Judy and Bob Howard
SoilCare members, Bob and Judy Howard purchased their Macadamia property in 2002. With little farming experience but plenty of enthusiasm the farm was initially run conventionally, however many of the conventional practices did not make sense to them. Such practices included herbicide spraying under the trees to enable harvesting off bare ground and the use of chemical fertilisers for a rainforest tree. Their knowledge base expanded rapidly by attending the TAFE course “Macadamia Farming” run by Alan Coates.
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The course gave them a far greater understanding of the pests and diseases that impact the crop and sufficient confidence to become more biologically orientated. Together with the TAFE courses on “Biological Farming”, their own on farm research and lots of trial and error they have substantially changed their initial farming practices and are confident biological farmers. Since changing management practices they have observed a significant improvement in soil health and positive yield responses with their changes.
Bob and Judy use an integrated approach to farming which encourages biodiversity and a healthy ecosystem. They use organic matter to feed the trees, smother grass to prevent erosion, beneficial insects to control pests and disease and have also planted a rainforest on their property. |
Bob monitoring the compost temperature.
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In 2006, the couple also led the way in the fight to save an endangered native butterfly (the Birdwing Butterfly) by planting Richmond Birdwing vine seeds in their orchard (the vines are necessary for the butterfly to lay its eggs on and are also the caterpillar’s only food source).
Bob and Judy strive to produce the highest quality macadamia nuts they can and they love working together in the beautiful environment of the macadamia orchard. Bob, a geologist by training, has recently worked with an innovative new technology called ‘LIDAR mapping’, a remote sensing technology that measures distance by illuminating a target with a laser and analysing the light effect. |
Judy at the worm beds.
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Bob and Judy now offer a farm mapping service, GES, which farmers from many industries are now using to help improve drainage management (manage water flow) and ultimately improve orchard productivity and profitability. Bob will explain how he uses LIDAR maps for farm management decisions.
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There is a lot more to the story at Highgate but you can hear it from Bob and Judy.
Visit GES website.
