BIOLOGICAL HUSBANDRY UNIT ORGANIC TRUST (BHUOT)
14 October (Wednesday), 2.30pm, Biological Husbandry Unit Organic Trust AGM. Venue: BHUOT building, Horticulture Research Area, end of Farm Road, Lincoln University.
30 OCTOBER SEMINAR:
Two topics presented by David Musgrave
1. Important strategies for conversion to organics - considering soil fertility, pastures, use of compost and compost extracts
2. Climate change & global warming: the latest science, and what we can do at a personal, business and government level
DATE: Friday 30th October
TIME: 10.00am – 11.00 Strategies for conversion to organics
11.00 – 11.15 break - morning tea
11.15 - 12.15 Climate change
VENUE: BHU, Lincoln University
COST: $10
David Musgrave has recently returned from a trip to Australia where he spoke to a group of South African biological farmers in central New South Wales. They visited six farms running various systems and in various stages of conversion to biological farming and gained some very interesting insights into the key aspects of the conversion process and the role of compost and compost extracts.
Several months ago David attended a training session on climate change in Melbourne run by Al Gore. He learnt about the latest science on global warming and climate change and how we must act without delay to have any hope of staving off runaway global warming and its attendant catastrophes.
David worked as a research agronomist in agriculture for 16 years and has been organic farming for over 20 years near Geraldine. He runs Waihi Bush Organic Farm, a company producing flax seed oil products. Please register your interest in coming by Friday 23 Oct: contact Mary Ralston mary.ralston@xtra.co.nz
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Graduating BHU Students Looking for Work
Several of the BHU students graduating this September are looking for work. They all have a sound background in the fundamentals of horticulture and organics, year 2 students have the added experience from growing at the BHU under Organic Farm NZ Certification. If you would like to know more contact Bill Martin : bill@bhu.co.nz
The Biological Husbandry Unit (BHU)
The Biological Husbandry Unit (BHU) was established in 1976 and in August 2001 was relaunched as the BHU Organics Trust. It is a charitable trust comprising representatives of organisations and farmers involved in organic agriculture and sustainable farming who govern the BHU. The BHU features a diverse range of established model organic agricultural and horticultural systems that are used for research, demonstration and education.
We conduct participatory research and welcome contact from those interested in the findings and those that might want to be involved in experiments themselves.
Our current funding support from MAF Sustainable Farming Fund focuses on demonstrating best practice and new technologies that aid organic and sustainable farm operations. We host PRACTICAL workshops for Small Farms on a wide range of pertinent topics.
We are also maintaining and adding to the model systems present at the BHU to demonstrate and monitor benefits and considerations of as diverse systems as mixed cropping, No Input, Kyusei Nature Farming and Asian Pacific Polyculture.
Commercial BHU crop production supports our key aims and helps keep the research relevant.
