Crop Health

The World Health Organisation says that we have only a hundred harvests left before our soils become totally unusable.

What has happened to systems-based farming? Why has it been left to the wayside? Over several generations farming has become product-based, and in truth, it has become overly reliant on just one product; Nitrogen. This means that, year on year, we burn out organic carbon and essential micronutrients from the soil leading to the widely witnessed fertility break down. More and more Nitrogen is needed each year, giving poorer and poorer crops which in turn need massive increases in agricultural chemicals.

Excessive use of Nitrogen reduces Brix (sugar) levels in the plant. This means that it cannot produce the yields it has the potential to reach, and it cannot naturally fight off disease in the way that the plant is designed too. Therefore, at Aiva Fertiliser, we think Nitrogen management is key, and by achieving a more balanced approach that requires less input for more crops is the most important job a farmer has. Nitrogen farming leads to a program of fear, where agricultural chemicals are used because of what ‘may be’ rather than ‘what is.’ If Nitrogen is applied with a carbon source, balanced with all the other required nutrients, then you get a plant that can grow and naturally resist disease at the same time.

Balanced farming is proactive. A farmer should work with all the plants natural processes. Once Nitrogen is controlled, we can start to build the Humic fraction of the soil, which is both the living quarters and the food source to the soil microbes. Humic enables the plant to start to get the nutrients that it needs, to give you the crop that you need. At Aiva Fertiliser, we work with you on building the best system for your farm; to maximise your gains as well as support the environment, especially as the Environmental Land Management Scheme policies start to have an effect. Let’s not forget, it’s not just about yield, it’s about the profit.

Within the soil, it is vital that the correct ratios between nutrients are maintained so that they are taken up appropriately. Boron allows the uptake of Calcium, which in turn has a positive effect on the take up of seven other nutrients, all of which are essential to healthy growth and the proper use of Nitrogen within the plant. Calcium works with Magnesium to maintain soil structure to allow entry of air so that the roots and soil life can breathe. These are just a couple of examples and there is much more to this; it is imperative to understand how important and interconnected nutritional ratios are. 

Here at Aiva Fertiliser we understand the unique connections between root and soil. Using our systems approach ideology, we advise on how to build a natural structure in the soil using low input methods, which in turn builds the relationship between plant and soil. This leads on to conversations on tillage, as many farmers are looking at Direct Drilling, however we are quick to point out that proper soil nutrition is needed before purchasing a new drill such that the results are what you expected. An over tilled soil will not have good water diffusion, just as a heavy tight soil will not allow water and air to get in; both cause similar problems only in a very different way.