“Healthy Soils
Healthy Forage
Healthy Livestock”
Ulster Grassland Society
January 2016
Ground Level Nutrition Ltd
Josephine Scamell
B.Sc. (Hons), MI Biol, N. Sch.
Nuffield Bullock Award Winner
10 Years Innovation in Agriculture
1997 - 2007
Holt Farm Dairy – Yeo Valley 2015
Nutrient Cycling in Agriculture
ATMOSPHERE
Oxygen
and
Deposition
SOIL ROCKS
Weathering
Sunlight
SOIL
ENERGY
FERTILISERS
Soil
Consumption
Decay
CROPS
WATER
Rainfall
Volatilisation
PLANTS
Leaching
and
Runoff
Root
Uptake
Manures, N2
Fixation
Excreta
ANIMALS
FOOD
MILK
MEAT
WOOL
HUMAN
HEALTH
Introducing
“Integrated Mineral Nutrition”
Erosion &
Management
Soil
Animal
Feed &
Supplements
Plant
Water &
Fertilisers
How Should We Measure Soils?
• Physical
Soil type/structure
e.g. sand, clay
• Chemical
Major elements
both level and balance
e.g. calcium, magnesium
Cation Exchange Capacity
• Biological Microbial action releasing
soil nutrients
Balance is the Key
Air
25%
Moisture
25%
Mineral balance
of soil elements
SOIL
Physical crumb
structure
Aerobic
microbes
Biological health
bacteria:fungi
Dig! Dig! Dig!
Surface
moss?
Soil
aroma?
Surface
cracking?
Soil
moisture?
Soil crumb
structure?
Earthworm
casts?
Soil
temperature?
Soil Mineral Equilibrium
Soil pH Traditionally measuring acidity
through HYDROGEN alone is
not reliable.
More important to balance through
CALCIUM (Ca)
MAGNESIUM (Mg)
POTASSIUM (K)
SODIUM (Na)
If these 4 minerals are correctly balanced,
the pH will always be right.
Cicle_del_nitrogen_de.svg
Courtesy of Thomson & Joseph Ltd
Courtesy of Thomson & Joseph Ltd
Courtesy of Thomson & Joseph Ltd
Courtesy of Thomson & Joseph Ltd
Townfield Farm, Cheshire
“It only takes 4 hours to stir our lagoon now, it
used to take 12 hours; so 40 litres of diesel
instead of 120 litres.
Our contactors use the umbilical system, it
pumps easily, no blockages, less time and less
power.
After 3 months there was no smell when
stirred and pumped. Sediment on the base of
the lagoon is breaking up.”
Courtesy of Thomson & Joseph Ltd
Mark Bowes - farmer
Dowth Estate
Evaluation of Digest-it Treated
Pig Slurry on Permanent Pasture
2014
Trial data acknowledgment Devenish Nutrition
and Thomson & Joseph Ltd
8 Days After Spreading
Untreated Pig
Slurry
Digest-it Treated
Pig Slurry
DOWTH GRASSLAND TRIAL – Pig Slurry
Cost Effective Ratio = 3 : 1
Herbage Yield per Silage Cut
Three Treatment Plots
3043
2745
+25%
2196
+39%
Total Harvest Yield
The Effect of Added Organic Matter
on the Release of Phosphorus
30
Humus
% Fixed Phosphorus Released
25
Lignin
20
15
10
5
0
0
2
Ref: Swenson, Cole & Sieling
4
6
Organic Matter %
8
10
12
Slurry Biological Treatment
Composting biological additive
• Improves fertiliser nutrient value
• Enhances nutritive value of grass
• Elevates grass production
• Promotes the break-down of solids to
make slurry more uniform
• Cost effective use of farm based
resources
Natural Fertiliser Products
Consider beneficial mineral products :
• Gypsum – calcium sulphate
• Kieserite – magnesium sulphate
• Sylvinite – natural potash + salt
• Polysulphate – new sulphate + potash +
magnesium naturally occurring granular product
Select according to soil type
Look beyond N P K numerical system
Summary
• To promote the benefits linked with utilising
farm resources in relation to soil fertility.
• To maximise crop and forage quality.
• To promote efficient feed conversion into
livestock health & productivity.
• To exploit the beneficial relationships
between nutrients, microbes, soil, forage and
livestock.
Healthy Soils
Healthy Forage
Healthy Livestock
Ground Level Nutrition Ltd
Josephine Scamell
B.Sc. (Hons), MI Biol, N. Sch.
Nuffield Bullock Award Winner
10 Years Innovation in Agriculture
1997 - 2007