noteworthy Small landholder SerieS nW 28 2010 Proudly supported by 1 Anton and Fiona Bombara — are young but seasoned organic growers — mostly of vegetables but some fruit too. The committed couple shared their story — its successes and learning curves — with Laureta Wallace. “We’ve been involved in organics, horticulture and gardening for more than 30 years — anton has been a gardener since he was 18 years old,” Fiona said. “he is self-taught, most of his formal learning was hands-on but he read all he could to find out about organics and its application, from backyard to commercial. We learnt a lot empirically — making mistakes, observing the effects, applying what we considered to be the solution and then assessing the results. By observation we determined optimal planting and harvest times according to insect life cycles. observation and timing are the two most critical skills required in organic production. Putting down roots We established our first certified organic market garden in West Serpentine during 1989 and subsequent gardens in Keysbrook and Pinjarra. our hamel business was started during 1995. The first few years we only grew watermelon, tomatoes and capsicum and both worked part-time. as we grew more confident with the soil type and flood irrigation we expanded our crops. now we grow a wide range of crops – summer and winter. We grow some crops as the backbone of our production and add smaller crops to add variety for our roadside sales and farmer’s market. during summer our main crops are rockmelon, tomatoes, corn and capsicum and we grow smaller amounts of zucchini, cucumber, pumpkin and watermelon. during winter our main crops are beetroot, leeks and celery and we grow smaller amounts of broccoli, kale, lettuce, pak choy, peas, garlic and onions. We have done well with garlic, as consumers really want locally grown garlic. We harvest about 1.5 tonne of garlic each year. The heart of organics We started with organics because we really were idealists — we wanted to be able to produce better quality food in a way, which wasn’t destructive to the land. The heart of organics is the soil and feeding the soil so all of the nutrients the plants need are available. Treating the soil right is something that is being rapidly lost in broadacre agriculture. We also wanted to grow a variety of crops to get away from ‘one-crop’ farming. diversification allows us to attract as many good insects as we can to our planting environment as well as provide us with less risk in our business. Heart and soil in organics • Learn as much as you can about the industry and the process before taking on organic vegetable growing as a business. • Get to know what the market wants and tailor your plantings to suit. • Forge good relationships along the farm-to-market supply chain to ensure efficiencies and quality control. Key points Farmers: Anton and Fiona Bombara Location: Hamel, WA Property size: Own 2ha; lease 6ha Annual rainfall: 900mm Email: [email protected]Farm information C A S E S T U D Y C A S E S T U D Y C A S E S T U D Y C A S E S T U D Y C A S E S T U D Y “Been there… …done that” Photo: neil Guise
Transcript
noteworthy Small landholder SerieSnW 28 2010
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Anton and Fiona Bombara — are young but seasoned organic growers — mostly of vegetables but some fruit too. The committed couple shared their story — its successes and learning curves — with Laureta Wallace.
“We’ve been involved in organics, horticulture and gardening for more than 30 years — anton has been a gardener since he was 18 years old,” Fiona said.
“he is self-taught, most of his formal learning was hands-on but he read all he could to find out about organics and its application, from backyard to commercial. We learnt a lot empirically — making mistakes, observing the effects, applying what we considered to be the solution and then assessing the results. By observation we determined optimal planting and harvest times according to insect life cycles. observation and timing are the two most critical skills required in organic production.
Putting down rootsWe established our first certified organic market garden in West Serpentine during 1989 and subsequent gardens in Keysbrook and Pinjarra. our hamel business was started during 1995. The first few years we only grew watermelon, tomatoes and capsicum and both worked part-time. as we grew more confident with the soil type and flood irrigation we expanded our crops. now we grow a wide range of crops – summer and winter. We grow some crops as the backbone of our production and add smaller crops to add variety for our roadside sales and farmer’s market. during summer our main crops are rockmelon, tomatoes, corn and capsicum and we grow smaller amounts of zucchini, cucumber, pumpkin and watermelon. during winter our main crops are beetroot, leeks and celery and we grow
smaller amounts of broccoli, kale, lettuce, pak choy, peas, garlic and onions. We have done well with garlic, as consumers really want locally grown garlic. We harvest about 1.5 tonne of garlic each year.
The heart of organics We started with organics because we really were idealists — we wanted to be able to produce better quality food in a way, which wasn’t destructive to the land. The heart of organics is the soil and feeding the soil so all of the nutrients the plants need are available. Treating the soil right is something that is being rapidly lost in broadacre agriculture. We also wanted to grow a variety of crops to get away from ‘one-crop’ farming. diversification allows us to attract as many good insects as we can to our planting environment as well as provide us with less risk in our business.
