increase font size
A helicopter spreading Optimise fertiliser.
Developed and made in NZ by two farming brothers for over 20 years, Optimise micronised pelletised lime-based fertiliser is touted as a sustainable option with a difference.
Scott Pascoe of CP Lime Solutions says, farmers and growers are a proud bunch of people always looking for solutions to improve the way they do things on the land.
“We don’t just work on the land, we live on the land which means we see and notice all the changes and things happening around us," says Scott
Lime is not generally seen as a fertiliser but it has two benefits, firstly as a fertiliser containing calcium, the highest required cation in the soil, and carbonate as a neutraliser of hydrogen to increase pH and make macro and micro nutrients more available.
CP Lime Solutions wanted to get a better understanding of what the most active and responsive part of lime was that created the necessary changes in the soil.
What they discovered was the finer the particle size, the quicker the effect on your soil. They say Optimise micronised pelletised lime raises soil pH quickly and helps farmers achieve and maintain their ideal pH more efficiently. Micronised lime also helps stimulate soil biology, improve soil structure and promote the release of locked up soil nutrients.
 |
|---|
“However, clients were always asking for alternative ways to apply other nutrients, so the solution was to give them options.” says Scott.
The options included adding combinations of sulphur, phosphorous, magnesium, humates, trace elements, seaweed and bio-stimulants to the lime in the pellet. Not only does this have the benefit of reduced volume and easy application, it has shown great results in the field improving the effect on the soil nutrient status.
“At CP Lime Solutions we have always liked to challenge traditional thinking and after 20 years of pelletising lime here in NZ, doing ‘on farm’ soil testing and trialling, as well as getting plenty of farmer feedback about our Optimise products, this has given us confidence that we are on the right track” says Scott.
“There is increased global demand for similar micronised lime products throughout the world including a new plant in NZ commissioned by a multinational company, so we are looking forward to an exciting future.”
DairyNZ has pulled together tactics that will help farmers improve on-farm efficiency and have positive benefits for the environment. These tactics are based on research, data, and lessons from leading farmers.
New Zealand farmers will face higher urea prices this year, mainly on the back of tight global supply and a weak Kiwi dollar.
Ballance Agri-Nutrients is expanding its fixed price offer to help customers manage input costs with greater certainty over the coming season.
Research findings published in Europe support the concept of foliar fertilisation or foliar feeding in improving nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) while maintaining pasture productivity.
Ballance Agri-Nutrients has launched SimplyFert, an ex-hub and therefore lower-cost offering said to give its shareholders choice and flexibility for purchasing nutrients.
NZPork has appointed Auckland-based Paul Bucknell as its new chair.
The Government claims to have delivered on its election promise to protect productive farmland from emissions trading scheme (ETS) but red meat farmers aren’t happy.
Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.
The Ministry for the Environment is joining as a national award sponsor in the Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA from next year).
Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.
OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.
