September 8, 2026 • 7 mins
Steve Ellison of Bio Active Soils looks at spring fertiliser options.
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Speaker 1 (00:08):
Welcome back to the muster.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Steve Ellison of Bioactive Soils joins us in studio once again.
Of course, he is sponsor of the Country Crossover here
on Fridays. And Steve, good to catch up once again
in studio.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
Hi, Andy. It is. It's brilliant.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
How's things been?
Speaker 3 (00:25):
Oh, look, we love this time of year.
Speaker 4 (00:28):
The lambs are foot, calving, the vats underway, and we're
getting all the farmer's stories from winter. No, it's a vibrancy,
even though it's been a bit of wet, but that'll pass,
and we'll be complaining there's a bit of dry. And
our business has doubled already this year.
Speaker 3 (00:49):
Last year we tripled.
Speaker 4 (00:51):
And I'd like to take this moment, Andy, to thank
our farmers for their support, and I'd like to thank
the Farm Bush Telegraph. There's a lot of talk amongst
neighbours on that.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
The bush telegraph is impressive, isn't it? Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Hey, I'll tell you one. Sorry, this is funny.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
But one female farmer phoned me and said, look, we're
going to have to use you. And I says, why so?
Speaker 3 (01:16):
She's a dairy farmer.
Speaker 4 (01:17):
She said, oh, look, I've been watching our neighbour and
he's the worst farmer in the district, yet he's got
the best looking farm.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
So there's something in what you do.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
But anyway, we've ended up with a whole family of
dairy farms with this particular one. So Yeah, that bush telegraph,
I'm going to have to thank that farmer so much
for being no good at what he does.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Honesty is the best policy, I suppose.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
Yeah, I know.
Speaker 4 (01:41):
Actually, I don't think I'll have the heart to tell
him that, but he probably already knows it, but he
does love what we do for him, so that's important.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
So bioactive soils for the uninitiated, what are you about?
Speaker 4 (01:52):
We look at why, and we look at why things
aren't kind of happening as they should, like insects and
you name it, there's lots of challenges. In a nutshell,
all I'd like to say is soil is living, and
that's 100% of what grows things. Synthetic fertilisers, now we
(02:14):
do add NPKs to our products, so we.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
Do our due diligence and do it properly.
Speaker 4 (02:21):
But the other ones, synthetic, I guess, you ask them
how much biology is it.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
And there's none.
Speaker 4 (02:31):
So the driving engine room of your soils, your protection
against dry, which is coming, believe it or not, or
even protection against too much wet is the living side.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
Okay, soil biology. Why don't people understand it?
Speaker 3 (02:47):
Well, to be honest, we struggle to understand it too.
Speaker 4 (02:51):
We take it as a gift, and we tended to
think that we could control it, but in the end
we had to learn that we had to work around it.
We've been doing this biotech development for the last two decades,
and we've learnt so many ways how to get it wrong.
And we have about a 2% wriggle room in getting
it right. And it's all fish-based and solid fertilizer and liquid.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Sorry, it's not liquid.
Speaker 4 (03:18):
So it's all solid, fish and seaweed and crustaceans, take
your pick.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
Biological technology.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
Yeah, it is.
Speaker 4 (03:25):
And by the way, Andy, we've had absolutely no government
funding for that at all. The farmers we work with,
we respect greatly because they're practical, smart. And back in
the earlier days, they were very helpful in telling us
what didn't work, which meant we then had to figure
out to get it right. But they've been with us
all the way and are well-respected farmers.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
And very, very bright.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
So biological performance leads to livestock performance. What have you
seen change around that?
Speaker 4 (03:58):
We find that with what we do, we grow the
same amount of grass. The difference there is the quality
of that grass because the life translate that up into
the pasture. In the earlier days, farmers would open four gates,
leave them open, And I'd do trials back then. We
(04:20):
don't do trials now, we do farms. And anyway, they
would complain because there was no grass in the area
we'd done. But when we go down there, the animals
had voted with their mouth and they'd lived in those
paddocks and they were choosing a little bit of grass
over lots of grass next door. So the reality there
is the wholesomeness of that grass and that translates into
(04:42):
animal health. I was at a farmer three or four
weeks ago dairy farmer, hadn't seen him for ages, and
he was relaxed. He didn't have enough to do. He said, look,
this is the biggest breeze I've had. I'm 75% through calving.