Heart and soil in organics
• Learn as much as you can about the industry and the process before taking on organic vegetable growing as a business.
• Get to know what the market wants and tailor your plantings to suit.
• Forge good relationships along the farm-to-market supply chain to ensure efficiencies and quality control.
Becoming accreditedBecoming accredited as organic is a lengthy process. We are accredited with naSaa — the national association for Sustainable agriculture australia, who are in turn certified with iFoam —the international Federation of organic agriculture movements based in europe. The process requires you to document the land use activities on your property for the past three years. Typical to south-west soils we had a soil health problem. increasing the biological activity in our soils by using fulvic and humic acid, green manures and working the soil to expose it to air and light we were able to overcome this problem. We now have healthy productive soils. The organic accreditation process looks at everything from your seeds, seedlings, planting and fertiliser process to harvesting, packing and transporting.”
Getting inputs rightour inputs, in terms of fertiliser, are based around the theory of dr William albrecht, a US soil scholar, who believes soil calcium and magnesium levels are the key to good production. We have our soils tested every two years and this determines what nutrients we add to the soil. We started soil testing about 10 years ago and by using the test results to guide our fertiliser decisions we were able to significantly improve our yields within 12 months. our soil here is loam with heavy clay so it is hard to manage — but it is much more manageable now.
all irrigation is now carried out via t-tapes. after mastering the skill of flood irrigation we were very pleased when harvey Water installed a new piped, pressurised system. This saves a lot of wastage incurred with flood irrigation and we have water where and when we want it.
Giving something backSince 1999 we have both worked full-time in the business and we have four permanent part-time staff — all of who have been with us for quite a while — one worker has worked with us for 12 years. We like to support the local community and prefer to employ locals. our produce is trucked to Perth via a local contract transporter.
The prices for our organic vegies varies in comparison to conventionally grown crops, sometimes they can be the same while others time there is a big difference. one thing is for sure we have more reliable returns for our produce — conventional farmers are more at the mercy of supply and demand. For example last summer the price of conventional rockmelons fell to as low as $6 per box while our lowest rockmelon price was $12 per box.
Certainty in our prices allows us to plan with more accuracy for the year ahead.
We know basically how much product the market will want during the year and sow with that in mind. Usually we plant slightly less than we expect the market will want.
Knowing your market is most important. We have been dealing with an organic distributor for about 20 years. They take 15% of what we earn in sales on the items they have distributed. having trusted relationships along the supply chain is essential because being able to grow the produce is one thing but you must be able to sell it.
Selling, selling, sellingWe sell our produce through organic Fresh australia, a wholesaler at Canningvale, ravenswood Fresh, Subiaco Farmer’s market and road-side sales. The farmer’s market movement is something we believe in. it allows consumers to buy good quality, organic produce direct from the farmer for a reasonable price. We set our prices between wholesale and retail. Farmer’s markets reduce food miles and are the freshest choice for urban consumers.
When we started out there was really limited information available. For people starting out in organics today i’d suggest their first point of call be naSaa — one of australia’s leading certifiers. The organic Growers association of Wa is also a great resource.
most of all i’d say read as much as you can and talk with other producers. Some work experience on an organic farm would be essential for a would be organic producer.”
For more informationnaSaa — www.nasaa.com.au
organic Growers association of Wa — www.ogawa.org.au
ConTaCT deTailSdaFWa www.agric.wa.gov.au/small_landholder (08) 9733 7777 or (08) 9368 3807Kondinin Group www.farmingahead.com.aulandmark [email protected]
For morE inFormATionThe Small Landholder information Service and Kondinin Group have developed a series of Noteworthy factsheets. For copies or more information go to www.agric.wa.gov.au/small_landholder or contact the Small Landholder information Service on 9733 7777.
Heart and soil in organics
(Top, middle and bottom) Harvesting, packing and loading rockmelons ready for sale.
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Notes
The Noteworthy collection continues to grow as new factsheets filled with farming tips and techniques are added each month.
Check-out the entire stable of noteworthy factsheets at the Department of Agriculture and Food’s Small Landholder information Service
website www.agric.wa.gov.au/small_landholder or at Kondinin Group’s web site www.farmingahead.com.au
topics include:• Spray safe — stay safe• First time fencing unravelled• handle handy aTVs with respect• Chainsaws for the small landholder• Cattle ownership is a serious step — no bull• Blue-green algae• Water quality — critical for livestock• Water — sufficient summer supply saves lives• Soil testing accurate samples yield better results• Supplementary feeding — keeping livestock healthy during summer
and more...
