FREEFORMINTEGRATION

Integrating existing technology to create a new way of doing sustainable agriculture.

Freeformintegration's goal is to to change the way people think about farming practices and the environment, ployculture to use the natural way the environment works, to provide multiple income streams, sustainable solutions profitability and reduce over all costs. At the same time reclycling bi-products and waste into environmentally friendly products for reuse on the farm or sale for profit.

Micro Aquaponics

Micro Aquaponic's an exciting new develoment in the world of aquaponics.Now avalible to any one who has even the smallest space. A car park or a balconey can sorport a garden and a fishery. At only 1.2 meters wide and a choice of 3 or 6 metres long you can fit these anywere there is sun light. Grow your own fresh vegies, herbs and greens, just there for the picking when you are ready. Enviromently frendly and low maintance you can spend as much or as little time as you please to enjoy fresh veg and fish. cost savings are huge little or no waste. Click Header to see more

Notes from recent Thailand trip

I can't understand why Thai farmers are so poor? They have good land and good labour; some small changes to the way you do things can increase production up buy 100%. So many oppertunities for the knowlge that is so freely bandied about in the westen world to realy make a differance. Chemical companies are still priced out and labour is cheap, organics is a way of life, but still the thai farmer is missing out on so many advantages that are sitting on his door steep, for free.

In this modern world, with its high pressures and fast pace, there are those who crave a more relaxed pace and a more laid back lifestyle. There is no sweeter melody than the sound of running water, a gentle breeze in banana palms, the sizzle of fresh Cray fish on the Barbie. A beautiful day, the sun shining down,the brightly coloured birds sarking loudly, then disappearing in a flash of colour. You're stretched out on a comfortable chair with an ice cold drink in your hand.

Wake up!

