Planning for the future has always been an integral part of a successful farming operation.
Competitive market places usually ensure high levels of profitability are short-term only.
Sustainable, long-term, financial viability is the result of implementing sound farming practises that enhance the overall health of the enterprise.
All pastoral farming enterprises are dependent on soil with best results from highest fertility soils.
There are three important aspects to soil fertility. They are nutrient availability, physical structure, and biology, with each aspect dependent on the other two. Farm performance can only be as good as the weakest component.
A question often asked is, “what can an individual farmer do to ensure all three aspects are optimised?”
The annual application of dolomite from Golden Bay is often an excellent first step, provided magnesium is a requirement, and this can be ascertained by a soil test and the known requirements of stock.
Intensive dairy farming may remove in excess of 20kg of magnesium per hectare annually. If not replaced regularly magnesium/calcium related metabolic problems with stock in spring steadily increase, draining the valuable resources of time and money.
Stock health starts with the soil. Truly healthy soil, by definition, supports healthy vigorous growing plants, which in turn provide all the necessary nutrition for high performing animals.
High calcium availability is essential for growing quality pasture, with the balance between calcium and magnesium important for optimum performance.
Calcium and magnesium are intertwined and the best performing magnesium fertiliser is the one that also provides calcium in the ratio required by both plants and animals, and that is dolomite.
Dolomite also helps with the aeration of soil, which stimulates biological activity, ensuring increased humus production and long-term sustainability.
A recent phone message from a dairy farmer with increasing animal health problems, requested a price for 250 tonne of dolomite. He thought it would need to be applied at the same rate as lime and was relieved to know that 220kg/ha is usually all that is required.
220kg/ha of dolomite supplies 25kg/ha of magnesium. Applying a higher rate does not necessarily provide increased performance and in this instance instead of 250 tonne of dolomite, a truck and trailer load was all that was required.
We sometimes need reminding that the purpose of farming is producing food for people. We can only remain healthy by eating food that provides all our nutritional requirements and this can only be supplied by robustly healthy soil.