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Minerals and microbes: A new era for farming
Queensland-based Earthlife has spent nearly three decades helping farmers and gardeners unlock healthier soils. Their natural microbial–mineral blends support sustainable practices, improve yields, and build resilience against droughts, pests, and climate extremes.
When Colin Purnell, founder and CEO of Earthlife, began experimenting almost 30 years ago with rock minerals and beneficial microbes, he saw a gap: Australian soils lacked vital minerals.
Mineral-rich rock blends rebuild tired soils by restoring key nutrients like phosphorus, potassium, and calcium. They boost water retention and root strength, helping plants thrive even in Australia’s harshest conditions.
“We identified what was necessary, and nobody would manufacture it, so we had to do it ourselves,” Colin recalls. “We proved in trials that our soil conditioner and fertiliser blends could double the water-holding capacity of soil and yields.”
Earthlife has set itself apart by focusing on both minerals and beneficial microbes, which most conventional and organic systems overlook. Supporting that journey was the late Dr Des Gleeson, a University of Queensland microbiologist, who consulted for 25 years, shaping Earthlife’s formulas.
Colin says: “Our blends aren’t patented, but they’re customisable, and they’ve stood the test of time.”
Still based in Toowoomba, Queensland, Earthlife manufactures contaminant-free soil conditioners and fertilisers for growers across Australia.
Supporting Farmers Towards Sustainability
While gardeners remain a loyal base, Colin is keen to re-engage farmers.
“We help farmers transition to more sustainable, economical practices, including carbon farming,” he says. “It’s about building healthier soil, improving yields, and cutting costs without high-nitrogen fertilisers.”
For backyard gardeners, Earthlife is applied whenever new plants go in. On farms, a single annual application is often enough to achieve lasting improvements.
A Queensland avocado grower, Robert Beer of Childers, saw soil carbon levels nearly triple within three years of using Earthlife products, adding the equivalent of 30,000 litres of water per hectare.
In Armidale, NSW, cattle producer Josh Billing reported healthier pastures and weight gains rising from 0.8 to 1.5 kilograms per day after adopting Earthlife.
Other Queensland testimonials echo the results. Ernie Martin of Upper Flagstone Creek noted his trees “outgrowing the toxicity problem” and producing uniform fruit. Meanwhile, Nick Adamson of Leyburn turned his “worst producing cotton block into the highest yielding block” using Earthlife’s soil system.
Colin explains: “Our approach strengthens root systems and plant cell structure so crops handle climate extremes and disease—while reducing reliance on synthetic inputs.”
Looking Ahead
As Earthlife approaches its 30th anniversary in 2026, the business remains true to its founding vision.
“We’re not chasing fads,” Colin insists. “Once you fix the base, everything else follows: productivity and resilience.”
Company Info Pop Up:
Key Benefits of Earthlife’s 12+ Customisable Products
· Doubles soil water-holding capacity and improves soil structure
· Boosts organic carbon levels, supporting carbon farming and resilience
· Strengthens roots and cell walls for climate extremes
· Reduces need for high-nitrogen fertilisers, saving water and costs
· Safe, natural, and contaminant-free; several products Certified Allowed Inputs
Company email: enquiries@earthlife.com.au
Company website: https://earthlife.com.au/
Company booklet: https://designrr.page/?id=348729&token=1728201606&type=FP&h=4482
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Trace minerals are required for optimal growth, reproduction, and immunity. Optimising trace mineral status relying solely on oral supplements across a herd may fail because of variation in individual intake and reduced absorption due to antagonism of other ration components and minerals. The use of injectable trace mineral supplements has been associated with positive reproductive outcomes including improved conception rate, increased odds of pregnancy and greater final in calf rate. A study conducted on 2,168 dairy cows, administered injectable trace minerals, four weeks prior to calving and again four weeks prior to the start of mating showed treated animals had a 3.3 per cent greater final in-calf rate, and a reduced time from start of mating to conception, compared to control animals 1 . The Importance of B12 Dr Carl Eden, Technical Services Veterinarian with Boehringer Ingelheim says “Vitamin B12 is sometimes referred to as a ‘super vitamin’ because it is only required in very small amounts but vital to many essential metabolic pathways. However, demand for B12 can vary considerably during the year and we see serum levels of B12 fall at critical times, such as the first few months after calving.” Vitamin B12 contains cobalt, so deficiency in cobalt can lead to deficiency in vitamin B12 because ruminants get most of their B12 as a byproduct of ruminal fermentation where the bacteria in their rumen assemble B12 from cobalt for use by the cow. Sub-optimal trace mineral and vitamin B12 status at calving, mating, and drying off has been shown to negatively impact growth, reproduction, and immunity. Using a trace mineral injectable containing vitamin B12 can improve trace mineral and vitamin B12 status at these critical times. Marks-Min with Vitamin B12 – The Evidence In the largest trace element study to date, Marks-Min Injectable Trace Mineral with Vitamin B12 demonstrated remarkable results when compared to a reference trace mineral injection. “Given the differences between Marks-Min and other products on the market, we wanted to generate a compelling data set to demonstrate how effective it was compared to the pioneer product. We entrusted this work to a third-party research company” says Dr Eden. “We chose farms that were at the top of their game from a reproductive perspective. We made sure that the farms had no evidence of trace element or vitamin B12 deficiencies or excess.” Across all outcomes of interest, Marks-Min demonstrated clear non-inferiority when compared to the reference product. Outcomes measured included submission, pregnancy and conception rates, and six week in-calf rate. Marks-Min demonstrated it is highly suited as an alternative treatment to the reference product. Reference: 1. Hawkins, D., and B. V. S. Franklin. New Zealand Dairy Veterinarians Newsletter 24 (2007): 12-16 Company website: livestockfirst.com.au Company email address: CustomerCare.Australia@boehringer-ingelheim.com Company video: https://vimeo.com/1138807630?fl=pl&fe=cm
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