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Episode 31: Grant Sims - Multi species seed mixes and no till farming for better soils and outstanding production.

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No-till Producer Grant Sims is a sixth generation farmer running the family farm with his wife Naomi and 4 children in North central Victoria Australia. The farm is 8,500 acres of dryland and some irrigation. The Sims farm has been utilizing no-till farming practices since the early 80's thanks to Grant’s father and uncle. When Grant came back full time on the farm he started looking at ways to improve the life and function of the soil through biology. In 2008 he stopped using granular synthetic fertilizers and started using a biologically made liquid fertilizer. Also at that time stop using seed dressing, insecticides and fungicides, unless absolutely necessary. The Sims have a strong focus on diversity and grow many different crops. They use companion crops, cover crops and have expanded their cow calf numbers to integrate through the system. They have seen many positive changes in the health or their soils and plants. They perform on-farm trials to learn and share methods about how to solve problems, be more profitable and improve the soil for the next generation. Grant and Naomi have recently started up a multi-species seed business, Down Under Covers, where they use their own experience and consult with world leading experts to design and put together multi species blends to help improve the soils and provide live weight gains to livestock to help farmers become more profitable. In 2015 Grant was awarded the Coles Weekly Times Farmer of the Year. Grant is the former president of the Victorian No Till Farmers Association. Find out more at downundercovers.com.

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