“I came away from the presentation with renewed enthusiasm to give the soil what it needs to function well, to make the best of whatever resources are readily available and to know that several small changes can lead to big results. Maarten understands the financial realities of farming and that a biological system must be realistically achievable in each situation, taking into account existing factors and financial restraints.” Janet Durham (March.12)
“Maarten is able to hold the door open so farmers can see a better way to farm by understanding how to work with biology, not against it.” Dave Forrest (March.12)
“I thought that your presentation was the best scientific explanation of biological farming for the lay person or industrial farmer that I have seen. You had a mixed audience on Saturday, quite a few innovators, many biological farmers, some in conversion and a quite a few extras. Your courage to hang onto your convictions is very heartening for so many farmers Maarten, and as a result they will approach you for advice and inspiration.” Bood Hickson (May.10)
“Thank you so much for the few days you spent with us at the start of this week. Our enthusiasm to continue on the ‘biological farming” track has been renewed and we feel much more confident that we are pretty much on the right track with a few tune up areas. We loved it!” Caroline Rex (March.09)
Our NAB sponsor sent me an email today saying: “I am glad the day went well. I think Maarten is on the right track here and it was good to see so many people interested in his view on farming.”
“Dr Stapper is a dynamic and engaging speaker who is able to relate the concepts of soil health to the practical problems that farmers are grappling with.”
Gerhard Grasser, Darnum Vic (Jun.07)
“Thanks for a great presentation last week. The feedback has been very positive with lots of comments on your clear communication skills. A number of people commented that they found you easier to understand than most presenters and that the way the information was delivered was more on their level.”
(Mar.06)
“Your voice without question has been one of the leading lights in our times. Take care.”
(Mar.06)
“Your audience has passed on many compliments: impressed by your message & the clarity and manner in which you explained it. A number have expressed regret that they were unable to attend & ask if there is a recording of your talk, a CD or DVD that they could obtain?”
(Sep.07)
“I wanted you to know that the responses from the workshops have been tremendous. Even people who I thought would struggle to ‘get it’ were very excited. It seems those who could not grasp the detail did however GET THE MESSAGE”.
(Oct.07)
“… an extremely interesting & informative presentation (which) has reinforced many of our beliefs & given us the confidence to change our entire thought process to farming.”
Peter Cook, Keith SA (Mar.05)
“I have seen some truly exceptional farmers who are light years ahead of anything I saw in America, particularly where it really counts, in the practical application and making it work on farm. Guess what, many of them cited you as one of the major influences in helping them to change and have the confidence to pursue biological farming.”
“Please don’t ever give up with your inspiration……”
Ben Mead, Cornwall UK (Feb.06)
“Thank you for your professionalism, ability to relate to grass roots farmers and your significant depth of understanding of the issues that we face in rural Australia”
Jennie Hermiston, Landcare Network, Beechworth Vic (Mar.06)
“Dr Stapper’s commitment to leading Australian food producers and land managers to understand our soils’ health and its foundation to our nutrition and life is ground breaking here in Australia”.
Helen Chambers, Federation of Biological Farmers Inc., Marong Vic (Aug.06)
“My husband and son attended the workshop you spoke at in March 2005. You probably would be unaware, but that day was a turning point for us in our farming enterprise. They still mention that day at the pub when Dr Maarten Stapper was speaking and they learnt so much and the time just flew.”
“Since that day we immediately put into practice what you were speaking about, changing from the conventional. In one season we reduced our chemical input dramatically, using microbes to digest our stubble, this and other biological inputs improved our soil so much its structure changed to soft and friable. Paddocks that would not grow a crop previously miraculously produced an excellent yield. Earthworms returned everywhere and we had dung beetles flying in all through the summer and winter, not to mention ladybirds all over our lentils cleaning up any aphids. No fungicides were used on the lentils and we grew one of the best quality crops in the district that year. Unfortunately nature has not been so kind to us in 2006 with the drought impacting badly.