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Department ofAgriculture and Food
SMALL LANDHOLDER SERIESNW 01 2008noteworthy
Spray safeS TAY S A F E
The use of spray technology to control
weeds, pests and diseases is widespread
and is often heralded as the easiest
option. However, safe and effective
spraying is about more than random
chemical warfare.
Before leaping into attack with a fi st full of
chemicals, fi rst correctly identify the pest, weed
or disease you want to control. A wide range of
publications, web sites and local landcare or land
management experts can assist you with this
fi rst step. Weeds are probably the most common
thing sprayed by small landholders.
The Weeds CRC has an excellent site,
www.weeds.crc.org.au, with an extensive range
of publications that can help you identify weeds
and decide upon the best control options.
While the most popular control option for pests,
weeds and diseases often is to use a spray, this is
neither the only nor always the best option.
Get advice before loading the spray tank.
If spraying is the best option, select a chemical
that is registered for control of the pest, weed or
disease you have correctly identifi ed. In addition
to the information available through DAFWA,
there are excellent commercial databases such
as Infopest (available for purchase through
Queensland Department of Primary Industries)
and HerbiGuide (a WA-specifi c program that
also includes an excellent weed identifi cation
component, purchasable through www.
herbiguide.com.au). In the public domain, the
Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines
Authority (APVMA) has a comprehensive
database of all currently registered products and
permits, which enables you to view or download
product labels, at www.apvma.gov.au. A less
comprehensive database which also brings up the
labels and MSDSs (material safety data sheets), is
Pestgenie, at www.pestgenie.com.au
Read the labelAfter selecting a suitable product read and follow
the label directions. This is a legal requirement.
Most people only look up how much to mix. Just
as important is the timing. Weeds need to be
controlled when they are small and actively
growing. It is near impossible to kill mature
weeds, irrespective of how much spray you
use. It is also a waste of time and herbicide to
attempt to kill weeds when they are under stress
because the weather is too hot, too cold or too
dry. The weed shuts down in these conditions and
the herbicide is not taken up by the plant.
Similarly, insects need to be sprayed when they
are small and there are not too many of them.
Caterpillars larger than 8mm are just as hard
to kill as big weeds. And, if the bugs arrive in
numbers, you will experience severe damage and
losses before the spray takes effect.
Like weeds and insects, plant pathogens have to
be detected early and a spray applied before the
number of spores increases dramatically.
Check the label to see if an adjuvant has to be
added to the spray mix; what spray equipment
can be used; how to mix the pesticide in the
tank; if there is a minimum water volume
recommended; what personal protective
equipment (PPE) to wear to protect your health;
when crops or pastures can be harvested or fed
to livestock after spraying (the withholding period
or WHP); and what environmental precautions
need to observed – like not spraying when bees
are foraging.
Some chemicals can be rendered inactive by
poor water quality. Always check the label
to determine how water quality may affect a
particular chemical. Ensure you have your water
tested and are aware of any quality issues —
wetter and adjuvants are available to ameliorate
quality issues if necessary.
Select your weapon
For spot spraying, (spraying individual weeds)
a knapsack sprayer is adequate. However, if
you need to spray woody weeds or vines, such
as blackberries or lantana, a powered wand is
required. A knapsack is incapable of putting out
the volumes necessary to wet big blackberry
bushes, for example. Small boom sprays
mounted on ATVs or tractor three-point
linkages (3PLs) usually have the option of
a hand gun running off the pump.
Safe and effective spraying is
about more than random chemical
warfare
There is a variety of tools
available for chemical
application including the
knapsack sprayer and small
boom sprays mounted on ATVs.
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noteworthy SMALL LANDHOLDER SERIESNW 03 2008
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ATVs are far more than just a recreational four-wheel motorbike. They are capable of carrying small loads such as a hay bale, herding animals, towing trailers, operating small spray units or simply providing transport around your property. ATVs are also popular for recreational riding, the purpose for which they were originally designed, but must be operated with signifi cant care to avoid serious injury or death.Decrease rollover riskAs opposed to a motorbike, where the rider
and bike often go in different directions, ATV accidents often involve the vehicle rolling onto the rider. These accidents are unfortunately all too common, with ATVs the cause of more deaths across Australia than tractors, up to last year.
