Soil, science and patience behind Kalfresh Organics

September is Organic Awareness Month and Spring is when most of our organic crops are at their peak, making it a fitting time to look at what actually goes into growing Certified Organic vegetables and fruit.

Kalfresh’s organic offering has grown from a single crop to more than eight over the past decade, starting with green beans in Bowen and then baby capsicums, mini melons, sweet corn, brassicas, carrots and onions added along the way.

Category Manager of Organics Tracey Campbell says converting cropping land to organic isn’t quick. It starts with soil testing, and the timeline hinges on what’s been farmed there before. Often the land moves through organic in-conversion status before reaching full certification.

“It all comes down to the soil and having the patience in the paddock to wait,” Tracey says.

“Our organic produce is consistently good because of the farmers we work with and their passion to grow the best-quality crops using certified, sustainable practices.”

Working closely with the Jurgens family in Bowen and Ed Windley in the Scenic Rim, Kalfresh been able to expand its organic footprint to feature 271 hectares of certified organic land across the two regions.

Ed Windley, a generational farmer and agronomist, recently converted a further six hectares from conventional to organic in the Fassifern Valley at Kalbar.

“It’s not for the faint-hearted,” he admits.

“It was challenging to get going. We made mistakes and learned along the way.

“Certainly, there were moments we could have said bugger this, but I guess we were just very determined and prepared to give things a proper go,” Ed says, adding he is proud of the produce he now grows.

Ed’s latest conversion is part of Kalfresh’s commitment to continuity of supply, ensuring there are no gaps on shelf for customers for our year-round crops of organic green beans and sweet corn.

Kalfresh, in partnership with Ed and the Jurgens, are trialling new non-invasive farm technology to continually improve organic yields.

A laser weeder that use cameras and mirrors to detect and burn emerging weeds is proving particularly useful for low-profile crops like beans and onions.

“We call it the fire snail because it is a very slow-moving machine, that smokes the weeds on its way,” Ed says.

“Organically controlling pests is very challenging, we have the same pests as a conventional grower does, we just use softer ways to combat them. We work with nature to keep the plants happy.”

Beneficial insects carry some of the load, good bugs preying on the bad. For instance, one ladybird can munch through 60 aphids a day on a carrot crop, making them some of the hardest-working allies on an organic farm.

Celebrated each September, Organic Awareness Month puts a spotlight on the category.