Sep 30, 2011
Digging holes in pasture near Takaka recently provided a wealth of information. The site visited was an area close to the coast that had been regularly cropped for a number of years with the soil applied nutrients being conventional high analysis water soluble N, P,...
Jun 14, 2011
The ability of Golden Bay dolomite to flocculate heavy soils is well known. Flocculation is the technical term for the grouping together of small soil particles that provide space large enough for water to percolate through and air to enter as the soil drains. The...
May 20, 2011
Since the purchase of the Dolomite mine at Golden Bay by the Solly family in 2007, sales of agricultural dolomite have steadily increased and a quantum lift in sales appears imminent as it becomes increasingly apparent that magnesium is a ongoing requirement on many...
May 12, 2011
Dolomite because it typically contains 24% calcium and 11.5% magnesium, both in the carbonate form, has a liming (pH modifying) effect when applied to soil. As a result beneficial soil life is stimulated. It is very difficult to measure beneficial soil microbes as we...
May 1, 2011
The rule is simple, feed magnesium to cows prior to calving and calcium after, or is it? We grew up with the knowledge that feeding magnesium prior to calving helped with the release of calcium from the animals own reserves. As cows got older and bones hardened...
Dec 26, 2010
There is increasing evidence that the present pastoral soil fertility system is in for a radical overhaul. Perhaps the only reason for the conventional phosphorus and nitrogen driven system to have remained entrenched for so long is the conservatism of farmers. An...