I've got no animal health issues. I had one retained
(05:04):
placenta and a bit of a lameness on another, and
he says it's just a dream, which it hadn't been
before we come along That's what it's about. The animals
are what they eat. And more importantly with him, at
his runoff, which was inundated with grass grub, which he'd
not long purchased, absolutely no grass grub.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
He couldn't believe it.
Speaker 4 (05:28):
And he was laughing because his neighbours are full of it.
And he says, oh, you're going to get a few
phone calls. And I said, oh, we'll see it when
we believe it. But it's okay.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
It's important that you're doing well.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
That was my next question, actually. Natural resilience against common
pasture pests. And you talked about grass scrub then. Perine
has been an issue as well. So if we can
get on top of that, that's half the battle.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
You look at why, because we always get questioned that.
Speaker 4 (05:52):
And the reality is when you use to try and
solve the problem that caused the problem, it's not a
very good business plan. And what I'm talking about here
is when the sterile seedbed's being produced or chemical use,
or you're spraying with diosin, take your pick, for insects,
(06:13):
you're actually nuking out everything, which then means the natural
protection is no longer there, and that's where we come along,
because why are they there in the first place? And
they're there because your soil life isn't quite up to speed.
It's all about making a difference and making it healthier
for everybody, cows, humans, and definitely the farmer.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
Okay, Steve, somebody's listening to this, Bioactive Soils. How do
they get in touch?
Speaker 3 (06:44):
You'll get us online.
Speaker 4 (06:47):
If you Google us, 021779919.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
That's me. And I'll pick up straight away.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
Good on you, Steve. Good to catch up again.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
Thanks, Andy.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
Steve Ellison of Bioactive Soils.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
If you want to catch up with the team, like
Steve said, go and catch up on our social media
channels as well.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Murray Heath's up next to wrap up a Wednesday.
Welcome back to the muster.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Steve Ellison of Bioactive Soils joins us in studio once again.
Of course, he is sponsor of the Country Crossover here
on Fridays. And Steve, good to catch up once again
in studio.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
Hi, Andy. It is. It's brilliant.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
How's things been?
Speaker 3 (00:25):
Oh, look, we love this time of year.
Speaker 4 (00:28):
The lambs are foot, calving, the vats underway, and we're
getting all the farmer's stories from winter. No, it's a vibrancy,
even though it's been a bit of wet, but that'll pass,
and we'll be complaining there's a bit of dry. And
our business has doubled already this year.
Speaker 3 (00:49):
Last year we tripled.
Speaker 4 (00:51):
And I'd like to take this moment, Andy, to thank
our farmers for their support, and I'd like to thank
the Farm Bush Telegraph. There's a lot of talk amongst
neighbours on that.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
The bush telegraph is impressive, isn't it? Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Hey, I'll tell you one. Sorry, this is funny.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
But one female farmer phoned me and said, look, we're
going to have to use you. And I says, why so?
Speaker 3 (01:16):
She's a dairy farmer.
Speaker 4 (01:17):
She said, oh, look, I've been watching our neighbour and
he's the worst farmer in the district, yet he's got
the best looking farm.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
So there's something in what you do.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
But anyway, we've ended up with a whole family of
dairy farms with this particular one. So Yeah, that bush telegraph,
I'm going to have to thank that farmer so much
for being no good at what he does.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Honesty is the best policy, I suppose.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
Yeah, I know.
Speaker 4 (01:41):
Actually, I don't think I'll have the heart to tell
him that, but he probably already knows it, but he
does love what we do for him, so that's important.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
So bioactive soils for the uninitiated, what are you about?
Speaker 4 (01:52):
We look at why, and we look at why things
aren't kind of happening as they should, like insects and
you name it, there's lots of challenges. In a nutshell,
all I'd like to say is soil is living, and
that's 100% of what grows things. Synthetic fertilisers, now we
(02:14):
do add NPKs to our products, so we.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
Do our due diligence and do it properly.
