Joy and Peter Wilson believe it is a waste of money to pay rates on land with a low pH.
Peter spoke about lime at a Beef + Lamb NZ seminar at Palmerston earlier this year.
His advice to farmers is to check out what their farms can do. Have the soil tests done and if it needs lime or fertiliser, make a start. At least do a few hectares to see what it can do.
“If it is a lime problem, do it yesterday – you can’t afford to muck around.”
In 1995 they bought Melrose which was just under 1578ha (3897a). The pH on some hill blocks was less than 5 and the P levels were about 5-10. They strategically targeted the good areas of the farm and poured on thousands of tonnes of lime, peaking to 3000t in one year. To lower the cost they picked a carrier, Evan Williams’ Clutha Valley Transport, and a time which suited him which was the winter.
Now the pH is 5.5-6, the Olsen-P is in the 20s, and they are making some serious cash.
When Joy and Peter bought the farm the debt was more than 50% of equity. They knew with good, common-sense policies they could quickly reduce the debt.
“Without lime used strategically we wouldn’t have made it financially.”
Of course lime is good only if all the other essential elements for soil fertility are in order. Likewise the returns from having correct soil fertility will be captured only if the pasture species, stock genetics, subdivision and farm management are up to scratch.
It helps that the station has a good, consistent rainfall – about 1700mm/year – and doesn’t suffer droughts. There might be an adverse period when it gets dry but production is usually consistent.
The station runs from 196m to 401m asl and they work off a 90-day winter.
In 2005 they bought a neighbouring 1215ha (3000a). The pH was less than five and the Olsen-P less than 10. It was running 900 cows.
The clover used to be a ginger colour with midget leaves.
Clover is the indicator of a healthy pasture.
“If you can’t grow it you need to find out why.”
Because the pH levels were so low the carriers were driving on a thick “carpet” layer of organic trash. The browntop and fog thatch of vegetation and roots created grip which could allow the trucks to go over steep terrain. Peter was stunned where they went with the spreaders. The effect of lime in the years following was stunning, too. He now digs up the ground after lime and it is full of worms and bugs.
“We’ve fatten cattle in areas you wouldn’t fatten a mouse five years ago.”
Peter and Joy are not ones to boast but they have good evidence that well-targeted development using lime and other inputs at the right time pays. In some years they have picked up $50,000-$100,000 extra while paying off hard-core debt.
On the country which has been cultivated it is typically worked by bog discs, 0.8t/ha (2t/a) of lime spread and a crop of swedes grown followed by kale before it is sown down. The stocking rate would go from 350 sheep to 800, 350 stores to 800 prime lambs on 81ha (200a).
“This is self-funding.”
This sort of success allowed them to do more and more.
“If we had not been using lime we would have been wasting our time.”
- Read the full on-farm about Melrose Station in Country-Wide.
