Why Do We Choose Chemical Free?

For What’s Not In It!
The obvious reason why we choose to produce in a chemical free way is for what we avoid in the process – pesticides. This flows on to you avoiding them in our beef and lamb products that you buy from us. What might be littler known, is we also produce this way for what subsequently is in our products!
For What Is In It!
It is also for what is in our products, not just what is not. It’s the micronutrients that can be better accessed by plants when pesticides are not used. How is that so?
When a pasture plant grows, it photosynthesizes (takes CO2 from the air and moisture from the soil, combined with sunlight) and produces plant sugars, which it uses to grow. The plants also release some of these sugars out of their roots and into the surrounding soil. This is done to feed the microbiology of the soil – a diverse array of fungi, bacteria and others. The microbiology feed on these plant sugars and, in return, solubilise nutrients in the soil and make them available to the plant. They support one another. That is how a natural mineral cycle works, making a myriad of nutrients available to the plant, supporting plant immunity, seed production and general plant vitality.
The application of pesticides can directly kill this important microbiology of the soil. It can also indirectly affect plant growth.
The application of synthetic fertilisers containing the main (macro) nutrients that plants use can also detrimentally change the behaviour of the plant. Plants cease to release sugars into the soil as the main (macro) nutrients needed for growth, like nitrogen & phosphorus, are already available to the plant from the fertiliser. The unfortunate side effect of this is that micronutrient uptake is impacted. These are things like zinc, molybdenum and boron, which are all only needed in smaller quantities, but are a crucial factor in plant vitality and immunity. This encourages further pesticide use, as plants succumb to insect attack, inappropriate fungal infection etc.
Producing in a way that supports this soil bacteria and fungi is also supporting the availability of the range of minerals needed for healthy plant growth. In turn this creates healthy sheep and cows as they feed from these pastures.
We reckon we can taste it in the beef and lamb too! Which is another reason for us to choose chemical free – the taste difference! (The great taste is also due to being grass fed versus grain fed – but that’s a story for another time).