Speaker 4 (02:21):
But the other ones, synthetic, I guess, you ask them
how much biology is it.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
And there's none.
Speaker 4 (02:31):
So the driving engine room of your soils, your protection
against dry, which is coming, believe it or not, or
even protection against too much wet is the living side.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
Okay, soil biology. Why don't people understand it?
Speaker 3 (02:47):
Well, to be honest, we struggle to understand it too.
Speaker 4 (02:51):
We take it as a gift, and we tended to
think that we could control it, but in the end
we had to learn that we had to work around it.
We've been doing this biotech development for the last two decades,
and we've learnt so many ways how to get it wrong.
And we have about a 2% wriggle room in getting
it right. And it's all fish-based and solid fertilizer and liquid.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Sorry, it's not liquid.
Speaker 4 (03:18):
So it's all solid, fish and seaweed and crustaceans, take
your pick.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
Biological technology.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
Yeah, it is.
Speaker 4 (03:25):
And by the way, Andy, we've had absolutely no government
funding for that at all. The farmers we work with,
we respect greatly because they're practical, smart. And back in
the earlier days, they were very helpful in telling us
what didn't work, which meant we then had to figure
out to get it right. But they've been with us
all the way and are well-respected farmers.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
And very, very bright.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
So biological performance leads to livestock performance. What have you
seen change around that?
Speaker 4 (03:58):
We find that with what we do, we grow the
same amount of grass. The difference there is the quality
of that grass because the life translate that up into
the pasture. In the earlier days, farmers would open four gates,
leave them open, And I'd do trials back then. We
(04:20):
don't do trials now, we do farms. And anyway, they
would complain because there was no grass in the area
we'd done. But when we go down there, the animals
had voted with their mouth and they'd lived in those
paddocks and they were choosing a little bit of grass
over lots of grass next door. So the reality there
is the wholesomeness of that grass and that translates into
(04:42):
animal health. I was at a farmer three or four
weeks ago dairy farmer, hadn't seen him for ages, and
he was relaxed. He didn't have enough to do. He said, look,
this is the biggest breeze I've had. I'm 75% through calving.
I've got no animal health issues. I had one retained
(05:04):
placenta and a bit of a lameness on another, and
he says it's just a dream, which it hadn't been
before we come along That's what it's about. The animals
are what they eat. And more importantly with him, at
his runoff, which was inundated with grass grub, which he'd
not long purchased, absolutely no grass grub.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
He couldn't believe it.
Speaker 4 (05:28):
And he was laughing because his neighbours are full of it.
And he says, oh, you're going to get a few
phone calls. And I said, oh, we'll see it when
we believe it. But it's okay.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
It's important that you're doing well.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
That was my next question, actually. Natural resilience against common
pasture pests. And you talked about grass scrub then. Perine
has been an issue as well. So if we can
get on top of that, that's half the battle.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
You look at why, because we always get questioned that.
Speaker 4 (05:52):
And the reality is when you use to try and
solve the problem that caused the problem, it's not a
very good business plan. And what I'm talking about here
is when the sterile seedbed's being produced or chemical use,
or you're spraying with diosin, take your pick, for insects,
(06:13):
you're actually nuking out everything, which then means the natural
protection is no longer there, and that's where we come along,
because why are they there in the first place? And
they're there because your soil life isn't quite up to speed.
It's all about making a difference and making it healthier
for everybody, cows, humans, and definitely the farmer.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
Okay, Steve, somebody's listening to this, Bioactive Soils. How do
they get in touch?
Speaker 3 (06:44):
You'll get us online.
Speaker 4 (06:47):
If you Google us, 021779919.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
That's me. And I'll pick up straight away.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
Good on you, Steve. Good to catch up again.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
Thanks, Andy.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
Steve Ellison of Bioactive Soils.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
If you want to catch up with the team, like
Steve said, go and catch up on our social media
channels as well.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Murray Heath's up next to wrap up a Wednesday.
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