Moffitts Media
Moffitts Media has been developed for farmers interested in a more balanced analysis of the science and ethics associated with food and fibre production in Australia and overseas.
Use the menu on the right hand side to access a range of articles from Moffitts Media.
Patrick Francis, an agricultural scientist who graduated from Melbourne University in1971 has a career embracing the era when chemical based agriculture reached its peak up to around 1995, through to the 2000’s when this dependency has been challenged for failing to embrace the biological fundamentals necessary for soil health, ecosystem services including carbon flows and sequestration, optimum rather than maximum productivity, and greater consumer awareness and concern about inputs and methods involved in food production and animal welfare.
The web site contain’s Pat’s own analysis of management, marketing and environmental strategies as well as including those of innovative farmers, research scientists and consultants. Some outstanding rural freelance journalists have also agreed to submit articles. What the web site won’t contain is vested interest perspectives from companies, input lobby groups, agri-political organisations, politicians, and research institutions.
What has become increasingly apparent over the last decade is that innovative, holistic orientated farmers are distancing themselves from so called “industry” support organisations in favour of self help and/or association with like minded farmers and consultants.
This site will assist those seeking an independent source of information and compilation of a range of informed opinions on the state of agriculture today.
Tim, thanks for the input. I agree with you about the value to farming of adopting regenative agriculture principles and their increasing implementation amongst cropping and grazing farmers. But I become concerned when ideology takes precedence over science when making decisions about farm inputs and practices. I recently read a proponent of RA with a product to sell make the claim ““The Soil carbon results on every place they have been tested have defied what the current science is saying is possible.” Such a claim was made without providing any scientific evidence, just data from what I could tell was an on-farm demonstration. Advocating farming practice change on the basis of method has the potential to disappoint adoptees looking for what they consider are “better” production and/or environmental outcomes when the farming context (soil type, soil fertility, soil carbon flow, annual rainfall and its pattern, crop rotation or grazing management, and product market and profitability) is not described and on-farm trends over years in these characteristics are not being measured.
Professor Tim Reeves’ Farrer Medal oration highlights the importance of farmers and scientists working together. He wrote: “At the paddock level, the practices and systems that build greater farm business resilience – less disturbance, greater diversification, enhanced input use-efficiency, and healthy soils with higher soil carbon levels – are the same as those that will also result in greater productivity, profitability and sustainability – a ‘win-win’ outcome. To achieve these ‘win-wins’ will require ongoing and patient support for good, multidisciplinary, on-farm research and the training of young scientists who are effective ‘integrators’ rather than specialists, as a new generation of scientists is required to take on this challenge of working with farmers to develop ‘more diverse farms and more diverse but integrated practices’.”