Newsletter - April 2008

April 2008

Welcome winter rejuvenation!

We are working within a natural system and regardless of the resources we have available we work within parameters dictated by nature.

During winter while growth above the ground is slow much is taking place beneath. Plants are developing roots, and old roots die providing much of the carbon and energy needed by soil fauna and micro-flora.

Attempting to substantially promote growth during winter interferes with the natural regenerative process with the consequence of less growth when conditions warm sufficiently for rapid spring growth.

The use of a high quality foliar plant food, over autumn and during winter provides plants with the extra food and energy necessary for early and vigorous spring growth.

After a prolonged dry spell two processes take place. Initially the decay of dead grass and dung by soil fauna and flora takes place. This requires energy, so above ground growth is necessarily slow. Once the decay process has taken place energy is available for substantial above ground growth.

Should soil temperatures drop to low levels, that energy in a well aerated biologically active soil, is not lost, but stored ready to promote strong growth as soon as warmer weather arrives.

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This report was received from Graham Shepherd following a field day 11th March with Dr Arden Andersen and Guy Salmon:-

During a recent trip to the Bay of Plenty at the invitation of Eco-Logic Soil Improvement Ltd, I was privileged to pay a quick visit to four properties.

The first property was Peter Burton’s Rotorua deer block where the soils were seen to be very friable with extremely good structure and porosity. While we didn’t do a Visual Soil Assessment (VSA), the soil score would have been very high on the basis of the observations made. The root length, root density and potential rooting depth were all very good with a high number of adventitious roots as shown in the photograph. While the clover nodules weren't’t particularly large (possibly a function of the dry weather), there were good strings and clusters of nodules present. They had a distinct pinkish hue on the surface, were decidedly red when split open due to good amounts of leghaemoglobin present, and they were also observed at an impressive depth of 300 mm.
A full VSA was carried out on the second farm visited (Berry’s dairy farm) on Goudies Rd, Reporoa. The soil score was 26 while the plant score was 26.5. This was quite an impressive result because just 12 months prior, the farm was on conventional fertiliser programme with quite a high nitrogen regime. The soils had been extremely tight with very poor structure and a very high penetration resistance. The degree of recovery in such a short time after converting to a biological agricultural regime was striking. It is clear that the farm now has a good future and will become enjoyable again without the animal health issues and operational difficulties of the past. It will be very interesting to repeat the VSA in subsequent years to plot the actual rate of soil and pasture recovery versus farm profitability.

The third farm visited was Berryman’s dairy farm at Edgecumbe. It was encouraging to see that while the soils were naturally poorly drained due to a high winter water-table, they were still in very good condition with a loose, friable consistence and a good structure and porosity, something that isn't’t commonly seen in such circumstances under intensive dairying. One of the outstanding things was the superb condition of the cows.


The fourth farm visited was the Law Family dairy farm on Thornton Rd, Encumber. The soil structure at the site visited was extremely good with good soil porosity, potential rooting depth and a good dark soil colour relative to the fence-line. The clover cover and functionality of the clover nodules was also quite good. David hasn't’t applied any mineral nitrogen for five years and is growing
17.7 tonnes of DM/ha/yr, some two tonnes more than the regional average. This nicely demonstrates the point that if your soil colour is dark due to good levels of organic matter and humus, the organically bound N in the organic matter and humus can be mineralized by soil microbes releasing nitrogen in a plant available form, namely ammonium and nitrate-N. This provides, along with the N fixed by the free-living N-fixing bacteria and the rhizobia in the clover nodules, all the N required to grow the necessary dry matter needed by a high producing dairy farm.

The key is to ensure that your management practices, including the type and amount of fertiliser used, encourages rather than suppresses the biological life of the soil. Your soil biology is the engine-room of your farm; aim to keep it well-oiled and don’t let it get rusty.

T. Graham Shepherd
Soil Scientist/Agricultural Consultant
BioAgriNomics Ltd

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Ruud Kleinpaste can't imagine life without insects. Some people wouldn't give a second thought to squashing them underfoot but entomologist Ruud Kleinpaste predicts a doomsday scenario in a world without bugs.

Known here and internationally as "The Bug Man", Kleinpaste says insects consistently get "bad press" but he can't imagine life without them.

"About 80 per cent of plants are pollinated by insects and imagine if bugs didn't clean up all the crap from cattle, people or whatever.

"Dung removal is a really important job and if you didn't have it, in two months' time you'd be up to your neck in shit."

Kleinpaste spoke to the Weekend Herald ahead of receiving an honorary doctorate from the University of Waikato.