Below 10°C the cycling of all nutrients, of which nitrogen is one, is slow and the application of any one of them will have little if any immediate effect on the growth of permanent pastures. The grasses in permanent pastures are bred to grow strongly from...

There is a school of thought that dolomite should not be applied in situations where soil calcium levels are near ideal because dolomite as well as containing 11.5% magnesium also contains 24% calcium. In theory that appears sound, however the reality is...

The following information will provide farmers with the ability to grow more feed in spring.  For those who don’t enjoy winter, there’s the added benefit of getting to spring in a better frame of mind. Our first few years of pastoral farming were spent...

It’s fascinating to watch companies with the miracle product suddenly develop a new product that will cure all ills.   Could it be that the original product did not perform as claimed or is it a case of trying to chase the market as it changes? One of the...

Soil is a living breathing organism, and as with any other oxygen dependent organism potential performance increases with improved ability to suck air in and breathe out gases.  Conversely when unable to breathe soil dies and what remains is no longer...

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...

Much of the conventional fertiliser model is based on the premise that the cheapest input is the best.  This ignores the performance aspect of products and there are many examples where the cheapest products available simply do not perform as well or...

The structure of soil has a strong influence on the quantity of pasture grown from now until rain arrives in autumn. After a wet winter, in areas where treading damage has been unavoidable, the soil may have become a little compacted with the bulk of...

Human nature being what it is, a degree of nervousness about the amount of growth over the coming summer is to be expected, however past growth records combined with the digging of a few holes will help with feed budgeting. Here in the Rotorua district the...

Dairy cows are amazingly tough and resilient animals with the majority remaining outdoors all year.  Diets vary widely; most survive through harsh winter and early spring conditions, give birth, and produce remarkably well. Some years ago a farmer in the...