Dairy Farming · Atiamuri, New Zealand

Revolutionary 3-Year Trial:
Equal Production at Half the Cost

When Miah and Jenny Smith's 260-hectare dairy farm was struggling with low pasture production and chasing their tails with synthetic fertilizers, they took a revolutionary step: a rigorous 3-year side-by-side trial comparing conventional fertilizer against AgriSea biostimulants. The results turned everything they knew about soil and pasture upside down.

260ha Effective535 Jersey Crossbreeds3-Year Scientific Trial50% Cost Reduction

260ha

Effective Farm Area

3 Years

Side-by-side trial duration

50%

Cost reduction achieved

100%

Production maintained

CUSTOMER STORY – SMITH DAIRY FARM, ATIAMURI

Everything Turned Upside Down

Everything Miah and Jenny had learnt in the past about soil and pasture has been turned upside down.

Location

Atiamuri

Effective Area

260 hectares

Herd Size

535 Jersey crossbreeds

2018/19 Production Target

200,000-210,000kg MS

Pasture Harvested

10t DM/ha

Farm Dairy

74-bail rotary

ACR, Protrack, auto teat sprayer, in-dairy feeding

The Challenge: Chasing Their Tails

Their farm in Atiamuri was harvesting just 10 tonnes DM/ha and had a tendency to go dry quickly in the summer because the plant roots were short, Miah says. "We were putting on 150kg N/ha, heaps of DAP, super phosphate, potassium – the works. But we were always chasing our tails and running out of grass. It was stressful."

"We were putting on 150kg N/ha, heaps of DAP, super phosphate, potassium – the works. But we were always chasing our tails and running out of grass. It was stressful."

– Miah Smith

The Lightbulb Moment

Miah attended an AgriSea workshop with Australian Dr Christine Jones and he came away completely converted. The change in thinking to looking after soil biology first and foremost was like a light coming on, Miah says.

A New Philosophy

"It's about starting with the soil first, not your cows first. It's how to feed soil biology."

– Miah Smith

The 3 Year Test

Three paired sites were chosen that were comparable in contour, aspect and fertiliser history, and each site was split into conventional fertiliser and AgriSea biostimulant programmes.

Conventional Programme

Traditional Fertiliser Approach

•Capital and maintenance fertiliser applications
•Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium
•Sulphur, magnesium, calcium
•Standard industry practice

AgriSea Programme

Biostimulant Approach

•Three applications per year
•AgriSea Soil Nutrition
•AgriSea Pasture Nutrition
•Biological soil-first approach

"The scepticism from other farmers has been continuous, but people can now see the results of how well the paddocks are performing under the programme."

– Miah & Jenny Smith

The Results: Game-Changing

Everything Miah and Jenny had learnt in the past has been turned upside down, but if they can make money and look after the environment at the same time it's a win-win, the couple say.

Gap in Pasture Production

After three years, AgriSea paddocks matched conventional fertiliser production exactly

50%

Cost Reduction

AgriSea paddocks achieved the same production at half the input cost

"We really wanted to test it. There was no gap in pasture production after three years, and the AgriSea paddocks came in at half the cost. There is more available N in our AgriSea paddocks, where clover is actually fixing nitrogen, than the paddocks that had N fertiliser put on."

– Miah Smith

Environmental Win-Win

"We are trying to look after the land, that is what looks after us. I thought I was doing a good job of looking after the environment, but by doing this we won't have any (fertiliser) runoff and it takes the pressure off. Change is coming whether we like it or not and we feel we are ahead of the game."

– Jenny Smith

A New Approach: Ahead of the Game

Miah and Jenny still cop some flack for going down a different path, but the couple can see the results and they want to act now before they are made to by new regulations.

"Most people won't change unless they're made to change. Most people will wait and come back in another three years and see how we are going. A lot of people said our soil will be depleted after 3 years, well it's not."

– Miah Smith

Topsoil Regeneration

"This farm had no topsoil, it had been bulldozed off. You can see it changing in the paddocks."

Dramatic Root Development

"The roots were only going down two inches, now they're growing up to a metre."

Natural Nitrogen Fixation

More available nitrogen from clover fixation in AgriSea paddocks than from synthetic N applications

No Fertiliser Runoff

Environmental pressure reduced through biological approach with no synthetic fertiliser runoff

Taking It Further

Miah and Jenny are taking a step further over the next two seasons and are trialling regenerative grazing and multi-pasture species.

A New Approach: Ahead of the Game

Miah and Jenny still cop some flack for going down a different path, but the couple can see the results and they want to act now before they are made to by new regulations.

– Miah Smith