We were very fortunate to have Gary as a speaker. He is an internationally known author, speaker and consultant in biological farming, and one of the founding partners of Midwestern BioAg (MBA) which helps farmers become more productive and profitable through the use of biological farming. Gary is also the author of two books, The Biological Farmer and Advancing Biological Farming, as well as numerous articles on soils and livestock nutrition, and has addressed audiences around the globe.
Raised on a dairy farm in northeastern Wisconsin, Gary's original training was in dairy nutrition, earning a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin and a master’s degree from the University of Hawaii. Gary "actually likes cows" and has a herd of 350 dairy cattle on his 1000 acre farm.
Gary emphasized soil heath, which he defined as "the capacity of the soil to function without intervention", and told us that with healthy soil, plants have the capacity to resist pests and disease without the use of chemicals. Slightly different than organic farming which focuses on what you DON'T do (use chemicals), biological farming concentrates on building up the soil. As Gary pointed out, just because you don't use chemicals doesn't necessarily mean you have healthy soil.
Although Gary's work since the late 1980's has been helping farmers, his biological farming methods and advice on soil health are equally applicable to home gardeners and made us all aware of the importance of good soil whether we are growing veggies or perennials.
So do get that soil test and get busy adding the necessary minerals and nutrients to your soil!
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