Chris Parker and his family were among the first breeders to purchase Texel embryos in Australia and their work has since formed the basis for breeding their Texel sheep today.
In 2010 Chris, Tania and their children, Austin, and Emma, moved to Hamilton, Victoria, from the Mortlake area to continue with their love of the land and Texel sheep. It was here Summit Park Enterprises was born.
It did not take long for the Parker’s to realise their soil was low in fertility, and this, coupled with isolated soil types across the farm, including sand, sandy loam, areas with gravel and native river frontage, presented several nutritional challenges.
Initially, these challenges were met by pumping the farm full of synthetic-based fertilisers, like MAP, DAP, and urea. With a genuine love and respect for the land they farmed, Chris and Tania knew there had to be a better way to increase soil fertility and production.
A neighbouring property owner introduced them to the original owners of Southern Soils in 2012, who were trialling lime-based fertiliser blends at the time. After initial success at Summit Park Enterprises, Chris and Tania became eager to lean towards a more natural way of farming using fewer synthetic products to improve soil health and fertility.
Local farming contractor, friend and long-term ECTOL customer, Wayne Vearing, introduced Chris and Tania to NitrotainTE22 (previous formulation), a speciality liquid fertiliser from ECTOL, after citing success on his own farm.
“Wayne dropped a 20L drum of NitrotainTE22 at the front gate, so we filled the boom spray and went for it, completing a test ring around a few paddocks,” said Chris.
“Within three days all the sheep were grazing on the ring where we had sprayed NitrotainTE22. It was obvious there was palatability and a preference for this nutritional input,” added Tania.
The Parker’s describe this moment as their first real opportunity to think innovatively and start to transition away from chemical inputs on farm.
“Our mixed pastures included oats, clover, plantain, ryegrass chicory and mixed hay crops to name a few. The aim was to increase pasture growth, and diversity by unlocking nutrition and making it more available to the plants. It seemed that ECTOL could help us to do this,” said Chris.
“Speaking with our agronomist at the time about Nitrogen, we broke down the application of granule urea and liquid urea (UAN) against ECTOL’s NitrotainTE22 (previous formulation). She agreed, even a small application of 3-4L per hectare of NTE22 would deliver the required N, along with the added benefits of trace elements, and a product that is more plant available,” he added.
NitrotainTE27 (current formulation) is a highly efficient liquid nitrogen fertiliser, providing 27% total nitrogen that is fully utilised. It is formulated to retain nitrogen in the plant or soil, minimising atmospheric and leaching loss and the acidification of soils.
Chris and Tania noted the ease of working with the ECTOL team, with on-site visits from John McKay (ECTOL Director) and Russell Speed (ECTOL Representative). John, taking the opportunity to stay on farm and learn about the operation in detail.
Now farming 300 acres, Summit Park Enterprises has significantly pulled back their use of conventional fertiliser, whilst still achieving strong pasture growth. Insecticide use has also dramatically reduced, which the Parker’s put down to using the nutritional inputs from ECTOL, designed to support natural farming systems.
“Our plants and pastures are less attractive to insects, so we have less need for insecticide. And on occasion, if insects are present, we notice the plants are more resilient. The balance seems to have changed and it is these little observations that make a significant difference to our operation,” said Chris.
Chris and Tania’s confidence in the ECTOL range has expanded to the use of bio-stimulant products, like ECTOL Protect and Grow and harnessing the power of ECTOL Micro Max, a complete mineral nutrition, with elevated micronutrients. They have also found success with ECTOL’s certified organic Guano and Phosta K products (both prilled) to supplement other chemicals for phosphorus and potassium.
Anecdotally, the Parkers’ have noticed a positive flow on effect to the health of their animals. Since the reduction in the use of chemical fertilisers, their sheep are well indexed and tend to require less vaccines and drenching. Even with routine testing, WEC markers are still low.
Furthermore, Tania cites the health of 600-year-old red gum trees, which she believes is due to their commitment to sustainable land management, a practice she is trained in.
“A ram client of ours recently noted the poor health of his red gum trees, with some dying off completely. He felt this was connected to a history of fertiliser application and chemical use on-farm. In the grand scheme of things, our opportunity to farm on this land is really quite short, but the footprint we choose to leave will last well beyond our time, we are just the current custodians doing the best we can to look after our land,” said Tania.
“It is our intention to look after the land on which we live to the best of our ability and show others what can be done with some innovative land management, including the use of more natural inputs, like ECTOL Plant & Crop Nutrients,” she closed.
For more information about Summit Park and their Texel, White Suffolk, and Maternal rams, visit their website summitpark.com.au or follow on Facebook/Instagram.
To discuss your on-farm nutritional needs with an ECTOL team member, visit www.ectol.com or call +61 02 9816 2057.
Summit Park's award-winning sheep grazing on oats treated with NitrotainTE22 (previous formulation)
Chris Parker completed a test ring around the paddock with 5L of NitrotainTE22 (previous
formulation) and was pleased with the results.
Chris, Tania and their children, Austin, and Emma
Some of the 600-year old red gum trees still thriving on the property today.
About Summit Park
The farming component of Summit Park Enterprises produces Texel, White Suffolk and Maternal sheep for stud and commercial breeders, with a focus on performance and structural integrity. All animals are performance recorded with LambPlan figures, with our rams consistently having leading traits in the top 5% of all animals in Australia listed in Sheep Genetics.
The sheep scanning component of Summit Park Enterprises involves scanning of stud sheep for fat and muscle for clients across Victoria, NSW, and Tasmania. Chris is an accredited LambPlan scanner and has a passion for sheep breeding and genetics and loves to work with clients to share his knowledge and support our clients’ breeding objectives.
About ECTOL Plant & Crop Nutrients
ECTOL Plant & Crop Nutrient’s speciality liquid bio-stimulants and bio-fertilisers are designed to efficiently nourish plants and crops, reducing the need for chemical fertilisers. With regular application, ECTOL can contribute to greater farm productivity and profitability.
In a sophisticated, sustainable farming market, the ECTOL team collaborate directly with farmers to create custom protocols that aim to minimise inputs and maximise yields, all with better soil, plant, animal, and consumer health in mind.
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