About
Wymah Organic is owned and managed by lifelong regenerative agriculture student, Mary Done.
Mary believes that healthy soil makes a healthy harvest which makes healthy people. At Wymah, we don't see the point of not using your brain and up-to-date information to work with the soil rather than against it. Why should we, our employees or our clients be exposed to synthetic chemicals to deal with pests and diseases when most of the time mother nature's band of insects, worms, microorganisms and other critters can control the problem?
Building the soil for the hard times protects it, rather than taking from it every gram of product right now. Starting with various classic texts on the subject, Mary has endeavoured to practice enlightened organic farming.
An organic farm is a university of learning, reflection and getting smarter. It is so good seeing the progressive infiltration of natural farming practices into conventional farming.
Wymah Valley sits between the Murray River (just where Lake Hume begins) and the Woomargama State Forest.Ā The granite country and having a Mediterranean climate makes for good olive grove country. The pasture fed, slow growing sheep also like it and compliment the olives.
Wymah Organics produces table olives and pasture fed lamb. The sheep improve the olive grove soil as part of rotational grazing and the wastes from the olive unit provide licks for the sheep that reduces their CO2 omissions and provides them with nutrient enriched brine and oil filter waste. Older unused hay also goes to the olive grove, adding to the carbon storage of the farm and making great soil.
We have 30 ha of of mixed eucalypt and other natives in treeĀ plantationsĀ contributing to carbon fixation, a 200 acre sanctuary of repairing steep country and other plantings that contribute to the environment. Mixed value adding coordination is a challenge, butĀ well worth it.
Overall our practices on farm include:
- Mineral inputs, the use of seaweed as sheep lick and soil conditioner
- Modified rotational grazing
- Recycling of waste material, bulk onsite composting
- Tree pruning and mow-mulching of pruning wastes
- Tree break maintenance
- Checks of soil and leaf analysis, stock worm tests, tree health checks
- Caring of older stock, production of replacement stock, a stock breeding program and so on.