Biodynamic seminar

Diversity: Free-range hens and native vegetation enhance the Lusatori organic olive grove owned by Sally Woolhouse and her husband Roger

Biodynamics works on the premise that land, plants, animals and people are all elements of a greater whole.

A 24-day seminar to be held in three segments of eight days starts in Marlborough next month for wine-growers, orchardists, vegetable growers and farmers wanting to sit the Taruna College Certificate in Applied Organics and Biodynamics. Former graduates who did their certificate from the college base in Havelock North are helping with the Marlborough course.

Students will gather on the nine-hectare olive grove known as Lusatori, owned by Roger and Sally Woolhouse, on the Wairau Plains.

Sally did her organics-biodynamics certificate a year ago. With no formal study experience since leaving secondary school, she was worried about the disciplines required – and when she envisaged who else might turn up for a qualification in organics, she nearly didn't go.

"[I knew] they would be wearing sandals, have their hair in dreadlocks and be eating lentils," she says with a laugh.

But other students came from a diverse range of backgrounds, Sally completed her studies, obtained her certificate and Lusatori is on its way to being fully-certified organic by 2012.

It wasn't Sally and Roger's original plan when they planted the 2400 olive trees in 1998. But questions about the value of conventional horticulture arose when they went overseas for three years. Apart from borrowing some sheep to keep the grass down, they left the trees untended.

"When we got back, the trees probably looked better than when we left."

It made them address their earlier methods and Sally says she is concerned at the rising incidence of cancer around the world. Eliminating chemicals from an operation she had control of seemed a good, personal stand.

These days, she and Roger prune their olive trees to control the peacock spot leaf fungus, apply an organic version of the essential trace mineral boron lacking in most New Zealand soils and layer on regular dressings of seaweed to improve the soil structure. They also have eight "organic sheep" grazing between the rows of trees to add natural fertiliser.

They bought the animals from an organic farmer in Southland and Sally says they are never drenched.

Three of the Southland ewes were pregnant and gave birth to three lambs at Lusatori but unfortunately all were male so they ended up in the freezer,as did a couple of pigs Sally and Roger owned for a while.

"But at least they had a nice life," Sally says.

She tries the same reasoning with the eight chickens at Lusatori when she is late letting them out of the hen house in the mornings.

"Some of your cousins never get out at all," she tells them.

A natural wetland on the property attract the small native duck, scaup, also an occasional shag and lots of introduced ducks.

It adds to the natural diversity and the couple are planting flaxes and native trees to enhance it.

It is a world away from Sally's earlier years living on the outskirts of London.

The former Foreign Office secretary met Roger, a New Zealander working in the oil industry, while he was overseas and agreed to visit his home country.

Ad Feedback Their new life began when they found and bought the Wairau Plains property.

"I absolutely love it," Sally says.

Not too lonely and isolated?

She shakes her head.

"We have five neighbours now."

One of them is Seresin Estate, New Zealand's largest biodynamic wine grower. Its manager Colin Ross also graduated from Taruna College and is helping to co-ordinate the organic-biodynamics course.

The course is open to anyone working on the land, but viticulture will be a main focus, he says.

"It's not an isolated phenomenon in Marlborough. We have to move this way to stay at pace with quality winemakers around the world."

British organic wine commentator, Italy-based Monty Waldin, visited New Zealand in April and the following month wrote a report titled New Zealand's Green Turnaround.

He predicts the aim of Organic Wine Growers of New Zealand to have 20 per cent of wines here produced organically by 2020 will be fulfilled.

"And if the current growth rates continue, this target could be achieved as early as 2015."