This is a review written by Julia McKay, Secretary of the NSA Inc of Dr Richard Stizacker's new book,
OUT OF THE SCIENTIST’S GARDEN
by
Dr. Richard Stirzaker, CSIRO Senior Research Fellow, CRC for irrigation futures.
About a year ago I met Richard Stirzaker at the ANU Coastal Campus at Kioloa. I had been responsible for organising a Dialogue entitled “The Land Restoration Imperative – Many Pathways, One Goal” which, in turn had been sponsored by CSIRO, the Federal Departments of Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries (DAFF) and Environment, Heritage, Water & the Arts (DEWHA) & NSW Department of Industry & Investment (formerly DPI). Michael Jeffery acted as “Moderator General”, keeping people from the bio-dynamic, permaculture, organic, key-line, holistic management, cell grazing, pasture cropping and natural sequence “faiths” from coming to blows. As it turned out, they all got along like a house on fire although some turned the blow torch on the scientists from CSIRO and ANU.
Little did I know, until reading his excellent self-exposé entitled “Out of the Scientist’s Garden”, that Richard is a “believer”. The collection of 21 loosely related essays traces Richard’s childhood in South Africa, his tertiary journey through Agricultural Science, a PhD at Sydney University, CSIRO career in irrigation research and field experiences in South Africa and Australia. All the while, he was attempting to “ground truth” the conventional scientific approach against his trial and error experimentation in a suburban Canberra garden.
Gardeners are born, not made and Richard’s passion for growing edibles is manifest in this eminently readable publication. The battles with insects, birds, diseases and water restrictions represent a farmer’s life in miniature. He discusses the difficulties of translating backyard practices into broadacre application but admits to being unable to offer the “recipe”.
Richard describes the book as being about “how to think about things”, not “how to do it”. Unusually, for a scientist, he points out the shortcomings of the scientific approach. “These days, scientists are under constant pressure to demonstrate the value of their research work, in order to justify further funding. I always find this difficult. Some days it seems we are on the cusp of a breakthrough and other days the status quo seems immoveable.”
A read of this short and entertaining book won’t put an end to your farming nightmares, but it will give you comfort. It will make you realise how hard it is to get things right even part of the time and that you’re not alone in struggling to be a better land manager. More importantly, it highlights that the gulf between farmers and scientists is narrowing and this can only lead to better utilisation of our natural agricultural resources. Dr. Stirzaker was too polite to say that it’s the government who should be funding the building of the bridge over that gulf, rather than underwriting its perpetuation.
“Out of the Scientist’s Garden” is published by CSIRO Publishing, 150 Oxford Street, Collingwood, Victoria, 3066.
Julia McKay
2 Book Reviews
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Re: 2 Book Reviews
This is Julia McKays book review of David Mason-Jones' new book titled,
“Should Meat Be on the Menu”
Debunking Political Correctness One Bite at a Time.
by David Mason-Jones
When you’re passionate about something, it’s a good idea to find out whether you’re right or wrong before you make a fool of yourself. This is precisely what David Mason-Jones has done and his road to discovery is documented in his recently self-published book, “Should Meat Be on the Menu?”
Happily, David has undertaken significant scientific, historical and social research into the entire enteric methane argument and the role of ruminants in landscape rehabilitation. His findings are heartening for most grass-fed, livestock producers in Australia on the proviso that such producers must embrace change if they are to reap the full benefits of their land use choice.
David dismantles many myths in his readable hypothesis that domesticated ruminants are an intrinsic element in the solution to greenhouse gas abatement. He proves (beyond reasonable doubt as far as I’m concerned) that pre-European Australia was not heavily forested but rather a landscape of sparsely wooded grasslands, that kangaroo numbers have exploded since settlement to the detriment of the grassland ecology, that plantation forests only benefit bankers not the environment, that carbon dioxide is not a pollutant and that good farming practices are cheaper than bad.
It takes a lot of guts for a journalist to publish, at his own expense, a book that attacks the sort of environmental fundamentalism that has received widespread governmental, scientific and social support. David’s book is not perfect nor is it without minor errors of form or substance. However, every contention is supported by authentic scientific research and his conclusions are irresistible – eat meat with a clear conscience. It’s good for the environment, utterly sustainable and ultimately, good for the future of domesticated ruminants whose genetics are based upon our appetite for the flesh and milk of herbivores.
You don’t have to be a farmer to appreciate David’s book - it is good reading for secondary and tertiary students, particularly those in cities. In it, he explains many of the innovative farming methods from Peter Andrews’ Natural Sequence, Colin Seis’ Pasture Cropping to Permaculture and the use of bio-char. Buy it through www.journalist.com.au or www.smallfarms.net and recommend it at your local library.
Julia McKay
“Should Meat Be on the Menu”
Debunking Political Correctness One Bite at a Time.
by David Mason-Jones
When you’re passionate about something, it’s a good idea to find out whether you’re right or wrong before you make a fool of yourself. This is precisely what David Mason-Jones has done and his road to discovery is documented in his recently self-published book, “Should Meat Be on the Menu?”
Happily, David has undertaken significant scientific, historical and social research into the entire enteric methane argument and the role of ruminants in landscape rehabilitation. His findings are heartening for most grass-fed, livestock producers in Australia on the proviso that such producers must embrace change if they are to reap the full benefits of their land use choice.
David dismantles many myths in his readable hypothesis that domesticated ruminants are an intrinsic element in the solution to greenhouse gas abatement. He proves (beyond reasonable doubt as far as I’m concerned) that pre-European Australia was not heavily forested but rather a landscape of sparsely wooded grasslands, that kangaroo numbers have exploded since settlement to the detriment of the grassland ecology, that plantation forests only benefit bankers not the environment, that carbon dioxide is not a pollutant and that good farming practices are cheaper than bad.
It takes a lot of guts for a journalist to publish, at his own expense, a book that attacks the sort of environmental fundamentalism that has received widespread governmental, scientific and social support. David’s book is not perfect nor is it without minor errors of form or substance. However, every contention is supported by authentic scientific research and his conclusions are irresistible – eat meat with a clear conscience. It’s good for the environment, utterly sustainable and ultimately, good for the future of domesticated ruminants whose genetics are based upon our appetite for the flesh and milk of herbivores.
You don’t have to be a farmer to appreciate David’s book - it is good reading for secondary and tertiary students, particularly those in cities. In it, he explains many of the innovative farming methods from Peter Andrews’ Natural Sequence, Colin Seis’ Pasture Cropping to Permaculture and the use of bio-char. Buy it through www.journalist.com.au or www.smallfarms.net and recommend it at your local library.
Julia McKay