Some messages I keep getting from very varied sources
At the recent wine conference I attended I met a very interesting man called Peter Andrews. He is an exceptional farmer who has been featured in a documentary on the ABC’s “Australian Story”.
He farms very differently from the majority of farmers and has remarkably good results but many people think he is crazy because he retains weeds and values them for the diversity and increased fertility they bring to his property. He also finds that live stock and particularly racehorses, perform better and are healthier in an environment which a wide variety of plants. He also handles water courses differently so that more water enters the flood plain of his property and less runs away down deep river channels. Very interesting stuff especially in a country like Australia with its ancient soils and landscape. He is deeply concerned about the changes to Australia’s soils caused by man – both European settlement and by Aboriginal burning. Climate change will only exacerbate these concerns
The two points he made were:
- It can be a good idea to try doing things differently and
- It is a form of insanity to keep repeating the same thing and to expect a different result.
This is exactly the same double message as Michael Port (Book Yourself Solid fame) has been giving in his Think Big Revolution.
Peter Andrews is a farmer and Michael Port is a marketing expert but they both give us a very important message.
Perhaps we had better listen.
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