Western Australia. And are thriving in growing them under an organic system. ‘Lupin crops play a pivotal role in the viability of organic and regenerative farming systems in Western Australia. They present to the farmer a range of critical advantages over other crop rotation options available such as suitability in deep acid sandy soils, excellent nitrogen fixation capability, disease resistance and disease break for other crops, impressive stockfeed quality and volume of post harvest residues and competitive demand and value of lupin seeds.
Nitrogen is typically applied to a crop in the form of urea, and although urea application can result in vigorous crop growth it has a hidden destructive action on soil health and long term fertility that requires additional fertilisation to overcome. Organic and regenerative farming systems limit or prohibit the use of urea for this reason. Lupins can fix similar levels of nitrogen from the atmosphere directly into the soil naturally and even increase soil health making them the goto natural fertiliser for the environmentally conscious consumer and farmer. The lupin seed and after harvest crop residues provide an additional benefit of an outstanding high value stockfeed source for grazing ewes and lambs. Ewes and lambs grazing or being fed lupins outperform those running on grass crop feeds and harvest residues providing substantially more lambs and reach market weight far quicker than those running on grass crop grains and residues.
With its unique macro and micro nutrient composition, there is growing evidence that incorporating lupin ingredients into animal and human diets can have direct health benefits. On farms, the benefits range from improved soil structure and water efficiency to increased yields and profitability. With its wealth of advantages, lupins are fast becoming a key ingredient in sustainable agriculture and sustainable diets.
To enquire about bulk lupins you can contact ORICoop HERE
Story written by Eva Perroni
References
Located on Wiradjuri Country in Peak Hill in Central New South Wales lies two farms belonging
to seasoned biodynamic farmers Ray and Judi Unger. Named Waratah and Marylyn, these
farms feature unique characteristics that make them suitable for different forms of agricultural
activity. Marylyn is formed of heavy clay loam soil packed with rich minerals, making it the
perfect medium to grow cereal crops like spelt, wheat, oats, lupin and pasture.
The fenced tree lines border most of the paddocks on Waratah and create wildlife corridors,
reduce wind erosion, attract bird life and provide fodder to stock during droughts. Waratah
comprises a lighter red ironstone soil type more suited to running their livestock of Merino sheep
for wool and White Suffolk cross for lambs as well as Hereford cattle stock. These distinct but
complementary farm types allow Ray and Judi to run a diversified mixed-farming broadacre
enterprise that offers long-term climatic resilience.
“We have 3,500 acres, and we could nearly crop all that, but we never do,” says Judi.
“We only ever crop about a third as the maximum every year because we do crop rotations, so
we try to crop about one [rotation] every eight years, so we’re sparing the country, we’re not
flogging the soil in the process of growing healthy biodynamic crops and pastures. We’re trying
to build up the organic matter and put it into the pasture phase and use it for grazing. It’s all
quite entwined.”
When Ray’s father bought the farm several decades ago, farming systems were rather
exploitative and heavily reliant on chemical inputs, extracting a considerable toll on the already
marginal agricultural land.
“The farm was heavily impacted by cropping and heavy stocking rates,” recalls Judi, prompting
the Ungers to consider ways in which they could improve the quality and health of their land and
in turn, their crops and livestock.
At a conference in Cowra in 1993, Ray heard an organic farmer speak about organic principles and practices and was immediately drawn to the concept. Organic agricultural methods could help produce high-quality agricultural products in a way that protects and improves the natural environment while safeguarding the health and welfare of all farmed species. Without hesitation, Ray and Judi decided to “go cold turkey” on synthetic fertilisers, insecticides and herbicides in the mid-90s and start the journey towards organic certification and farm management.
“I felt this immense weight off my shoulders; we were now in charge of our own destiny,” says Judi.
“We didn’t need an agronomist. We didn’t need people telling us what chemicals need to be
applied and when and where.”
Instead, by adopting the organic philosophy and mindset, Ray and Judi committed to learning
and observing their land, soil and biology to grow healthier food more sustainably. Following the
completion of a TAFE course in organic agriculture, the process of conversion took the Ungers
three years, becoming fully accredited with Australian Certified Organic in 1996 and receiving
A-grade certification for the crop they grew that year. Shortly afterwards, they began looking into
biodynamic practices.
Founded on similar principles to organic agriculture, biodynamic agriculture is a holistic,
whole-systems approach to bring plants, animals, soil, ecosystems and people together.
Biodynamic systems aspire to generate their own on-farm fertility through practices such as crop
rotation, composting and integrating animals to enhance on-farm biodiversity, nurture soil fertility
and enable greater farm resilience against extreme weather events. The Ungers have been
practicing relatively consistent methods for more than 25 years.