But most importantly after you introduced us to Biological farming it opened up a whole new world of information and network of likeminded people. We now view things from a totally different perspective. So much so Peter developed a loose mix stock supplement for our livestock using biological products. The difference it made to our sheep was incredible. We noticed a gradual change, bad facial eczema disappeared, fertility rates improved, much less ill thrift, no cancers and we had very contented sheep. We were so impressed we stopped drenching and vaccinating in 2005. We undertook our own faecal egg count monitoring and found the counts low, so we still have no need to drench or vaccinate.
From my point of view I had also read the article about you from the Canberra Times 31/8/04 headed ‘A Scientist Who Knows His Wheat’. (more…) This got me thinking we should be eating our own home grown wheat, that has been grown biologically, with virtually no chemicals and no toxic seed dressings etc. So I have invested in a small grain mill for the kitchen, and now produce delicious wholegrain stone ground bread and many other foods as well. I also tried the Tabbouleh recipe with cracked wheat and it was great. Thank you for that!”
(April 2007)
“Congratulations on your contribution to the channel 9 TV show “Australia’s Salinity Crisis: What Crisis?” I taped the show and have had a showing at work yesterday, fifteen people turned up to watch the tape. It has caused plenty of debate around here, which is great.”
(May 06)
“It was an honour to be able to offer a high calibre speaker such as your self to the landholder community. Thank you for making yourself available. Without question the calibre of your back ground experience, knowledge and research placed CSIRO in excellent stead within our local community.”
“So it’s serendipitous to read your paper to see how someone can so eloquently describe the vision and process. It’s also a great checklist for us when we feel we have wandered or lost control or worse still fallen into the “trusted” advice group of biological snake-oil salespeople.”
(Jul.06)
“Your talk on Tuesday night was inspiring, educational and gave us some more scientific ammunition to explain the results we get in the field. To be able to get that much information across in one night and keep the audience transfixed as they were to the last minute is a gift and sign of the impact you had on us and the quality of information put forward. Well done. You make us feel on an equal level which is otherwise rare from so-called experts and advisors who seem to aim to make it sound all too complicated for us to comprehend.”
(Aug.06)
“The day brought everything I have known from Ag College together to make a lot of sense for what we are trying to achieve.”
“Maarten Stapper is inspiring and I came home feeling fully enthused again after hearing him talk. I heard him last year so it was great to have the opportunity to hear him speak one more.”
“We came for Maarten’s address and found it very good – some new ideas stimulating reinforcing ideas and invigorating to keep going.”
“Maarten Stapper is a very good presenter of his and other scientists research.”
“I got so much out of Dr Maarten’s talk. Loved his ‘creepy critters’.”
“Maarten was great, we found him easy to understand and inspiring.”
“Dr Stapper is a passionate speaker with an ability to convey complex concepts in simple terms”
“Your presentation and panel comments invited significant direct interest from the community as seen by the number of landholders wishing to speak to you privately in the pre-dinner break.”
“Your contribution to our ongoing Soil Health program and messages into other regions over the last few days is significant.”
“Your presentation was of a high standard, kept people’s interest and related directly to the needs of the farmers in attendance.”
“Your skill is and will remain a valuable resource to farming. I personally have been very encouraged by your leadership, and I am aware that there are farmers who you have inspired to have a go.”
“We have had the privilege to see Dr Maarten Stapper several times now and always find him inspiring.”
“People like you give us the audacity to help challenge and pursue a successful alternative to a system that seems to promulgate the ills of agriculture around the world and reduce the formerly noble art and profession of farming to one of toil, drudgery, demoralization and ill health.”
“There are so few scientists with such knowledge of Soil Biology. His talk was so interesting and all landholders felt he had so much fascinating, unique information to impart – this is very difficult to find in the area of Soil Biology.”
“Your audience has passed on many compliments: impressed by your message & the clarity and manner in which you explained it.”