An ATV can weigh up to 300 kilograms and if the bike rolls over serious head or chest injury is a likely outcome. For this reason it is essential riders wear helmets at all times. In addition, it is unlikely you could lift an ATV off
yourself in the event of such an accident.The main causes of ATV rollover are cornering too fast without adequate weight shifting, travelling on steep slopes, overloading the carry racks and hitting obstacles, such as rocks.Shifting weight for safe corneringA motorbike rider can lean the entire bike into a
turn when cornering, counteracting forces that keep the bike upright. This is not possible in an ATV as all four wheels must stay on the ground for stability. An ATV rider has to rely on shifting his or her weight to counteract cornering forces, leaning into the turn to help prevent the vehicle from tipping over. The sharper the turn and the faster the speed, the higher the risk of tipping the ATV.Anyone riding an ATV must be able to quickly shift
their weight across the seat and forward into a turn when cornering. A fi rm grip on the handle bars and the foot pegs will help riders shift quickly, as will gripping the fuel tank fi rmly with your knees.When cornering, transfer your weight forward and into the direction you want to turn, your backside must actually move across the seat (not just your upper body) to get maximum stability while turning.
Lean forward when driving up a slope to prevent the ATV tipping backwards. If the slope feels too steep, avoid it and fi nd another safer route.
Take extra care when driving across a slope; shift your body so that weight is applied on the uphill side of the ATV as shown.
Check the load rating sticker and never exceed rated mass.
Handle handy ATVsW I T H R E S P E C T
ATVs are popular but must be operated with signifi cant care to avoid serious injury
or death
popular but must popular but must popular but must
serious injury
Whether farming 10 or 10,000 hectares, there are few handier, all-purpose farm vehicles than an (all-terrain vehicle) ATV.
✔ Always wear an Australian standards-approved helmet when operating an ATV. ✖ Never carry a passenger unless operating an ATV designed for two people.✔ Read the owner’s manual from cover to cover.✖ Take heed of safety warning labels on the ATV: Don’t operate if under the infl uence of drugs and alcohol, or if under the age of 16.
✔ Lean into corners and lean forward when travelling up slopes.✔ Brake evenly and fi rmly, and slow down when driving in unknown terrain.✖ Don’t ride on the roads; paved surfaces affect bike handling, especially when going from dirt to tar or vice versa.
Safety checklist
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noteworthy SMALL LANDHOLDER SERIESNW 02 2008
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Department ofAgriculture and Food
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What you will need
• A helper
• Pliers
• Posts (strainers and drop posts)
• Wire
• Post hole-digger
• Gripples and applicator or wire-strainers
• Crow bar
• Safety glasses
• Gloves
fencing tool kit
Landholders have a legal obligation to fence
their property.
Local councils can provide some basic guidelines
and minimum fencing requirements.
Generally the cost of a boundary fence between
private land is shared equally between both
parties. Boundary fences between private land
and the Crown are the responsibility of the
landholder.
Creating boundaries
Whether replacing an existing fence or erecting
a new one the fi rst step is to decide on the most
appropriate fence for the job. Fences can be
divided into two broad categories — conventional
and electric.
Conventional fences use prefabricated rolls, plain
wires or barbed wire to create a physical stock
proof barrier.
Electric fences rely on a psychological barrier
created by an electric shock to prevent stock
crossing the fence.
The most appropriate fence design will
depend on a number of factors:
1. The type of animal needing to be kept in or
out: Different animals have different fencing
requirements — cattle for instance place much
higher pressures on fences than sheep.
2. Whether the fence is an internal fence or
boundary fence: Boundary fences may need to
be sturdier than internal fences. Barbed wire
may be recommended for boundary fences.
3. The topography of the site: Does the
fence pass through gullies or up
steep slopes and other issues such
as whether the fence will have to
withstand fl oods or fi re.
Other landholders and local fencing
suppliers can help determine the most
suitable fence for your application.
The make-up of a fence
A fence consists of three main
elements; strainer assembly at either
end; intermediate posts, droppers and
wire stretched tight between
the strainers.
Strainer assemblies
These are the most important part of any fence.
Their job is to transfer the tension in the wires
to the ground. There are two main strainer
assembly designs —the diagonal stay and the box.
(See Figure 1 on page 2.)
The diagonal stay assembly is most suited to
heavy, dense soil conditions. Where more
strength is required, for example in sandy or
boggy conditions, a box assembly would be best.
Intermediate posts and droppers
Intermediate posts perform two functions; to
guide the line wires off the ground at the correct
spacings and, to some extent, provide
lateral resistance to pressure by
transferring it into the ground.
A well-designed fence will be
cost-effective, require little
maintenance and last a lifetime.
First time fencing U N R AV E L L E D
The fi rst step is to decide on the most appropriate fence design for
the chosen purpose.
The fi rst step The fi rst step
Well-designed and constructed fences are essential
infrastructure on any property. Without quality fencing
maintaining livestock can be a real headache. Straying
stock are not only a danger to themselves and passing
motorists but also a sure-fi re way to get the neighbours off
side. Luckily smart investment in the right fencing material
and a little fencing know-how can go a long way to managing