But the agricultural sector has changed significantly over this time. The deregulation of
agricultural markets, fluctuating government support and investment, the privatisation of
infrastructure and agricultural services, rising costs for fuel and machinery, and increasing
consolidation amongst farms and across the entire food chain have reshaped Australian
agriculture.
“It’s changed a lot in the 28 years we’ve been doing it,” says Ray.
“A lot more dairy farmers have gone down the organic track, but then dairying has retracted;
there are fewer dairy farms around because they got bigger, just how most farms got bigger.
Cost of production has certainly increased, as has machinery. We probably wear more
machinery out than conventional farmers. They can spray 1000 acres in a day and I can plough
100 acres in a day. We’ve had lots of problems, but conventional farmers have had lots of problems too.”
Conventional and organic farming methods have a range of different impacts on soil fertility, biological diversity, livestock health and the health of the farming enterprise.
“We don’t have issues that conventional farmers have with bloat and worms. They’re in a situation where they go into town to buy something to fix their problem and basically they’re told, “If you don’t use this stuff, the sky is going to fall!” says Ray.
“Well the sky doesn’t fall. I can look back now and see we’ve been used by the chemical companies. I couldn’t even tell you what Round Up costs anymore.”
Fluctuating climatic conditions, from the intensifications of droughts and floods, to
unprecedented bushfire conditions, have created increasing pressure on Australia’s agricultural
systems and can restrict growing seasons or wipe out entire harvests.
“The current market has been tough. There are more organic grain producers around and we’ve
had a couple of good years so there’s plenty of organic grain about,” says Ray.
“It’s supply and demand: the current prices [for organic wheat] aren’t enough to cover your
costs. In comparison to the droughts of ‘18 and ‘19, where [demand was high and] it was very
difficult to buy organic grain to feed livestock. That will happen again when there’s another dry
spell.”
Ray and Judi have subsequently invested in sealed storage and silos for grain as a form of
on-farm insurance. It grants the ability to store grain in good years and to carry that through to
market when climatic conditions may impact production, and there is less supply of organic
grain. It’s another way in which the Ungers can take control of when and where they market
their grain, and into which market they sell.
While grain crops such as cereals, pulses, legumes and oilseeds make up a small percentage
of total organic production in Australia, the organic grain industry has a significant opportunity to
expand with the right market development and indicators. Demand for organic products in
Australia and abroad has been rising over recent years, as consumers are increasingly
considering the health benefits and environmental effects of their food choices. This rising
demand is also motivating manufacturers to make organic food more accessible to mainstream
markets.
The Ungers have been considering new ways to add value to their business and tap into this
rising demand, but need to consider the added costs carefully, whether that be in time,
machinery, or labour of value-adding activities. Cleaning, processing, growing special items,
packaging, milling, storage, or distribution operations can all be considered as “value-adding” to
basic farm commodities like grain.
“I’ve looked at trying to value-add products; to clean grain and bag it,” says Ray.
“But you’d need a fair amount of capital to get that all organised; you’d need to set up sheds,
buy machinery and you’d need to employ someone possibly to run that side of the business. But
that comes with more risk.”
“We’re good at what we do, whether that’s wool or sheep or cattle or grain, but we’re flat out
running the farm as we are. So there’s no opportunity without spending a lot more money and
employing more people to go and value-add.”
The Organic and Regenerative Cooperative Australia (ORCA) pilot project seeks to determine
the best and most profitable products for organic grain farmers like Ray and Judi, together with
identifying the market, processing and access barriers that could be resolved through better
collaboration, producer representation or investment in storage or processing facilities.
“If ORCA was able to set up a plant to clean grain and then bag it, hopefully, we could get a
better return and share in the profit from that operation,” says Ray.
Increasing the availability of local abattoirs for the organic industry is another opportunity for
investment that Ray believes will help farmers in the region.
“30 or 40 years ago there used to be an abattoir in most towns, but now there aren’t enough
abattoirs,” says Ray.
“Sometimes our stock, our lambs and our cattle, as well as our wool, goes into the conventional
market.”
The ORCA project endeavours to unlock some of these barriers and to enable strategic
investment into facilities and technology that will lead to better prices for producers. ORCA
investigates market trends and opportunities while providing farmers with the technology and
data they may need to thrive in the organic grain farming industry. Through a tailored online
platform, producers can achieve the transparency and traceability of organic produce now
demanded by processors and consumers, as well as achieve fairer pricing along the entire
supply chain.
Research, education and innovation are key areas that Ray and Judi believe will help them
manage their farm more efficiently and profitably and the long-term sustainability of the organic
industry more broadly. They suggest that agricultural drone systems, for example, have an
unrealised potential to assist with microbial applications for crops or to support and surveil
cattle, all while minimising fuel costs and further impact upon the soil.
