Bigger clover and less bloat, September 2013

We grew up believing that clover caused bloat, and there was no substitute for horsepower when it came to Bathurst, with the way to increased horsepower being a bigger engine and more fuel down its throat. I remember an experienced farmer telling me that adding potash...

Why it’s a privilege working with farmers, June 2013

The wealth of this country is determined by the amount of humus contained in the top 25cm of the soil.  It’s often been said that weight for weight, humus is more valuable than gold. By increasing the amount of humus in the soil significantly increased amounts of both...

Why nutrient inputs demand a rethink, April 2013

There are a number of certainties we all live by and right now the two that spring to mind are: future weather patterns cannot accurately be predicted, and dry spells are eventually followed by significant rain. A philosophy that we adopted years ago and is the basis...

6 reasons why farmers require more money, March 2013

Based on a payment of $6.00 per kg of Milk Solids, a 114ha dairy property producing close to 1,000kgMS/ha will receive a total of $668,040 income from milk alone. Unfortunately even at this payout a significant percentage of dairy farmers have expenses that exceed...

What we can learn from the clover root weevil February 2013

With the gap steadily closing between the cost of producing a kilogram of milk solids and the amount of money received the arrival of the clover root weevil this season is unwelcome. Healthy clover in a permanent clover rye grass pasture is capable of fixing more than...