Could NZ learn something from sustainable animal rearing in Vietnam? I suggest that it could after reading this article from Dr Paul Olivier…
http://sea-biochar.blogspot.com/2014/09/new-biochar-related-article-from-paul.html
Also related are articles coming from the new Biochar Journal and the Ithaka Institute…
http://biochar-journal.org/en/livestock
http://www.ithaka-journal.net/druckversionen/e032012-bc-poultry.pdf
Ithaka Institute have been busy. A new biochar journal is in beta test mode this month. Hans-Peter has pulled together a great team of experts from around the world. Check out the list of existing and planned articles. It launches with an article by Kathleen Draper on biochar paper… exciting stuff.
“The first international journal dedicated to biochar is online now! Until 30th September, we are still in test mode and invite you to send us your comments about bugs & errors, and please send also your opinion on how you like it (contact us), and what subjects you would like to be treated (see the upcoming topics). Starting from October, we publish every two weeks one in-depth biochar article. Sign in for the newsletter to be always up to date.
We launch tBJ today with Kathleen Draper’s article on Biochar Paper and the huge potential to use biochar throughout the paper industry. You will further find a selection of the most inspiring biochar articles published until now in the Ithaka Journal, which the Biochar Journal is going to supplant and to expand with a more global focus on biochar developments and opportunities around the world.
The Biochar Journal will provide relevant, cutting edge research and practical guidance showing how the use of biochar and other climate friendly techniques can not only boost economic and environmental resilience but also regenerate local, regional and global ecosystems. Biochar in agriculture, livestock farming, building industry, brownfield and habitat remediation, desert reforestation, disaster management, water treatment, reusable packaging, electronics and much more will be unfolded in the Biochar Journal.”
Biochar applications to the NZ soil are not currently controlled in any way (as far as I know). This is not the case in a growing number of countries and jurisdictions. I am aware that there are rules or controls in Europe and parts of Australia that may govern how bichar is sold and/or applied.
This new information from Lloyd in Canada high-lights how this issue is evolving there…
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/biochar-policy/conversations/messages/5163
Regulation on biochar has not been addressed in NZ and with little activity and no engagement between govt. agencies and industry on the subject, I guess its a fair way off yet.
Dr Reddy has just released a new book on biochar based on his long experience in India which is freely available via as a PDF file from a web download. The author…
“My latest Book title “Biocharculture – Biochar for Environment and Development” Published by MetaMeta, Netherlands. It took two years to write covering a decade of my endeavour with biochar. I am thankful to all the members in the e-groups for the valuable insights, thanks also to the communities / farmers. This book is declared as open Knowledge…”
I’ve posted details on the BIG-SEA site here.
“Dr Mike Joy gives the 2014 Charles Fleming Lecture for the Royal Society of New Zealand as the 2013 recipient of the Charles Fleming Award for Environmental Achievement”
The demise of New Zealand’s freshwaters: politics and science from Royal Society of New Zealand on Vimeo.
It would be interesting to get Dr Joy’s comments on biochar… its potential seems to be ignored by both industry and science from the water quality perspective.
The Royal Society have covered biochar in the past… see this link
“Farming groups are pushing ahead with plans for projects to store carbon in soil, after the Federal Government approved a methodology that will allow farmers to earn carbon credits.” Written and audio coverage from ABC Rural here…
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-07-21/nrn-soil-carbon/5611742
Chris Smithies, Environmental Scientist at Earth Systems has provided the following comments on the Biochar Offsets Linkedin discussion group…
“unfortunately biochar application to soil is not an eligible management activity under this methodology but at the Carbon Farmers Conference held in Canberra in March it was stated that a methodology inclusive of biochar was due in December 2014 so hopefully one will be coming soon,“
This video has Hans-Peter Schmidt and Dr Paul Taylor demonstrating the Kon-Tiki at the Ithaka Institute in Switzerland.
I visited Hans-Peter in Switzerland on 25 July. He was kind enough to take me on a tour of their composting facility, vineyard and the facilities associated with the Ithaka Institute.
The composting facility includes biochar trial mix designs (photo link). The benefits of adding biochar were anecdotally evident in adjacent compost piles. Leachate from heavy rains showed colorful algal blooms in non-amended compost while biochar amended compost showed no sign of algae.
I’ve posted previously about the cone kiln.
I also visited Marc-Etienne Favre at La Coulette near Lausanne. Included among his agriculture business activities are commercial composting, biochar soil amendment production and distribution facilities… an exemplar for successful biochar business development in NZ (photo link).
Another surprising report (with audio feed) showing how far NZ biochar activities are behind Oz. The cascading use of biochar is a strong theme being promoted in Europe.
…”The trial is based on the work of a Middlesex cattle producer, Doug Pow. Mr Pow has been feeding biochar to his cattle for three years, to observe the dung beetle activity and effects on his pastures. Mr Pow says he became interested when he observed other producers using machinery to inject charcoal into the ground. “I thought I’d see if I could test the hypothesis, if I fed some charcoal to the cow, the beetles would bury the charcoal deep into the ground,” he says. “And the positive effects of the charcoal in the ground would be enhanced by the fact that it would be more biologically active.”…
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-06-11/dung-beetle-dairy-trial/5515130#
I’m not up to speed on dung beetle trials in NZ but maybe a collaborative research opportunity?
Related to animal feeding is this new webpage under construction by David Yarrow on poultry…
