"Now its easy, just spread the fert and F*CK IT" - huge farming lifestyle improvements!

In this episode, Stephen and Ewan sits down with Ross and Lance, who made a bold transition away from conventional inputs and into biological system thinking. What began with digging holes and finding no worms has evolved into a complete mindset shift, from chasing nitrogen and spraying weeds to rebuilding soil depth, animal health, and farm confidence.

The conversation follows their two-and-a-half-year journey, including the tough first 12 months, the drop in pasture production, and the turning point when animal health rebounded and costs began to fall. From reducing nitrogen from 150 units to just 5, eliminating Roundup and routine drenching, and watching worm castings return, this episode explores what really happens when you move from feeding plants to feeding soil biology.

We discuss:• Dropping nitrogen from 150 units to 5 and what happened next
• The first-year “shake” and why most transitions feel worse before they improve
• Animal health changes, milk urea pressure, and reducing nitrate stress
• Even grazing patterns, calmer cows, and fewer flies
• Cutting Roundup, urea, summer crops, and imported feed
• Herbage testing and understanding excess nitrogen in pasture
• Rebuilding red clover density and growing deeper topsoil
• Lifestyle shifts, lower health inputs, and regaining control of the farm
• Why solving problems through nutrition changes long-term outcomes

Using real on-farm examples, the discussion shows how shifting from a consumable input model to a soil-first biological system doesn’t just change pasture, it changes decision-making, confidence, and lifestyle. Rather than chasing symptoms with more product, the focus becomes removing limiting factors, stabilising biology, and building a system that strengthens year after year.

Hosted by: Stephen Brunton & Ewan Campbell

Powered by: EcoFarm Aotearoa – ⁠⁠www.efa.nz⁠⁠

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Listen to An EcoFarmer’s Discovery:https://open.spotify.com/show/3wIgUUghlsKIje76E5tjBA?si=b4aa009579a34ac1