Due to the rural isolation that many farmers face, Judi believes that current information and
education systems must evolve to meet the needs of organic growers and younger farmers
wishing to enter the industry. Different knowledge-transfer activities that are organised by and
targeted at the organic farming sector, will help increase knowledge and skills on organic plant
and animal production, processing and marketing.
“Organic farming is a process of continual learning,” says Judi. “Part of it is experimentation and
trialling new techniques and being able to demonstrate what works. It would be great to get a
uni student out on the farm to do a case study and have that research published.”
Judi believes that harnessing the in-depth knowledge acquired through decades of practical
experience and translating this into an evidence base that can be shared throughout the organic
industry will strengthen the sector. Testing new approaches and technologies, building and
compiling rigorous evidence about what works, and disseminating this knowledge widely to
farmers, researchers and policymakers can help improve economic and environmental
outcomes for producers. Judi also believes that such education is key to equipping future
generations of farmers with the skill sets required to prosper in the sector and take full
advantage of innovation.
Ray and Judi are taking part in the ORCA project alongside other organic farmers in the
Riverina agricultural district in NSW. Together, these farmers are sharing their experiential
knowledge, insights and networks to collectively grow together and to diversify and build a
better and more resilient organic market. The vision is to strengthen and sustainably grow the
entire organic value chain, with shared benefits for farmers, manufacturers and consumers.
By collectively working through some of the common barriers faced by organic farmers and
unlocking opportunities for greater on-farm profitability, ORCA is committed to improving and
amplifying the benefits of organic, regenerative and biodynamic farming across the Riverina and
the country.
Written by Eva Perroni, as part of the ORCA project
The carbon credit ledger that is actively supporting local producers?
A new type of carbon credit has taken off in Australia, with the first set of credits quickly being snapped up by buyers keen to reduce their carbon footprint, and know the story behind each of the credits generated.
Eco-CreditsTM are the very first fully farmer-owned carbon credits in Australia, representing not only one tonne of carbon drawdown per credit, but the tireless efforts of local farmers actively improving their on-farm biodiversity and local ecosystems as a whole.
Victorian organic dairy farmers Stephen & Jo Ellen Whitsed and family have produced the first set of EcoCredits sold by ORICoop, and are already seeing the benefits they can bring not only to themselves, but fellow producers.
“The more credits sold, the more that assists farmers in their transition to better, which means more money directly into farmer’s pockets,” Stephen said.
Eco-CreditsTM can be sold anywhere in the world, so that has its own bonus as well.”
While Stephen and his family had already been focusing on increasing the carbon levels in his soil, he believes the income from Eco-CreditsTM could encourage those new to the organic, regenerative agricultural space to improve their farming practices even more.
“We were farming that way anyway, we bought a Soil-Kee Renovator, we were using that to increase multi-species planted into our soil, while also increasing carbon for the overall benefit of our soil,” Stephen said.
“If you’ve got higher carbon levels, you’ve got a better soil, you hold more moisture in your soil for longer so you don’t need to irrigate as often. That’s a big cost savings for us especially this year when we start to irrigate with the increased price of diesel. We were heading down the path of improving our soils even though we were organic, and increasing our carbon, and when the opportunity came to get paid for our carbon credits, well we were doing it anyway and it’s a great opportunity, so we jumped at it,” he said.
“If we could potentially diversify our income from selling carbon credits we may not milk as many cows, because we currently milk 160 cows on 160 acres, so we’re pushing our country especially under an organic method. So we may reduce our stock levels back a little bit which in turn helps your soil with your farm anyway. And for the person that’s just starting afresh, it’s certainly something that you’d change your farm practice and head that way.”
Stephen & Keenan Whitsed – with one of the tools in their farm management system
Stephen has four soil dedicated testing zones on his properties in the region, which undergo annual soil testing. By design, Eco-CreditsTM avoids many of the greenwashing and double-dipping claims made for some conventional carbon credits. They are also future-proofed for potential soil carbon changes due to seasonal variation, or natural disasters such as the flooding, fire, and debris from storms faced by Stephen on his family farm based at the headwaters of the Murray River.
“Around half the EcoCredits we’ve produced are kept in our buffer reserve in case our carbon levels decrease in a specific year. The Eco-Credits are verified each year, and the footprint of each farm is factored into the number of credits that are released to the market. This ensures that each farm considers it’s footprint before releasing any credits to the marketplace. The environment certainly plays a part in it or if something happens and you have a drought or a fire or a flood or whatever it might be, there is potentially a concern as to reducing carbon levels” Stephen said.
For more information, or to purchase EcoCredits to meet your business offset goals whilst supporting local organic producers bettering their communities and the environment, click here. Or contact ORICoop directly for more information.
