Peter & Doris Rust have a terrific view from the 137 ha dairy farm they lease from Peter's mother. They farm on Bayley Road, South East of Te Awamutu. Peter & Doris returned to the family farm after 3 years sharemilking west of Huntly. The farm had been conventionally fertilised originally by Peter's father, then by a sharemilker for a further three years. On advice from the sharemilker's advisor, nitrogen was applied because clover was sparse. When the clover disappeared more nitrogen was applied.
Annual spraying of Clovertone is helping raise the release of soil nutrients, boosting grass and clover growth on a simple but highly "tuned" south Waikato beef-finishing farm.
"There was no evidence that relative yield increased with increase in Olsen P test values above 20, ......."
This is one of the conclusions of a report published by AgResearch scientists in the NZ Journal of Agricultural Research 1997, Vol40. Pasture yields were measured on many sites around NZ over six years, to examine the relationship between Olsen P and pasture dry matter (DM) yield. This report clearly contradicts phosphate sales hype that encourages ever higher levels of Olsen P.
