Free Biodynamic Field Day at Richard Makim’s property in April

Come along and meet Richard Makim whose family has been on the land for at least six generations. Richard was brought up on their mixed farming/grazing country near Moree NSW. They moved when he was 12 to a large cattle station in the Gulf country of north Qld, where later he and his wife Judi eventually bought an adjoining station and ran them both organically until 2003 when they downsized to Moredun Station, 1120ha at Ben Lomond, NSW.
There, Richard adopted numerous methods of soil, pasture and grazing management, including biodynamic, and over 11 years measured a massive build-up of soil carbon from 1% to 5%.

Divesting themselves of Moredun and ‘retiring’ to the seriously degraded 83ha Barley Hill near Armidale NSW three years ago, Richard and Judy are now engaged in the exciting project of regenerating this historic property. Tree planting, refencing and installation of water troughs are all part of their move into holistic grazing, fully backed by biodynamic practices.

The results speak for themselves.  Richard maintains “that once soils are active and healthy, cows walk away from supplements.  This is a backhand way of saying plants are now nutrient dense.  This can be checked with a brix metre”.

There will be discussion of hIS biodynamic practices plus other treatments to manage production from the land using a range of biodynamic management principles. There will also be discussion of pasture improvement and holistic grazing.
Topics to be covered:-

• the present state of the soil and how to improve it biodynamically;
• how to introduce a greater range of pasture species; and
• how to better manage the grazing to lift productivity.

ADDRESS: 110 Simmons Road, Armidale, NSW
DATE: Sunday, April 8, 2018
TIME: 10am-3pm
COST: FREE! – includes morning tea
Please register for catering purposes