Email – admin@organicinvestmentcooperative.com.au
Assessing the renewed pasture growth
ORICoop (Organic & Regenerative Investment Cooperative) is excited to announce the launch of ORCA, the newest fully producer-owned organics brand in Australia.
Featuring the high-quality bulk organic grains of our Cooperative members, ORCA is already providing direct benefits to local farmers like Ruth and Ray Penfold as well as addressing some of the issues faced by organic producers, processors, and consumers such as sustainable pricing, transparency, and authenticity of produce.
Over 350 tonnes of bulk organic grain has already been sold under the ORCA brand since its launch. Ruth and Ray were among the first producers to sell their organic barley under ORCA, and the Riverina farmers are excited to see how the brand and its innovative technology will help them and fellow producers in the future.
“Absolutely this is a game changer, especially for someone new coming into the market,” Ruth said.
“Understanding what the buyers want and having that communication there is only a positive. It’s helping them maintain retailer shelf space and prominence for the broader industry knowing they can get reliable and quality supply, it’s a big plus,” she said.
Carolyn Suggate, Executive Director of ORICoop, said creating ORCA was about ‘Connecting the missing pieces’.
“We embarked on this ambitious ORCA project as we knew that with this support, our producers could grow more organic product, achieve better on-farm profitability and we could improve the trust and transparency in organic produce sourced directly from each of these farms,” Carolyn said.
“Given we are a Producer Cooperative, the farmers and their business sustainability is the key to all we do.”
Abundant sunflower crop
Technology is at the forefront of helping producers achieve the transparency and traceability of organic produce now demanded by processors and consumers, as well as achieve fairer pricing along the entire supply chain. The tailored online platform ensures every product from every farm is fully traceable on the blockchain, and will also help producers manage their on-farm grain seeding, harvest and storage more efficiently.
“The whole paddock to plate is incredibly important for the transparency of the industry, and it is the way everything is moving. Where traceability and ORCA supply chain connect is having sustainable and transparent prices on farm for producers, and the buyers paying fair prices, landed at their business, and that’s the only way we’re going to have a sustainable industry moving forward for the long term,” Ruth said.
“Our two big things are transparency, and understanding the story of the buyer, the feel-good warm fuzzy moment of knowing you’re selling to a mum-and-dad dairy farm down the road, but then also knowing what the processors want and that you’re able to produce what they’re after, and knowing you have a saleable product,” she said.
“I like the fact we can send grain directly to the farmer, and you’re also dealing with another farmer on the buyer’s side who is also trying to have a sustainable business for their kids moving forward as well.”
ORICoop Director Maroye Marinkovic said the Cooperative is aiming to bring big-corp benefits to the mostly smaller family farming operations who are part of the ORCA brand.
“There are many points of differentiation for ORCA produce. Every grain, or drop of milk, can be traced back to the farm – a farm that has a powerful story to tell. ORCA is connecting farmers to a set of tools and approaches that make this possible for organic producers of any size. Thanks to digital technology,” Maroye said.
“In addition to provenance and traceability, as ORICoop members, ORCA farmers also have the opportunity to join the EcoCredit program, which enables a detailed set of data points that cover everything from soil health, biodiversity, water quality, and even native species,” he said. This builds their farm profile and determines the on-farm sustainability, natural capital and the true cost and footprint of the food that is produced. An absolute game changer,” he said.
Strategic On-Farm Storage – Wiseman Organics
“Having end-to-end traceability along with rich on-farm and post-farm data, certifications, test results, supply chain proof points, chain of custody – are typically things that only highly efficient corporations could achieve. ORCA aims to make this available to producers of any size, and share the upside benefits with our members.”
Maroye also sees ORCA as a way for both farmers and processors to bring the benefits of ethically and environmentally-friendly grown and processed produce to consumers.
“ORCA isn’t just about building farmer capacity, tools, and storytelling – it will go way beyond that. The vision is to strengthen and sustainably grow the entire organic value chain, with shared benefits. Farmers and manufacturers can plan together, and grow together, and bring those shared benefits to the consumer,” he said.
“There is an increasing demand for high quality, healthy and organic produce, with a transparent view of how it was produced, and where. Not only the consumers want this, but the food manufacturers, as well. Ethically sourced, environmentally friendly produce is definitely better but traditionally, the barriers were scale, price and availability of organic supply. ORCA was created to tackle these challenges, whilst improving and amplifying the benefits of organic, regenerative and biodynamic farming.”
Organic Sunflower in the Field – Wiseman Organics
*For more information, or to register your interest bulk produce from local ORCA producers, click here.
*To discuss your specific bulk grain requirements contact ORCA directly – admin@organicinvestmentcooperative.com.au
*To join ORICoop as a producer or to find out click HERE
*Producers are invited to join our Regenerative Cropping day on October 24th in the Riverina