The marked reduction in the incidence of calcium/magnesium related metabolic disorders, particularly in dairy cows, as a result of a single annual application of Golden Bay Dolomite is well known and easily monitored.
The overall improvement in animal health and performance is less easy to quantify due to the large number of factors that have an influence, however the benefits are just as significant, as an increasing number of farmers regularly applying dolomite testify to.
Golden Bay Dolomite typically contains 24% calcium and 11.5% magnesium and a single application, when applied as part of a well-balanced major nutrient programme, lifts magnesium in a typical pasture to between 0.22 and 0.25%, with the amount of recent direct sunlight and maturity of the plant being influential.
A further benefit resulting from the regular application of dolomite is the improvement in total pasture production due to its positive influence on the physical structure of the soil, particularly the aggregation of soil particles into groups.
The amount of macropore space, the gaps between soil particles and groups of soil particles, has a significant effect on total pasture production as well as the spread of growth throughout the season.
Excess moisture either from rainfall or irrigation needs to be able to percolate freely down through the soil. When this is unable to occur due to soil having become compacted, activity by beneficial soil organisms will decline and pasture growth reduces.
One of the visual signs of compacted soil, apart from water ponding on the surface, is rapidly changing growth rates. When all conditions are favourable growth will be very rapid, however as soon as hot dry winds, or colder conditions occur growth rates slow noticeably.
A healthy well-structured soil with adequate macropore space will not only shed excess moisture more rapidly it will also retain more moisture due to steadily increasing quantities of humus being formed, with humus capable of holding 4 – 5 times more moisture than a clay soil with no humus.
Humus also provides storage for essential growth nutrient, and is able to release these, along with moisture to healthy plants helping maintain steady manageable pasture growth.
A well-structured soil also allows pasture plant roots to penetrate to a depth of half a metre, and in some cases a careful examination reveals fine root below this depth. In these situations both moisture and nutrient from depth is available and although during a prolonged dry period pasture growth will slow markedly, a higher percentage of plants will survive reducing the need for costly renovation.
Dolomite can be applied at virtually any time and provided sufficient moisture to wash the dolomite off the leaves is likely soon after application, an application in late summer will help provide rapid recovery of pasture once autumn rain arrives.
For more information call 0800 4 DOLOMITE, 0800 436 566.