PEOPLE hear the term Korean Natural Farming and think it’s something ‘alternative’. It’s not.
According to Chris Trump, a chief exponent of this natural farming method, a return to traditional farming methods is the best way to correct deficiencies in the soil, improve produce, and livestock health.
A 400% increase in costs one year led Chris and his family to find new ways of farming their 750-acre macadamia nut farm in Hawaii.
Since then Chris has become the poster boy for the Korean Natural Farming method because he shares his knowledge, free of charge, on his website and through his YouTube videos.
Chris was recently a guest of the famous food and farm enterprise at Ballymaloe. It introduced him to a much wider audience here in Ireland.
Chris was actively involved in running an annual five-day course, a how-to on Korean natural farming methods.
At one event, he mentioned – but gave no names – that he had been invited to meet a major dairy farmer in West Cork, who is curious to learn what has been forgotten.
To an absolute beginner, and for the purposes of the interview, Chris said people today find it easier to understand that without good digestive health, the body and the brain suffers.
It’s just like that with the land. A lot of the earth has become sterile. Even gardeners who are absolute beginners, know that turning a sod rarely uncovers earthworms. And it is the burrowing of these terrestrial invertebrates that helps to loosen and aerate the soil, and improve drainage.
Feeding animals on land that is, for want of a better word, ‘sick’ means the livestock suffer as a result. It has, according to Chris, becomes a vicious cycle of chemicals, compounds, and corrective solutions.
Giving that up as a bad job is where some farmers today are willing to start. Chris, again for simplicity sake, said it is like taking a petri dish of healthy soil – from hedgerows and anywhere else where the soil hasn’t been destroyed – and reintroducing it to the land so it can multiply and flourish.
Chris Trump started using the Korean Farming Method on his nut farm in Hawaii, but believes the same methods can be applied to farming in West Cork.
The Southern Star visited the farm of Thomas Stack who took over the family farm in Limerick in 2012.
Thomas had farmed conventionally for a few years, but decided something had to change. He embarked on an ambitious journey to transform his farm into a system that is resilient to environmental and financial shocks.
Thomas transitioned to organic farming in 2018 and since then he has adopted the Korean Natural Farming method.
On his own website, Thomas explains to other farmers how this regenerative approach uses indigenous microorganisms (IMO), such as bacteria, fungi, nematodes, and protozoa, in place of inorganic fertilisers to produce fertile soil.
‘You can’t see these microbes,’ Thomas said. ‘The only way you can see them is under the microscope and they’re the most powerful thing in the world ... to see how they have transformed my farm in a year-and-a-half, it’s mind-blowing.’
Thomas creates IMO solutions that are highly rich in nutrients and enzymes, and he sprays these solutions on the land, working in tune with the nutrient cycle of the plants.
Thomas milks 60 dairy cows on virtually no external inputs. His cows are entirely grass-fed and he produces high quality organic milk.
He creates his own nutritional supplements for his animals using only natural inputs and processes.
‘I use the land and nature to produce all my inputs on the farm and to enhance the soil biology,’ he said.
Having a huge interest in nature, Thomas has planted over 1,000 native trees on the land already and has plans to plant many more trees to support biodiversity and encourage more wildlife back to the farm.
Thomas also regularly hosts farm visits for those interested in learning more about this dynamic farming system.
It’s like going back to the future. The phrase – made popular by the movie – is the act of returning to, or revisiting events or circumstances from the past, in order to modify or alter the future.
Chris’s generosity in sharing everything he has learned online free of charge means that Korean farming is becoming more of a movement that speaks directly to farmers. The Hawaiian farmer speaks a language they understand. It’s different to what some farmers hear as lecturing and hectoring by energy and environmental lobbyists.
The message is simple: create fertile soils that produce a high output without the use of synthetic fertilisers, herbicides or pesticides.
Chris Trump enjoys meeting people who are interested in producing nutrient-dense and flavourful food that has a direct correlation with the health of humans.
Korean farming advocates say it ends use of hemicals, compounds, and corrective solutions on the land. (Photo: Shutterstock)
His talk at Ballymaloe was the perfect showcase to explain how important it is to have the best produce if you want to make the best dishes.
‘Farmers drinking their own milk and having a farm that they can connect to their family is a big deal,’ said Chris. ‘That’s the connection for the next generation of farmers.’
There are also financial considerations. ‘Given the squeeze of the cost of fertiliser, plus the price they are getting for their produce, farmers need a little bit of hope and a little bit of wriggle room,’ said Chris.
‘Natural farming is a sovereignty for farmers’ movement. It gives them the opportunity to produce their own fertiliser, maintain yields, and increase quality.’ Anyone interested in learning more can google: biomei.solutions. It tells Chris’s own story.
‘Like many farmers, we were a part of the system of agriculture that’s dependent on fertiliser factories and third-party systems to support major growth,’ he said.
‘We discovered an elegant method of natural farming – scaleable and capable of supporting the world’s biggest farms.
'Now, the family farm’s land, soil, and plants have regained their full health and provide more than ever before,’ he concluded.
