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 close to the coast where grass usually grew strongly until mid-May with signs of spring growth as early the first week in September. And among those one hundred days there were periods of warmth when grass showed encouraging signs of wanting to grow.
We then spent a number of years inland at 1,000ft, and height alone meant temperatures were 3°C lower. Along with being exposed to the south winters became a period to endure, rather than the relatively short time spent recharging the batteries before the bustle of spring we had enjoyed previously.
What we didn’t know at that time is that areas that are colder in winter grow more feed in spring than regions that enjoy warmer winters. It just comes a little later so when calving and lambing are adjusted accordingly, feed pressure can be lessened and total production is maintained or even increased.
Spring growth in cold regions arrives as though a switch has been flicked, suddenly there’s feed everywhere, while in the warmer regions it just creeps up, with no great excitement.
The reasons for the difference are largely about what’s taking place in the soil, although the amount of sunlight does play a part. At temperatures less than 10°C the speed at which nutrient cycles slows rapidly, and so too does grass growth.
The upside is that earthworms are busiest over winter as their ideal operating temperature is around 10°C. Worms are the soils macro digesters, processing all the big stuff, old roots, along with dead grass and dung left on the surface during the season.
There are plenty of other beneficial soil workers, with their combined weight being at least the same as the weight of stock carried above. If you want to increase the carrying capacity of your property long term, first increase the number of earthworms.
There are two things that earthworms particularly enjoy, more calcium and more fresh air and dolomite from Golden Bay provides both.
Earthworm numbers and activity increase with extra calcium, and the extra fresh air is provided by dolomite’s unique ability to physically aerate the soil. With an increase in both, more humus is formed and potential pasture production steadily lifts.
As well as 24% calcium, Dolomite also contains 11.5% magnesium and is applied where there is a requirement for magnesium, and that’s the case on nearly all dairy country.
Dolomite is the most effective magnesium fertiliser available anywhere, as the late Prof Walker said, “….individual farmers will have to make their own calculations, but in my view dolomite is the ideal material to use on acid soils low in magnesium….”
If the idea of enjoying the benefits provided by dolomite over the next twelve months sounds good we’ll send or email an easy to understand sheet that includes all the technical data along with a recommended spreading rate, and price delivered direct to your farm or spreader.
Generally we find the cost of supplying dolomite for 50ha is no more than the price of one good dairy cow, and the savings are usually a good deal more than that.
Should you wish we’ll spend whatever time it takes to discuss your queries on soil fertility and with over twenty years experience with dolomite there’s always plenty more to add.