The pH of different soils - Why it matters!

This week we have had 2 visitors to Seeds R us.  Part of our job is to be able to assess problems and work out how to solve them for the land owner.  Mr Wiliams (aka James) taught us about different grasses and fertilisers.

                      Urea - Nitrogen                    Super Phosphate                      Sulphur

Why do we use them and how do they work?  He mentioned this term pH - the potential of Hydrogen.

Different soils and plants like different pH's.  Some are acidic and some are basic.  Wow - what does this mean?

What an array of colours in the different soils.  Which ones are neutral? 

Sooo Mr Pollock (aka Nick) came in and taught us about soils and where they come from.  We were able to look at them under the microscope and test them for pH - acidity levels.

Mr Pollick AKA Nick is an Agronomist.  Here he is talking about different soils!

Why do we need to know this?  Can you comment below what you think this information helps with?

Dr Lisa Hulme-Moir veterinary pathologist visit

Seeds 'R Us had a visit from a vet who works in a lab that tests animal samples for diseases.  We were very lucky to be able to hear how she does her job and what sorts of things she tests.  Mainly blood! We learnt that red blood cells are the cells that take oxygen around the body and the white blood cells are the ones that fight bacteria and diseases!  White blood cells are much bigger than red ones.

Not all diseases are the same and don't get transferred the same.  For example diseases that effect cows mostly don't effect sheep or humans.  There are some that do though!  We got to look at some microscope slides and see some close-ups of blood cells which are in the powerpoint below.

We were very interested in the mycoplasma bovis bacteria and how that is spread.  It is effecting many farms around NZ particularly dairy farms.  Dr Lisa was able to clarify for us how this is happening.

Lisa thought she was going to talk for 30 mins but ended up staying 1 hr 20 because of our questions!

Seeds 'R Us

What has Seeds R Us been up to lately? 

Well we are just about to begin our trials for different types of pasture.  Thanks to PGG Wrightson we have some different varieties to test and study closely.  PGG Wrightson have also offered a beanie each to the team who grows the best seeds!  Wow - corporate sponsorship :-)

Firstly we needed to make our little greenhouses to put the seed trays into.  This means that we can be frost free and keep in some warmth to make the seeds grow in the winter.  We are planning to measure:

• Growth rate
• Soil nutrients
• The effect of different nutrients on growth, looks and nutritional value. 

We have also been looking at clover.  This is an interesting and clever plant that takes nitrogen from the air and turns it into a chemical that plants can use.  The nodules on the clover's roots have bacteria which turns nitrogen from the air into useable chemicals that plants can absorb.  This could lead into some really interesting trials that farmers could use!  Mmmm interesting food for thought! 

We look forward to seeing some experts in this area over the next few weeks and widening our field of expertise! 

Agronomists Soil Testing May 15

Today we began testing our soil samples from Pukemata to learn how to conduct the test.  Once we are confident, we can carry out the test in the field whilst on the job.  We learnt about extracting, pipetting and comparing to a colour chart. This is how the industry does it!  

Angus also shared with us what a "ruminant" is and we started to look at the anatomy of the animals on a farm.  I look forward to the posters explaining ruminants and their health issues! 

Pukemata Station - May 9

Today we went to Pukemata Station with Rongomatane. We spent the morning learning about farm life and the job of a farmer.  This introductory visit was to familiarise ourselves with a farm and the types of jobs and needs that a farmer has to do.   We watched the dogs working and a sheep being shorn!  Not a single nick!  Well done Wock!  And well done Angus for your wool sweeping skills!

From there we went to lunch and Wock even cooked us some sausages!  What a treat.  Angus, Mrs Allan and Wock were excellent hosts and we had a lovely time playing on the tennis court and tramp!

After lunch it was time for some science.  We put our square metres out with tent pegs and began to investigate what was in the soil and around the stems of the grass.  We had to count the species.  For some species there was too many to count so we had to use < and > to describe the amount.  It is interesting how farmers use different types of pasture to fatten the stock up!  Scientists work with farmers closely and lots of data collection is done the same way we did it!

Thank you to the parents who accompanied us, Ro, Tracey, Karen and Pam - Ethan's Nana.  Thank you also to Mrs Spence and Rachel who helped us in the morning.

It was a lovely day and we were treated to some spectacular views.  Thank you Allans!