BIODYNAMIC AGRICULTURE – ACHIEVING BOTH PROSPERITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ON THE LAND
Guest: Louise Skidmore - ACO certified organic/biodynamic beef producer since 1990 also qualified in conservation, land management and company directorship.
INTRODUCTION TO THIS EPISODE:
In the ongoing development of more intentional, environmentally supportive forms of farming, the practices of organic and biodynamic agriculture have been experiencing ever greater adoption since their first appearance in the early to mid-twentieth century. Both forms of agriculture can be interlinked to influence progressive systems of environmental and farm management. Organic farming can be described as the practice of producing food of high nutritional quality and flavour whilst avoiding the use of artificial fertilisers and synthetic chemicals, whilst permitting some limited use of naturally occurring pesticides and fertilisers. Bio-dynamic farming practice can be thought of as a logical and compatible extension of organic methods. It requires a holistic focus, with all aspects of a farm being considered as a tightly interrelated, living system, including animals, soils, plants, and natural ecosystem processes.
My guest in this episode of the series, Louise Skidmore is highly knowledgeable and skilled in all aspects of organic and biodynamic farming approaches. Along with her partner, Randolf, she has been an ACO certified organic/biodynamic beef producer since 1990 in the Darling Downs region of Queensland and in Hernani, NSW, where biodynamic practice specifically guides the couple’s environmental and farm management systems.
Louise is also an influential catalyst and change agent within her agricultural sector, holding various not-for-profit board positions, including the regional the Natural Resource Management body, Biological Farmers of Australia (now termed the ACO), Organic Federation of Australia, and Central Downs and Clifton Landcare. Presently, she is also treasurer of Clifton Landcare Group Inc and company secretary for Biodynamic Agriculture Australia. To top off all of those commitments, she also holds qualifications in conservation and land management and company directing and is a general aviation and RAA pilot - owning her own small aircraft for use in inter-farm commuting.
INTERVIEW TALKING POINTS - with approximate time elapsed in mins.
- Guest foreshadow comment - 0.00
- Generic podcast series introduction. – 0.30
- Current episode and guest introduction. – 2.15
- Guest comments: how did your passion for the environment start? -5.02
- Who inspired or mentored you in your work? – 7.10
- How did you get involved with environmental conservation to begin with? – 9.49 (the importance of floodplain management.)
- When did you first realise the impact of your work on restoring the environment? – 14.20 (the experience of being an early adopter and innovator.)
- What environmental achievements you are particularly proud of and why? – 18.20
(increasing difficulty of accessing project grant funding.)
- What are some of the challenges you have faced and how did you respond ? – 36.18
- How has your work influenced you to keep doing what you do? – 47.57
- Are you working on any current, exciting projects? – 52.32
- Guest takeaway message . – 56.01
- Advice to audience for some next steps in environmental protection 59.55
- Thanks to guest, acknowledgements and episode close. – 61.20
- End of episode – 63.10
TOPICS MENTIONED AND RESOURCES RELEVANT TO THE DISCUSSION
Epigrams/mottos
‘Don’t let the future be that time when you wish you’d done what you’re not doing now’ (Anon). Adopted by Louise Skidmore.
‘Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it: Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.’ (often attributed to Johan Wolfgang von Goethe).
Biodynamic Agriculture
Biodynamic resources, in Australia: www.https://biodynamics.net.au (articles, films, preparations, Biodynamic Agriculture Australia Ltd is a membership based not-for-profit company) and in the UK site https://www.biodynamic.org.uk/about/biodynamic-methods/
Biological control in land management
Dung Beetles, guru John Feehan, along with son-in-law Jon Lea, the top resource in Australia, www.https://dungbeetleexpert.com.au/
Endangered species conservation:
Bulloak Jewel Butterfly, https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-01-06/bulloak-jewel-butterfly-ant-mistletoe-a-web-woven-across-species/10477430
Floodplain management
PA Yeomans' book, Water for Every Farm metricised and reprinted by son Ken Yeomans, available in paperback and electronic version here: https://www.keyline.com.au/
Landcare
Clifton Landcare Group (Facebook page)
Location:
The Darling Downs region of S.E. Queensland
GUEST AND CONTACT DETAILS:
Guest: Louise Skidmore
Tel: 0427699894
Householders’ Options to Protect the Environment (HOPE):
Tel: 07 4639 2135 Email: WEB Facebook
Production:
Produced for HOPE by Andrew Nicholson. This episode recorded in Toowoomba, S.E. Queensland, Australia on 15th June 2023
Key interview questions developed by: Anna Kula Incidental Music: James Nicholson
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