78 | Biologically balanced soil essential The company offers farmers, horticulturalists and all their fertiliser clients a sound, practical, scientifically robust and achievable soil improvement plan. Sue Russell Scott Parker and Anna Mahy, along with their 14 staff members operate Parker Lime, based at Kaiwaka, Northland. The main business activities are running a quarry where the lime is extracted and offering clients soil testing and bespoke fertiliser treatments, designed to bring balance to their soil, improve crop yield and, in turn, growing healthier animals and people. A further string to the bow is a contracting division that undertakes earthmoving, clearing sites for housing as well as farm maintenance and infrastructure work. Scott took over operation of the quarry in 2008, at about the same time as renowned American soil agronomist Neal Kinsey made a visit to New Zealand, delivering workshops on the science sitting behind his approach to what real soil fertility is based on. “That for me was the start of my journey into working and offering services to farmers, growers and the like, where soil samples are taken, sent away for testing, resulting in in-depth information as to all the nutrients contained within it and the measurement of these. Kinsey’s approach is all about gaining the correct balance and seeing the numbers moving in the right direction,” says Scott. In all, fourteen nutrients are carefully measured; each one having an impact on the availability of all the others, making creating the correct soil balance an exacting science in itself. Balancing these 14 nutrients is the foundation on which other biological stimulants and liquid applications can be applied. “For me it is about the long-term engagement with farmer clients that is most satisfying. It can take three years for instance to get magnesium levels right and that’s just one element to consider.” A biologically balanced soil system is essential for maintaining nutritious, resilient crops and the way to achieve this is by starting with base-line soil profile testing. Once this has happened, Scott and the team at Parker Lime can step in and create a plan of bespoke fertiliser blends to help the soil gain balance over time. Scott says a difficulty farmers can face is getting a clear picture of how the soil works to support their farming operations “Some New Zealand companies can make it overly complicated, pushing more what they have for sale than necessarily what is best for the soil situation. We approach it from the basis of science and then formulate a plan for a farmer to guide long-term applications of what the soil really needs. We’re not tied to any particular product.” For example New Zealand has a long history of phosphate and lime applications to the point where some farms have very high levels Scott says maybe it is time to look at some of the other 12 nutrients needed for a high performing soil. Neal Kinsey, who today has published several books on soil fertility and health and travels around the world with his consultancy practice Neal Kinsey Ag, studied under the famous American biology RURAL SERVICES » Parker Lime professor Dr William A. Albrecht Professor Emeritus of Soils at the University of Missouri/California. “Albrecht spent 40 years working out what helps plants grow best. This science is reliable and delivers sustainable results over time. When I talk with farmers I stress how this is a long-term process, not a quick fix and I understand that they have farm budgets to work with. It’s more about giving them the plan to follow that is most satisfying.” Co-Director Anna takes care of all the back-end of the fertiliser blends, once results have been received. Anna says the beauty of the comprehensive soil testing they undertake for clients is that subsequent calculations for all the elements that go into the blend can be calculated accurately. There can be unexpected things happen within the soil, we don’t pretend to know it all, nature still has the upper hand here. “We have a desired range for each element and we’re always aiming to see all the numbers across all of these moving in the right direction. P.G. Smith Ltd. TOPDRESSING Topdressing Orchard Spreading Fertiliser & Lime Proud to be associated with Parker Lime Wellsford - 09 423 8372 office@pgsmithltd.co.nz That’s how we know the applications are improving the soil steadily. It’s very reassuring for clients when they see numbers moving,” Anna says. Both Scott and Anna believe the company offers farmers, horticulturalists and all their fertiliser clients a sound, practical, scientifically robust and achievable soil improvement plan to work from. “It is fascinating when you really begin to understand what creates great soil and what can be achieved when all its elements are properly balanced. We gain a great deal of satisfaction from seeing these results,” says Scott.
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