A New Era in Fertiliser/ Nutrient Inputs

A New Era in Fertiliser/ Nutrient Inputs

Peter Burton
24th March 2009

The current price of imported phosphorus and potassium are such that for many farmers they are unaffordable, at least at the traditional autumn application rate.

The advice being given by some advisers, and obviously taken seriously by many farmers, is to not apply this autumn and wait until prices drop in spring.

That’s a gamble on two fronts. Firstly prices may come down but as they were stable for close on twenty years up until two years ago, any reduction may be less than hoped for and insufficient to make a real difference.

Secondly there are many properties that have become reliant on a regular fix of soluble N P K and withholding may well result in a marked decline in growth over the next six months.

Hard wired into farmers is the need to apply fertiliser regularly and historically when funds are short many go looking for the magic product.

Lime sales are presently strong and most properties to which it has been applied will benefit, but will the response be enough to carry usual stock numbers through what is predicted to be a cold winter?

There has been strong demand for Eco-Logic Soil Improvement’s DoloZest and CalciZest products this autumn with many clients purchasing earlier than normal.
The reason for this is that the implementation of the Eco-Logic nutrient programme generates extra profit. The monetary return exceeds the cost.

Many farmers and advisers have a legitimate concern about changing from a traditional nutrient only fertiliser input to something different.
If any essential element is taken out of a programme and not replaced with something that generates at least the same energy slower growth and poorer quality feed results.

Eco-Logic’s products are based on the replacement of traditionally high rates of nutrients with smaller quantities energised with soft carbon inoculated with a wide range of soil friendly fungi and bacteria.

These inputs feed the soil and the plant then uptakes nutrients as required. Soils become more friable with plant roots penetrating to a depth of more than half a meter.

The result is more feed of higher quality. There are now a number of farms that were reliant on high nitrogen inputs that use little or no fertiliser nitrogen and enjoy more total growth spread more evenly throughout the year.

Surprising to some is the steady improvement in growth and animal performance often evident within weeks of the initial application.

More feed grown this autumn results in extra carbon being sequestered over winter providing the potential for increased growth in the coming season.

The optimum time to begin a soil-feeding programme is autumn, this autumn!