Closed loop systems - Redirecting food waste as a farm resource

The globalisation of agriculture and food production means that fresh produce today travels around the world, often journeying further than many humans will in a lifetime. Thanks to this advancement, we can enjoy a tropical fruit salad even during the coldest days of winter. But our comfort comes at the cost of nutrient-depleted soils and wasted produce.

In the natural environment, vegetation decays where it grows, breaking down into the blocks of nutrients that built it. Monoculture farming and our ability to transport food across oceans have disrupted this cycle. In much of the world today, we have created a linear system where produce is transported from farmland to coastline, consumed, and then released as nutrients into sewerage systems. Nutrients no longer return to the original soils they came from, resulting in deteriorated agricultural land and a reliance on inputs and fertilisers to maintain productivity.

Nutrient-depleted soils lower the condition of livestock and crop vitality, increase the risk of erosion and, ultimately, degrade farm health and efficiency. Often, this is the result of monoculture farming practices that strip the soil of nutrients and break down its structural integrity. Regenerative farming practices - such as using natural fertilisers and composts - aim to restore soil fertility and improve farm productivity. By recycling nutrients on-farm, farmers create a closed-loop system that ensures essential elements and minerals return to the land rather than being lost in waste streams.

Randal and Juanita Breen at Echo Valley Farms

Randal and Juanita Breen at Echo Valley Farms have taken this concept one step further, introducing food waste collected from several food producers in Brisbane to their soil. Not only are they ensuring essential nutrients return to their soil, but they're also reducing the amount of produce piling up in landfills.

The Breens' decision to redirect food waste from landfills to their farm has provided more benefits than they could have ever imagined. In 2014, they bought their farm, nestled among the fertile slopes of Goomburra, South East Queensland, with a mission to restore the land. Ten years on, their enterprise now consists of cattle, sheep, poultry, pigs and seasonal small cropping. But it wasn't always easy going. After 120 years of heavy tillage and other disruptive farming practices, the land was devoid of nutrients and in need of the passionate and holistically focused duo to set it back on track. When the devastating drought that swept across the nation in 2019 left pastures crackling underfoot, the Breens were forced to explore outside-the-box options to maintain the condition of their breeder cattle.

After forming partnerships with craft brewers and food manufacturers in Brisbane, the Breens began a weekly pick-up system, redirecting food waste back to their farm.

After forming partnerships with craft brewers and food manufacturers in Brisbane, the Breens began a weekly pick-up system, redirecting food waste to their multi-species integrated farm. Collecting food waste meant they could feed their livestock until the rain once again turned their pastures green. But even after it poured, the Breens were not so eager to lose their new feed source.

Brewers grain collected and redistributed at Echo Valley Farms

Grains used for brewing beer, such as barley, are malted, soaked and mashed to extract sugars in the form of a carbohydrate liquid. A by-product of the process is residual grain that's incredibly high in protein. 'Spent brewers grain is really high protein; it sort of sits at 28%, so it is an exceptional feed,' explains Randal.

After collecting the brewers grain, the Breens add molasses to supplement the lost sugars. During the drought, this mixture helped maintain their herd's condition and, much to the Breens' delight, also increased the quality of the milk cows produced for their calves. 'Those calves just bloom; it's quite amazing to watch,' says Randal.

We have gotten to a point now where we are recovering more than 5 tonnes of food waste per week.

After the rains eventually returned, the cattle resumed their grass-fed lifestyle. This meant that an excess of brewers grain was sitting idly as an untapped resource. At the time, the Breens were also developing a pasture pig operation, running pigs on the landscape to heal and restore soil health. They realised that after the long travel times and costs associated with recovering the produce from Brisbane, simply composting the spent grain would be a misuse of an exceptional resource. 'We had to find the best value-add to that, so then we started using it as a base for our pig feed. And from there, it really blew up. We have gotten to a point now where we are recovering more than 5 tonnes of food waste per week.'

