2010 - Volume #34, Issue #6, Page #42
[ Sample Stories From This Issue | List of All Stories In This Issue | Print this story
| Read this issue]
They're Fertilizing Crops With Milk
Is it possible that milk could find a new market as a liquid fertilizer? Anecdotal evidence from producers and one small university study indicate that spraying milk on pasture and crops has benefits.David Wetzel of O'Neil, Neb., accidentally discovered the power of raw milk in 2002. He made cheese and butter from his milk and dumped the remaining 600 gallons of skim milk on a field every other day. He noticed that his cows always headed to that area of the pasture to graze, and the grass seemed greener.
Soil samples confirmed that the milk had an effect. The milk-sprayed area was packed with nutrients not found in the rest of the field.
Wetzel mentioned the results to Terry Gompert, a University of Nebraska extension educator, who asked colleagues to do a study.
"In 2005 we did replicated trials applying 2 to 32 gal. of milk on irrigated pasture," Gompert says. "The dry matter yield increased by 1,200 lbs/acre (26 percent)."
In addition, soil compaction testing with a penetrometer indicated the soil had 18 percent less compaction than untreated soil, providing a better ability to absorb water and air.
More studies need to be done, Gompert says, to prove milk's affect on the soil and to come up with best application rates and other details. Meanwhile, he has received at least 100 testimonials from farmers who are applying milk.
Bob Bernt, an organic dairyman, took it a step further. Like Wetzel, he has skim milk left from his cheese production. Besides spraying the milk on pasture, he mixed it with fish emulsion during planting and then side-dressed crops with milk. In 2009, through his own testing, a blend of 3 gallons of milk and 3 gallons of fish emulsion per acre followed by 10 gallons of side-dressed milk per acre provided the best combination.
"The size of my corn was almost double," he says. "I'm seeing a big response this year. The weed pressure seems to be less. Maybe the calcium level is holding them down."
He adds that his grass production also improved 30 percent in sandy soil and 50 percent in clay soil.
Though it needs more study, Gompert says it makes sense, because raw milk is food for bacteria and other components to make soil healthy. He isn't recommending eliminating fertilizer, but milk may be an effective way to restore soil health.
Milk's high protein, sugar, enzymes and vitamin B levels offer other benefits. A New Mexico beef producer runs 2 gallons of milk/acre through his irrigation and improves the Brix level (sweetness) of the grass. Because insects don't have a pancreas, they can't tolerate sugar. Producers have observed insect numbers are down in areas that have been doused with milk. Bernt notes that this year his organically grown watermelons and honeydew melons were noticeably sweeter. His wife ran milk with the water when she sprayed the plants.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, David Wetzel, P.O. Box 466, O'Neil, Neb. 68763 (ph 402 858-4817; dave.gpp@msn.com) or Bob Bernt, Clear Creek Organic Farms, 82228 499th Ave., Spalding, Neb. 68665 (ph 308-750-1086; rk_bernt@yahoo.com) or Terry Gompert, 309 Bridge St., Center, Neb. 68724 (ph 402-288-5611; tgompert1@unl.edu).
Click here to download page story appeared in.
Click here to read entire issue
To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.