Mainland Minerals April Newsletter 2017
The year just seems to be flying by as we are into April already!
Autumn is a lovely time of the year, it can be a good time to reflect on the previous 12 months effort and results. What has worked well and what could be improved?
We hope you all have your fertiliser sorted with your Mainland Minerals rep for this autumn season. With many late crops and young grass this year and prolonged wet spells, autumn fertiliser is essential. Our approach is to sit alongside you, as part of your trusted advisor team, to figure out how to refine your program to meet your objectives within acceptable budget constraints. We pride ourselves in being the best fertiliser experts in the market so if you are thinking about your autumn fertiliser, contact your local rep now.
So why choose Fine Particle Fertiliser from Mainland Minerals…?
Fine Particle Fertiliser has been proven in long term independent trials to be a better all-round
fertiliser than traditional fertilisers and more sustainable, with the main reasons being:
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The fertiliser mix is ground down to a very fine powder and applied in suspension, using water as a carrier, which gives a very even spread of fertiliser across your pasture. This ensures easy plant uptake through the plant leaf and soil, with all plants being fed, leading to improved dry matter quality and quantity.
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Being finely ground gives a greater surface area per kilogram of fertiliser applied than granular fertiliser – this makes it more reactive and as a result works faster and you don’t need to apply as much.
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Being finely ground also means the plants foliage are able to take in nutrients directly as well as through the soil, meaning a faster response.
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Every fertiliser mix is unique and blended specifically to your farms nutrient needs. There is no standard ‘off the shelf’ mix with set levels of nutrients, as is the case with conventional fertilisers such as Superphosphate. If your paddock has adequate levels of Phosphorus, but low levels of Sulphur and you apply Superphosphate – you are ultimately paying for Phosphate that is not needed.
- We can apply with either our Groundspread Truck, Helicopter or Fixed Wing Plane.
Some words from our client:
J&M Van De Sandt, Mossburn, Southland.
We appreciate that each application & mix is tailored to the requirements of nutrients needed. Customer service continues to be excellent from the office to the field rep to the applicator. Best of all the animals are happy & healthy and thrive on our pastures & crops.
A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
Hill Blocks
When considering fertiliser needs in your hill blocks, gullies and steeper areas of your farm it is important to consider the following…
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pH – For many hill blocks it is likely to be unviable to get pH >5.7 using Ag Lime with Aerial application. Low pH pasture can be less palatable, with stock preferentially grazing on sunny ridges and not pushing into colder south facing areas and gullies. Low pH also causes aluminium and manganese toxicity, so plant roots don’t grow deep into soil, instead they tend to grow horizontally in the shallow soil. Pastures are then prone to drying out quicker in dry weather.
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Major Nutrients – what phosphate, potassium, sulphur, calcium and/or magnesium limitations or excesses do your soils contain?
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Trace elements – what iron, manganese, copper, zinc, boron and/or molybdenum limitations or excess do your soils contain?
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Rations of cations – are your levels of calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium in balance or are these ratios out of line? This can influence palatability of plants and stock performance when grazing hill blocks.
- Organic material – tightly thatched soils and lack of worms indicate soil biological activity is poor. Biology in soils is important to help unlock soil nutrients so they are available to plants and grazing animals.
At Mainland Minerals we can assist you to navigate the trade-offs to come up with the best tailored solution for you and your budget. Our Fine Particle Fertiliser options, in our experience will kick granular options to touch every time in hill blocks, gullies and steeper areas of your farm.
THINGS MM HAVE BEEN DOING
The Mainland team have started the year off with a bang!!
- The Mt Benger A&P Show on the 17th&18th February was a hot couple of days in Roxburgh and it was great to be part of the show, and local community.
- The Clydevale farming expo on the 1st of March
- The Upper Clutha A&P Show in Wanaka 10TH&11th March was another successful show with great atmosphere, weather and plenty of clients popping in to catch up. Our Weber BBQ went to the Hunt family of Wanaka, a nice surprize for them.
We would like to welcome Suzanne Fox to the Mainland Minerals Team. She is working with farmers in the Otago region: from the Clutha River to Palmerston and inland to Beaumont, Middlemarch and Ranfurly. Suzanne has a background in sales and is a welcomed addition to our team. You can get hold of Suzanne on 027 241 3349. Please don’t hesitate to give her a call as she would love to hear from you.
Well that concludes our newsletter for the first quarter of the year. We wish you a safe and happy Easter and hope you get to enjoy some time away with family and friends, and indulge in a little chocolate goodness!
The Mainland Team