LIME SWEETENS THE DAIRYING FLAVOUR
A blend of lime and trace elements has helped a Southland dairy farming couple improve their pasture, milk production and their income.
In the first few years on their 130ha property at Opio not far from Otautau, Frank and Karen Van Miltenburg who have now been dairying for 13 years were unhappy with the quality of their pasture and the fertiliser they were using.
It was expensive, but the value of the value of the fertiliser was scarcely reflected in increased pasture quality and and subsequent milk production. However they knew that pasture quality is a prime factor in promoting and sustaining milk volume, and set about exploring ways of improving the situation.
Then, about 10 years ago they met Brendon Proctor, a sales consultant with AB LIme Ltd, which has been processing and marketing lime from its Browns site for more than 100 years.
Proctor carried out an exhaustive soil test of the Van Miltenburg's' soil and recommended application of AB Lime's Ag Lime blended with a number of trace elements.
The Van Miltenburgs were surprised he recommended using one third the amount of phosphate that had been in the fertiliser they had been applying. Instead, Proctor put the focus on base saturation ratios and balancing trace elements to release phosphate that was bound up in the soil.
They agreed to follow his recommendation, and were delighted with the results.
There was an almost immediate increase in soil and pasture quality, which, in turn produced a corresponding increase in milk production and income.
Another plus was the benefits that accrued from improved animal health. Frank Van Miltenburg says there was a remarkable improvement in the overall health of the milking heard.
The Van Miltenburgs are pleased they took Proctor's advice. They have saved significantly on their outlay on fertiliser, they spend far less on animal health because their cows are healthier, they harvest more milk because their cows are healthier and their net income is higher as a result of higher production and lower maintenance costs.
They now milk a herd of 330 fresian, jersey and MRI-cross cows through a 32-bail rotary shed.
AB Lime says its AgLime supplies vital calcium to soils, increases the availability of plant-available phosphate reserves, and improves soil structure. The company literature says that AgLime not only improves micro-bacterial activity in soil, but also develops strong bone structure in stock which in turn leads to healthier and cleaner animals.
AgLime, which is Fertmark-approved at 90% calcium carbonate, encourages earthworm activity(essential for healthy soil) and restricts the release into the soil of toxic elements such as aluminium iron and manganese.
