Soil matters with Peter Burton Eco-logic Soil Improvement Ltd

The Government-appointed Commissioner for the Environment has again criticised the government's fresh water policies, saying they are inadequate for the maintenance of present water quality; and saying there is little in the national policy for fresh water management that would prevent the dire 2020 scenario in her report on water quality, presented last year, becoming a reality.

Amy Adams, the Environment Minister, rejected the criticism, saying the commissioner seemed to be deliberately forgetting every council will be required, at a minimum, to maintain water quality.

Bryce Johnson of Fish and Game says the commissioner's comments are timely and that the current government's enthusiasm for irrigation with very little attention to the serious consequences scares the hell out of them.

Willy Leferink, of Federated Farmers, says farmers aren't dumb and are regulated by rules as well as economic sense; and with every kilogram of nitrogen costing $2 farmers want to mitigate the loss of nitrates.

There is much in each statement that is factual and relevant, and most importantly little by little the discussion is getting to the heart of the matter – the annual application of more than 500,000 tonnes of urea to our 15,000 dairy farms at an average of 150kgN/ha.

Thirty years ago, very little urea was applied; and one of the consequences of applying nitrogen is now about 230 million kilograms is used annually. In a number of areas the amount of Nitrate N in groundwater is rapidly approaching the level where health warnings will have to be issued.

It's been claimed New Zealand's water is already 'stuffed” and we don't accept that, however large dairy farm developments currently applying for irrigation rights claiming Nitrate N leaching losses will be mitigated by ‘yet to be developed technology' highlights a real issue.

It takes 10 years for sufficient information to be gained to know whether a new product or process will actually provide the desired results, and even if the ‘yet to be developed technology' is available tomorrow; 10 years is too long to wait.

The only valid argument for the continued use of fertiliser nitrogen is much less pasture would be grown without its use. Not one of the scientists that support our work agrees with this.

MAF pasture measurements from the late-1970s to early-1980s recorded annual pasture growth in excess of 18 tonne of dry matter annually without the use of nitrogen fertiliser. Annual pasture growth from permanent pasture now is significantly less.

DoloZest and CalciZest based total nutrient packages have been used for 10 consecutive years on intensive dairy farms; and total annual pasture production this season will measure close to 20 tonne, substantially exceeding any conventional system.

Nitrate N losses from leaching on the Berryman Edgecumbe property, (the ESI focus property), meet the current Ministry of the Environment ‘good' standard; about one-third of the losses from a comparative property using a conventional N-driven programme.

Each component of DoloZest and CalciZest has a proven benefit. The key to the substantial improvement in performance is due to the innovative way in which the products have been put together and combined with conventional nutrients.

Its unique technology developed here in New Zealand for our conditions; technology local farmers can rightfully claim as their own and use with an immediate lift in total farm production and a reduction in nitrogen leached.