An EcoFarmers Discovery Chapter 11: Rock Hounds

Welcome to An EcoFarmer's Discovery: The Companion Podcast, where every Friday we dive deep into one chapter of Ewan Campbell's journey.

You're invited to read along – get the audiobook via Spotify (search An EcoFarmer's Discovery) or grab it on Kindle – and explore each chapter with us as we unpack the stories, ideas, and principles of regenerative farming.

A new episode drops each Friday, covering 26 chapters across 26 weeks.

In This Episode

Chapter 11, Rock Hounds, is where curiosity turns into full-blown experimentation.

Ewan unpacks what happened when basic slag disappeared from the fertiliser market, how silicon was quietly stripped from key inputs, and why farming systems began to unravel as a result. From disastrous springs and animal health breakdowns to sheep chewing clay banks and grass thriving where road dust falls, this chapter reveals how nature keeps leaving clues, if you’re willing to notice them.

This episode dives into silicon’s critical role in soil structure, animal health, plant strength, and mineral availability. We explore why weeds like thistles, gorse, and willow weed are not the enemy, but messengers, and how biology, electricity, and rock dust intersect in ways modern agriculture has largely ignored.

We explore:• Why removing silicon from fertiliser inputs caused widespread animal health issues

• How weeds act as remedial plants, restoring what soils are missing

• Why sheep chew banks, cows reach through fences, and grass thrives near roads

• The role of silicon in bone structure, plant strength, and soil resilience

• What marine clays, rock dust, and cyanobacteria reveal about soil electricity

• Why proper trials must start with a baseline — or they mean nothing

Packed with insight, humour, and hard-earned lessons, this episode reinforces a powerful theme: if the numbers don’t match what you see on the farm, the numbers are wrong.

Useful links:• Learn more at EcoFarm Aotearoa (⁠efa.nz⁠)

Our FREE E-Book!⁠⁠

https://www.ecofarmaotearoa.nz/download-our-ebook/⁠⁠

Listen To An EcoFarmers Discovery:⁠⁠

https://open.spotify.com/show/3wIgUUghlsKIje76E5tjBA?si=4caf7169d6eb4d97⁠⁠

Inside EcoFarm Aotearoa: Late Spring Open Day

The EcoFarm Aotearoa Podcast (Ep. 11)

Many farmers are feeling the pressure of rising fertiliser costs, tightening margins, and systems that no longer seem to deliver what they promise. In this Late Spring Open Day, Stephen and Ewan are joined by farmers, orchardists, and lifestyle block owners who are actively questioning the status quo and exploring what happens when you stop following the rulebook and start listening to the land.

Across paddocks, fences, and soil pits, the conversation moves from conventional inputs to biology, minerals, energy, and observation. This episode captures real questions, lived experiences, and practical insights from people transitioning away from chemical dependency and toward systems that build soil, support animals, and improve resilience over time.

We discuss:

• Why many farmers are rethinking fertiliser, sprays, and conventional advice
• How soil biology, minerals, and energy influence pasture, weeds, and stock health
• The role of silicon, calcium, copper, and carbon in building functional soils
• Why feeding the soil changes animal performance, meat quality, and resilience
• How observation, testing, and curiosity can replace costly guesswork

This episode isn’t about perfection or overnight change. It’s about learning, questioning, and building systems that work with nature rather than against it, one paddock, one decision, and one season at a time.

Hosted by: Stephen Brunton & Ewan CampbellPowered by: EcoFarm Aotearoa – ⁠www.efa.nz⁠

Our FREE E-Book!

⁠https://www.ecofarmaotearoa.nz/download-our-ebook/⁠

Listen To An EcoFarmers Discovery:

⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/3wIgUUghlsKIje76E5tjBA?si=4caf7169d6eb4d97⁠

Subscribe for weekly episodes exploring soil biology and regenerative farming solutions transforming the way we farm in New Zealand.

An EcoFarmers Discovery Chapter 10: ScienceWelcome to An EcoFarmer's Discovery: The Companion Podcast, where every Friday we dive deep into one chapter of Ewan Campbell's journey.You're invited to read along – get the audiobook via Spotify (search An EcoFarmer's Discovery) or grab it on Kindle – and explore each chapter with us as we unpack the stories, ideas, and principles of regenerative farming. A new episode drops each Friday, covering 26 chapters across 26 weeks.

In This Episode:

Chapter 10 dives into the “simple” observations that led Ewan to uncover one of the biggest missing pieces in modern farming: soil is electrically driven. By revisiting school science, comparing reactivity charts, and talking with engineers, Ewan realised why minerals move the way they do, why plants absorb nutrients in different ratios than the soil holds, and why water-soluble fertilisers often create more problems than they solve.

From potassium corrosion to aluminium toxicity, cation exchange capacity, humus, and seasonal electrical switches inside trees, this chapter exposes the hidden electrical currents that shape soil health, plant growth, animal performance, and even the weeds that appear on your farm. Once you understand the electrical language of nature, the whole system starts making sense.

We explore:
• Why nutrients flow through plants electrically, not by solubility
• How water-soluble fertilisers trigger animal health issues
• The real meaning of CEC and why humus transforms soil capacity
• How electricity reveals toxicity, mineral imbalance & soil weakness
• What poplar trees, Redwood giants & solar-charged greenhouses teach us about natural electrical flow

Packed with humour, clarity, and practical insights, this episode shows why understanding electricity in the soil changes everything about how we farm.

Follow along: Watch full episodes on YouTube and Spotify Video.
Useful links:
• Learn more at EcoFarm Aotearoa (efa.nz)

• Our FREE E-Book! HERE• Listen To An EcoFarmers Discovery: