Arable Farmers Shift to Dairy as Fuel and Fertiliser Costs Surge
Some arable farmers are getting out of arable and converting to dairy in the faced of soaring fuel and fertiliser prices on top of a very poor growing season.
Scott Pascoe of CP Lime Solutions says, farmers and growers are a proud bunch of people always looking for solutions to improve the way they do things on the land.
“We don’t just work on the land, we live on the land which means we see and notice all the changes and things happening around us," says Scott
Lime is not generally seen as a fertiliser but it has two benefits, firstly as a fertiliser containing calcium, the highest required cation in the soil, and carbonate as a neutraliser of hydrogen to increase pH and make macro and micro nutrients more available.
CP Lime Solutions wanted to get a better understanding of what the most active and responsive part of lime was that created the necessary changes in the soil.
What they discovered was the finer the particle size, the quicker the effect on your soil. They say Optimise micronised pelletised lime raises soil pH quickly and helps farmers achieve and maintain their ideal pH more efficiently. Micronised lime also helps stimulate soil biology, improve soil structure and promote the release of locked up soil nutrients.
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“However, clients were always asking for alternative ways to apply other nutrients, so the solution was to give them options.” says Scott.
The options included adding combinations of sulphur, phosphorous, magnesium, humates, trace elements, seaweed and bio-stimulants to the lime in the pellet. Not only does this have the benefit of reduced volume and easy application, it has shown great results in the field improving the effect on the soil nutrient status.
“At CP Lime Solutions we have always liked to challenge traditional thinking and after 20 years of pelletising lime here in NZ, doing ‘on farm’ soil testing and trialling, as well as getting plenty of farmer feedback about our Optimise products, this has given us confidence that we are on the right track” says Scott.
“There is increased global demand for similar micronised lime products throughout the world including a new plant in NZ commissioned by a multinational company, so we are looking forward to an exciting future.”
