THE FUTURE LIES BENEATH

What's right isn't always popular. What's popular isn't always right. ~ Howard Cosell

Hi my name is Stephen Nussio. Welcome to the first column on The Future Lies Beneath. For those who may not have read about me in last month's edition of The Mary Valley Voice, I'm a self taught soil and animal specialist with over 30 years experience in the dairy and beef cattle industry.

My experience started as a 15 year old in South Australia. Since then I have worked in virtually every state of Australia, in different environments practicising regenerative concepts for most of my career.

My father died of cancer at an early age and from that day I was convinced how we were farming was simply wrong.

I strongly believe to this day that insecticides, herbicides and fungicides were the main contributor to his passing away. I remember as 15 year old spraying insecticide on the underside of the roof inside the piggery. It was dripping down all over us (no PPE gear) and I remember questioning my father on this: “Is it safe?” He said, “Well the rep said it won't hurt.”

My word has the world has changed. Now with so much information at our hands we are fortunate we can educate ourselves to make better decisions. I am so stoked that my passion lies in agriculture. My bank statements prove how much I have spent on self education – I could have bought a house by now with what I've spent!

One of the first books I read was by Andre Voison, Grass Productivity which helped me to understand how grass grows and what the optimum rest period is.

However the different environments I worked in were so different that it didn't answer my questions on “ What's right isn't always profitability and on regenerating the land.

Agricultural economics changed since that book was written 40 years with inputs related to producing milk or beef not keeping up with the rising costs of production. Producing hay or silage becoming uneconomic.

There had to be a better way.

After working for an animal nutrition company for 10 years as a nutritionist/ sales and marketing manager I was very fortunate to have met Professor Ron Leng, a well known prominent ruminant biochemist who also became my mentor. He was a mobile library!

This nutritional knowledge allowed me to understand how grazing management impacted animal health. What I learnt from driving him around Australia for a number of years conducting seminars for farmers was simply invaluable.

He taught me how to think, question, analyse, research and experiment. Now in his late 80's he will be a loss to Australian agriculture when the sad day comes.

Today with Regenerative Ag becoming more widely known it's important to do your homework. There will be successes and there will be failures. Find the right people to help guide you and you will have more successes than failures. If you don't have any failures... you're not trying!

Hundreds of books and teachings from special people overseas and locals like Professor Ron Leng coupled with my yet practical observations have allowed me everything is to put together a new perspective where nature is followed using low cost biological methods to improve profits to the maximum while improving the land the fastest.

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished ~ Lao Tsu

Stephen 0427 609 454, advancerural@hotkey.net.au