A soil workshop run by Te Hoiere Project and NZ Landcare Trust has sprung some impressive results for Canvastown dairy farmer, Ben Watson.
Te Hoiere’s Rai Valley Catchment Coordinator Kristin Aldridge said Ben decided to transition to a diverse pasture mix after attending the workshop just over a year ago in Rai Valley.
“The half-day workshop introduced farmers to their soils, discussed how soil fits into and is connected to the surrounding landscape and showed how easy it is to look for simple features to help diagnose soil problems,” Kristin said.
“We also facilitated new ways of thinking that can help look after soil better and Ben is a great example of someone prepared to trial a new method. He made changes to his cover crops not long after the workshop and has been so happy with the change to a diverse mix, he has now put more in.”
The family farm’s dry land hill paddocks now feature a diverse pasture comprised of ryegrass, hybrid rye grass, chicory, plantain, red clover, white clover and cocksfoot.
“In Marlborough we can have dry summers with wet winters and these tough weather conditions affect pasture on dry land farms. Diverse pasture mixes offer numerous advantages, including improved animal health, higher production, more even growth, and enhanced soil health. They also provide greater resilience to weather extremes and reduce reliance on external inputs,” said Kristin.
“It’s great to see the clover filling in any gaps on their farm and the chicory and plantain coming through strong.”
Kristin, who is also Fonterra’s Farmsource Manager, said incorporating environmental plantain, specifically Ecotain, into dairy pastures could significantly reduce nitrogen leaching into waterways. “This is achieved through a combination of effects, including the dilution of nitrogen in cow urine, slowing down the nitrification process in the soil, and retaining nitrogen in the soil.”
Research suggests that plantain pastures can reduce nitrogen leaching by 20 to 60 per cent compared to traditional ryegrass/clover pastures.
“The cocksfoot held on well in dry hot summers. We are impressed with how the pasture mix has grown and held on in tough conditions and all species included are flourishing. It’s great to be able to put what I learnt at the soil workshop into practice,” said Ben.
Te Hoiere and NZ Landcare Trust teamed up last summer to run three soil workshops on soil health, with more than 70 people attending.