These words just mean more expense to the large operators.
But for small to medium operators this is a basket full of opportunities!!!!
Opportunities; to make bigger profits,
  To get organic certification,
  To turn waste and bi-products into profits,
  To Create multiple income streams,
  To reduce your long term running costs,
  To insulate you from shifting market prices,
  To diversify products produced,
  To develop a chemical free environment,
  To qualify for government grants,
By using Freeformintegration's Integrated Aquaculture you can.
  Make bigger profits because you can get organic certification and sell as organic produce, which nets approx 20-30% higher price at the market. Cost of chemical sprays is reduced to zero, however natural controls for pests can be put into this category. Neem oil combats most insect problems and is naturally occurring and safe to user and consumer, saving the cost of protective equipment and associated health problems that come with toxic sprays.
  Bigger profits can also be recouped by recycling your waste. Water from aquaculture is full of nutrients, if dumped in to natural waterways, causes massive degradation by promoting very rapid plant growth and choking waterways! Why would you waste this wonderful resource? You need to replace a percentage of the water in the ponds daily to replace evaporation and prevent the build up of toxins in the water. The toxins to the fish are fertilizer to the plants. So of course you use this water to irrigate your crops, or as water to grow hydroponically. Plants that you grow in the ponds to feed the fish and to clean and oxygenate the water have to be harvested periodically to prevent them taking over, this promotes fresh regrowth, removes carbon and nitrogen and many other compounds tied up in the plants from the pond system. Why waste this, compost or just spread as mulch and you are fertilizing your crops for a minimal cost, or sale and there is no waste. Animal waste can be recycled as fertilizer or used to generate electricity
  Bigger profits come from poly culture (many things growing together). Plants benefit from having many different varieties growing in the same paddock or pond, benefits include faster and more voracious growth, habitat for predator insects and improved soil and water quality. Ducks can free range in small crops, eating bugs and fertilizing as they grow for food and sale. Ducks should be kept out of aquaculture as much as possible. Chickens free range in orchards eating bugs, fertilizing, and aerating the soil plus a bonus of eggs and meat, also chickens and ducks will discourage some of the birds that are feeding on up to two thirds of your fish in un netted ponds.
  Bigger profits can also be realised by doing some processing on site. By sending fish to market in a variety of forms, some whole on ice (your best quality), Some no head and gutted, some frozen fillets. This helps counter the ups and downs in price at the market. It also gives you a valuable by-product, which can be further processed into fish fertiliser or dried and mixed with waste from the orchard and water plants to make food for the fish (currently all commercial feed products are full of antibiotics and animal products not fit for consumption by any animal or fish). There is a market for good quality reasonably priced fish food, by-products and waste turn into profit.
  Bigger profits By placing ponds and channels in amongst crops and orchards you facilitate drainage and recoup water used in irrigation (filtered through the soil and mulch) also by placing lights over the ponds, at night lots of bugs are attracted to the lights and fall into the water feeding the fish on natural food and removing insects from the crops. This process helps to maintain a balance which we have upset by planting so many food plants in a small area, and will help in creating a much more natural environment
  Bigger profits can be realised by having multiple products going to the market and creating multiple income streams
  Bigger profits and cost savings can be generated by worm farms. By composting in a worm farm you produce worms that can be fed to the fish as part of their diet or sold to gardeners and fishermen. By products include worm juice (no worms are harmed to produce this), which is a highly concentrated fertiliser that is full of worm eggs. This is added to irrigation water to ensure a proliferation of worms all over the property. Worm casts are a well known organic fertiliser and can be sold or used, as need dictates.
  Bigger profits, Cleared land not suitable for farming can be planted in forestry (not pine trees in Australia please!). Trees native to the area, irrigated and managed properly not only stabilize hillsides and stop erosion, they also stop salt coming to the surface.Native trees grown in a commercial style, can produce mill able timber for sale or use on site.
  Bigger profits can be further enhanced and diversified by introducing pigs into the equation. A piggery sets up a series of opportunities.
By designing your piggery from the ground up to reuse waste it becomes your power station and petrol station. The pigs need feeding so you need three or four fenced paddocks, these can be partly planted in orchards and need some small crops area. In the small crops area you would plant sugar beet, potatoes, corn and other high sugar / carbohydrate plants. These would be harvested and turned into alcohol of an industrial grade this is then used as a blend with petrol or diesel to fuel farm machinery. Waste from this process is used to fertilise small crops. The choicest of the feed is fed to the pigs fresh.
The piggery is designed with a grated or slatted floor to make cleaning easy. Pigs in the wild feed at night and sleep or wallow during the day, so in keeping with this you would provide this in the piggery. Bringing the pigs in at dawn supplying food and bedding. All collected waste is then washed into a sludge converter where it ferments giving off methane gas which is collected and burned through a turbine to produce electricity. Waste from this is fertiliser again. By rotating the paddocks that the pigs forage in, you get the advantage of the pigs cleaning up the food left after a paddock is harvested, damaged and wind fall fruit from orchard. They dig and aerate the soil. Herding the pigs back to the piggery at dawn (They will do this by them selves after a little while, relieving you of the necessity of getting up at dawn, an added bonus.) lets the humans work in these paddocks during the day. Once again the pigs are the primary product with organic pork supplied to the market at a good price, and the other by products supplying fuel and power which you would other wise be paying for. If you produce more electricity than you can use, this can be sold to the power distribution companies this is pure profit. Some large piggeries in Victoria Aust make more money selling green power to the power company's than they make out of raising pigs.
  A further development could be to share this with others. Units nestled around the property, offer fishing (guarantee you catch something), Swimming in natural springs or flowing river, peace and quite that only the country can offer, an opportunity to meet and talk to real local people, and partake in there everyday life. The freshest fruit, fish, pork, vegetables, clean air and a heightened state of awareness. All with a clear understanding that you are not harming the environment.

  Organic fish,
  Organic crayfish,
  Water plants both for consumption and the aquarium market,
  Organic fruit and vegetables,
  Organic fish food,
  Organic chickens and eggs,
  Organic duck,
  Organic pork,
  Organic worms and worm products,
  Green fuel from renewable sources (also when burned produces a lot less pollutants),
  Green power,
  Tourisum,
  Once established, ZERO impact on the greater environment,
  No reliance on chemical companies or expensive hi-Tec advisors,
  Become part of the organic network,
  Greatly reduced running costs, labour costs maybe slightly higher. Enthusiastic willing to learn woofers can offset this. (Willing workers on organic farms, network),
 This dose not mean every farm is suitable for all of this, but each area dose have many possibilities for some of these or other combinations not mentioned. Please if any of the above or anything not mentioned, are of interest to you please contact us.