The Magic Circle - Soil, Forage, Livestock
22/02/07

Farmers should aerate compacted soils to invigorate grass growth and to allow oxygen and water to penetrate into the soil. Kingshay includes this advice in a recent technical bulletin to dairy farmers.

© www.jennifermackenzie.co.uk

Kingshay Associate Consultant Josephine Scamell, Livestock nutritionist with Ground Level Nutrition, explains, "Soil is a living system and requires oxygen for microbial activity in the top 6 inches. Compacted soils create anaerobic conditions, causing the soil to work less efficiently. Aeration is essentially beneficial management in integrated soil nutrition."

She continues, "It all starts in the soil. There is increasing evidence to show that great benefits to livestock can be achieved in disease resistance, productivity and hence profitability if the correct style of soil management is linked to your livestock production system."

Jo Scamell tutors Kingshay Practical Workshops on integrated soil management. Three courses will be held during March as follows:

Thurs 1st March - Great Torrington, Devon
Tues 13th March - Radstock, Somerset
Thurs 29th March - Bridport, Dorset

Each Workshop runs from 10.45am to 3.15pm and includes a practical, on-farm element. Lunch and course materials are provided for all participants. These Workshops are offered free to dairy farmers and farm staff with support from the new Farm Business Advice Service funded by Defra and delivered by Business Link in the South West. Call 01458 851 555 to book your place.

Ground Level Nutrition Ltd is an independent agricultural business specialising in advisory work linking soil, forage and livestock nutritional management. Many farm enterprises now recognise that soil management is an area which has received little attention over the past 50 years. By correcting the focus back to this primary resource, improvements can be made resulting ultimately in enhanced farm profit. Improved soils not only benefit fertiliser efficiency and forage or crop production, but also contribute significantly to livestock performance, feed conversion efficiency and disease resistance.

Organic Selenium Reduces Cell Counts and Mastitis in US Dairy Study
Foot Diseases - Keep a Step Ahead
Sel-Plex - the Only Organic Selenium Authorised for use in the European Union
Improved Lamb Milks From Trouw Nutrition