Spring 2006

Have you ever wondered why you are not getting the results from your fertiliser that you used to get. I have been in the industry for nearly 20 years. During this time I have met hundreds of farmers who have always said they would not use any form of liquid fertiliser until they get their P and K levels up.

Now days I am calling on those same farmers and guess what; They are all asking the same thing, “Why are we growing less grass now with our higher fertility soils than before when they were a lot lower?”
The answer is quite simple. All the emphasis has gone into two nutrients, Phosphate and Potash. If P was the limiting factor to plant growth then all these farmers should have grass growing higher than their fences all year round.
Some farms I have soil tested recently have p levels way above 80. Why would you want to get these high levels at a huge cost to grow no more grass. Data published by AgResearch shows there is no more growth from a P level of 20 as opposed to one of 50.

Nearly every farming publication you read now, has an article extolling the benefits of more clover in your pasture. I am amazed at low percentages of clover in the average pasture. Somewhere around 15- 20% If you took an average of all the clover in Clovertone treated pasture, it would be close to 60-65 % The longer farmers are using Clovertone, the thicker their pasture sward is becoming.

The other major benefit from having more clover in your pasture is shown in your animal health. Every one knows animals do better on clover. Dairy cows produce more milk. Lambs fatten faster. The other benefit from more clover is the natural nitrogen fixation from the bacteria in the clover nodules. This allows you to use less artificial nitrogen.