For the Breens, the benefits of collecting food waste seem as endless as the positive cycle it generates on-farm. Collecting food waste has largely eradicated feed bills, which is a game changer when your operation is predominantly livestock. Plus, recovering the food waste also diverts it from landfills, benefitting food manufacturers who would otherwise have to arrange for costly disposal. 'We pick it up for free, we don't charge to collect it, and they're saving because they're not having to pay to dump it, so it's such a great partnership because everyone wins.'

But the benefits don't end there. While the Breens' primary use for food waste is as a feed source, the by-product is a perfect soil conditioner that helps restore the landscape. 'I'm not very good at making compost, whereas pigs get it right every single time. So we just give it to them, and 24 hours later, out comes this amazing fertiliser.' Randal laughs.

'The pigs love it; they would bathe in it given the chance. They particularly love the sauerkraut; when our pigs get sauerkraut base, they're pigs with the best gut health in Queensland, if not the world, I reckon.'

It's become a major part of our farming model week in, week out.

Randal happily shares how their partnerships with Craft Brewers, Felons Brewery and several fresh produce manufacturers, including Gutsy Ferments, have transformed farming operations and vastly reduced on-farm costs. 'When we started in 2019, we were looking for solutions for our cattle. Now it's become a major part of our farming model week in, week out.'

When it comes to diverting food waste from landfills, however, the Breens are far from alone.

Mort and Co sales representative Craig Foreman and business partner Ian 'Mossy' Moss are also playing their part, fertilising their paddocks with coffee grounds sourced from local cafes. Craig explains that the pair collect 300-400 kg of coffee grounds per week, which they then distribute across their paddocks. 'We're either spraying it on top of the ground in a slurry, or if we're ploughing or tactically deep ripping country, we can inject it into the soil.'

The process doesn't have to be complicated, nor does it require you to change your farming operations completely. 'We're just taking the raw grounds as they are. My approach is to use it straight at low rates and let the breakdown happen naturally. It's just a simpler process and removes all that need for composting. I don't have time for composting, and we don't get enough [coffee grounds for composting],' explains Craig.

Craig states that the key reason he applies coffee grounds to his country is to increase the occurrence of fungi and worms. And although it takes roughly six to seven months to observe any changes, Craig is confident that the coffee ground slurry he sprays across his pastures is steadily improving the landscape.

'Wherever we put on a big, heavy dose, the cattle selectively graze in that area. The legumes, lucerne and medic growing in that area are a deeper green than their counterparts outside of that area. So I reckon it's stimulating the biology.'

Partnering with food manufacturers can improve resource efficiency, foster long-term relationships, reduce farm costs and fundamentally lower the amount of produce decaying in our already overburdened landfill sites.

Whether incorporating food wastes as a paddock nutrient booster or as a livestock feed supplement, the results appear beneficial. And unlike its name suggests, 'closed loop' is not exclusive to anyone; instead, it's an opportunity for community members to collaborate. Partnering with food manufacturers can improve resource efficiency, foster long-term relationships, reduce farm costs and fundamentally lower the amount of produce decaying in our already overburdened landfill sites.

'I think the cafe owners love the idea of being able to tell their clients about their recycling efforts and that they're trying to do something good,' says Ian. Nevertheless, many farmers are still hesitant about exploring the concept.

While some farmers are embracing new loop practices to increase productivity, reduce costs and improve farm health, a significant knowledge and communications gap remains. Opportunities to recover food waste are very limited, as are the communication channels between primary producers and food manufacturers.

Changing mindsets on multigenerational farms can be difficult. Ian explains that farmers are often apprehensive about making changes to their operations for fear of dishonouring their parents' and grandparents' efforts. Randal also commented on his difficulty in offering excess food waste to other farmers, who regarded the produce as rubbish unsuitable for feeding to their livestock.

'I hope more people can think outside the box about our food systems and shift their mindsets from thinking of this as waste to understanding that it's a valuable energy source for our animals and our landscape.'