Its time to assess inputs
WITH the autumn season about to commence, it is time for farmers to seriously consider whether their traditional fertiliser regimes have really been working for them.
Farmers have only recently begun appreciating the integral role of sulphur in their farm’s nutrient makeup. Sulphur is a vitally important component to form amino acids in crops and pastures - this builds plant protein and therefore increases the quality of the crops of pastures that it is used on.
I have dealt with sustainable fertiliser company Guano Australia for almost 20 years, and have delivered integrated nutrient solutions to dairy, beef, sheep and horticulture sites across Gippsland and Australia, and the results of Guano Gold’s unique product speak for themselves.
But after years of farmers struggling to keep pastures productive during one of the longest droughts in recent living memory, soil nutrients across many Gippsland, Victoria, properties are still out of balance, prompting the Guano team to develop a product to restore best practice on-farm agronomy.
After two years in the making, Guano Australia has proudly announced its newest product, Guano Sulphur Gold, filling an often overlooked but vital component in soil chemistry.
While the importance of sulphur in benefiting pastures is fairly well recognised within the scientific community, it hasn’t always been realised by fertiliser companies. Clover-based pastures, which are widespread across Gippsland, have a particular need for sulphur, but many farmers are just unaware of its vital importance.
In granulated form, Guano Sulphur Gold is composed of 13 per cent sulphur, striking a delicate balance of phosphorus, calcium and silica (silicon dioxide), covering all your soils’ important needs with innovative use of natural chemistry, to which additional nutrients or trace elements can be blended if required.
The use of silica is special and unique in the way Guano Gold targets deficiencies. Silica improves the uptake of phosphorus by plants, preventing the tie up of phosphorus to insoluble compounds; a common occurrence in soil chemistry which essentially renders the phosphorus far less efficiently utilised.
With low water solubility products are less likely to leach in heavy rain or irrigated pastures, and were especially effective in pasture and potato fertiliser blends. With the ability to be tendered with other products according to farmer’s individual requirements, Guano Sulphur Gold builds on the success of Guano Gold’s hallmark product, Kwik Start.
As a chemical free, granulated phosphorus, Guano Gold - Kwik Start has provided excellent returns in private farms and strategic test sites across the country. Both products are under BFA certification, making them organically compatible, and ensure the most environmentally sustainable outcomes are reached on farm. by Richard Jackson, AMGROW Senior Agronomist