By practising a range of organic and regenerative agricultural practices the Oranje

Tractor Farm, near Albany, sequesters six times more CO2 , and CO2 equivalents,

than the vineyard emits.

In 2021 Oranje Tractor Farm participated in a Landcare Australia Carbon

Accounting process which identified emissions from the vineyard, purchased

inputs and the amount of carbon that is sequestered by vegetation on the farm.

In a typical year, the 8-hectare Oranje Tractor Farm sequesters 8.5 tonnes of CO 2 , whilst the 2.6

hectare vineyard emits just 1.4 tonnes.

 “We don’t need to purchase offsets because we are better than net zero now. This

is because we implement a range of organic and regenerative practices that allows

natural ecosystems to flourish. If you let it, nature will increase soil fertility, water

retention, produce healthy plants that are more resilient against pests and diseases,

weeds are sent packing and you can keep your input costs down and remain

viable”, said owner Murray Gomm.

  “We are carbon positive because we don’t purchase synthetic fungicides, pesticides

and water-soluble fertiliser. We are here to regenerate our small patch of the

planet, not strip mine it for a quick buck”

  “There are a lot of things we don’t use because they are damaging. Ammonium

nitrate is a common fertiliser that blows things up. It is the explosive charge in

bombs. It can blow up in storage as it tragically did in Beirut last year. Today it is a

common fertiliser that some say blows up the soil”.   

 Soil dependent on synthetic ammonium nitrate fertilizer becomes lifeless and

unable to support healthy plant growth. The billions of microorganisms in soil that

naturally convert organic matter to usable nitrogen for plant growth are harmed by

synthetic ammonium nitrate fertilizers.

 “As a micro business we couldn’t afford the $5 000-$8 000 to validate and accredit

the carbon accounting process. Instead, we asked Peter Newman, Professor of

Sustainability at Curtin University to visit and he duly signed off our Net Zero

Now status”

Peter and his research group are now writing up the story for an international journal.

“The world need to now about this’’ said Professor Newman.

“We achieved organic certification in 2006 (after transitioning from 2002) and have

introduced a range of regenerative practices in recent years. These practices include

planting cover crops in between vine rows to increase the diversity of our

underground livestock. We now leave canes in the vineyard to breakdown and

release nutrients rather than removing and burning them. Sheep are strip grazed in

the vineyard to keep the grass down to a height that maximises the amount of

liquid carbon they feed to the soil food web”.

 

“Our soil biology tests have revealed we have soil teeming with an enormous

diversity and quantity of fungi and bacteria which are the engine room of the soil

food web”.

 “We don’t own a working tractor (just the old orange one that serves as the entry

statement) and rarely is one used in the vineyard because we don’t want to

compact the soil, squeezing air and water out. No air, no water, no life”.

 “Investing in the free services that nature provides rather than paying big dollars

for horror rides on the industrial treadmill hasn’t affected the quality of our wine.

We have oscillated0 between a 4.5 star and 5 star (the maximum) Halliday rating

since we started”.

 “If we take our Riesling for example it has won numerous state and national

awards including;

Gold medal and trophy 2021 WA Wine Show

Gold medal at the 2018 International Riesling Challenge

Gold medal and trophy at the 2008 National Wine Show of Australia”.

 Oranje Tractor Farm was visited by HRH Prince Charles in 2015, due to his keen

interest in organic and regenerative production.

For further information contact Murray Gomm on 0431 846 412 or Professor Peter Newman on 0407 935 133.