May 30, 2016
The last dolomite article contained the quote by the late Tom Walker, a past Emeritus Professor of Soil Science at Lincoln University, “It makes good sense to me to correct animal deficiencies through the soil and the plant.” When animal deficiencies are corrected in...
Feb 28, 2016
Some things change over time, and others don’t, with one certainty being the daily demand for magnesium by dairy cows, particularly prior to calving. Without adequate daily intake of magnesium a wide range of health problems occur – at one end of the scale lower...
Sep 30, 2015
In years of low income, nitrogen sales rise relative to phosphorus, potassium, and sulphur inputs on the basis that nitrogen produces the cheapest supplementary feed. There’s an attitude that soil nutrients can be mined for a period of time and replenished at a later...
Jul 30, 2015
“We can no longer afford to think in terms of N P and K; we must include S and Mg.” This statement is from an article titled, Magnesium – Cinderella of NZ Agriculture, written 50 years ago by M.R.J. Toxopeus a scientist at the Ruakura Research Centre. The continued...
May 30, 2015
When a milking cow in spring runs short on magnesium, the cost incurred isn’t difficult to calculate. In a worst case situation she dies, and the cost is the value of the animal, and her production during the coming season. Should she die prior to calving, there’s...
Apr 30, 2015
In the past, when dairy income has been tight, withholding autumn fertiliser has been seen as a valid means of containing costs. But is it a sound option? Farmers that spent less on feed last spring, without reducing animal numbers, are reporting fewer cows in-calf...
