A quiet revolution underway?

Peter Burton, Functional Fertiliser

In any industry there are a few outstanding operators generating profits most can only dream of.  Although not closely connected they share similar attitudes. They don’t require endorsement of their peers and are not afraid to question accepted practices and modify their own behaviour when they think there may be a benefit.

They are not regular attendees at Discussion Groups and when they do it is to acquire any new information that they might gain from. They do not look to align their thinking and practises with the majority but take an almost contrarian position, and their numbers based on our work seem to be steadily growing.

Different things are systematically tried and the outcomes measured and where there is genuine benefit they are adopted. This is a true scientific process.

Science is about challenging accepted thinking and yet somehow it is currently being used to defend outdated models and practises. In very few instances is pasture growth today limited by a lack of phosphorus and potassium and yet those are the mainstays of mainstream fertiliser programmes. The steady decline in annual pasture growth along with an increase in the requirement for pasture renewal is blamed on weather and climate when the primary reason is poor physical soil structures coupled with a lack of active beneficial biology. Where these are not an issue money from the last twelve months is available for new investment rather than deferred maintenance.

Support for beneficial fungi and bacteria was identified 70 years ago by government research scientists and significant work carried out on the benefits however their findings never made it to broad acre use. The most widely known research was the marked increase in beneficial earthworm numbers after liming.  Where earthworms thrive other useful microbes also proliferate. There is a simple and low-cost input that can and does make a rapid and positive difference to physical soil structures and it doesn’t have to be imported.

Golden Bay dolomite is a natural deposit containing 24% calcium and 11.5% magnesium. It’s a proven soil conditioner and the benefits to animal wellbeing were endorsed by the late Emeritus Professor Tom Walker. It is the most effective magnesium fertiliser available with a single application of 250kg/ha lifting magnesium levels in grass/clover swards to between 0.22% – 0.25%. Animal calcium/magnesium related metabolic disorders are minimised in herds and flocks well-fed on these pastures.

Magnesium is also a known carrier of phosphorus and after the breakdown of accumulated dung during winter there is a plentiful supply of phosphorus for spring and early summer growth. Improved physical soil structures allow plant roots to develop deeper accessing a larger pool of nutrient and trace minerals reducing the requirement for supplementation. Pasture growth becomes more even throughout the year, less affected by frosts and dry periods. Pugging damage lessens and soils more rapidly regain their optimum structure of 25% air and 25% moisture.

All beneficial soil dwellers require air to breathe, and they release carbon dioxide which being heavier than air stays close to the surface helping drive the next round of growth. Natural systems always tend to wellness and any encouragement that increases growth reduces expenses.  No single input necessarily makes a big difference, although it may, however the cumulative effect of multiple small changes can be significant.

For more information call 0800 436 566 (0800 4Dolomite)