At Kiwi Fertiliser our major focus is building and maintaining fertility on as many farms and horticultural properties as possible, New Zealand wide.
We exist because some of the fertiliser companies have failed to deliver real fertility to farmers, who demand and deserve better treatment.
We knew there had to be a better way, so we asked Kiwi farmers what they really wanted from a fertiliser company, and they told us:
And that is what we at Kiwi Fertiliser are delivering every day, all over New Zealand. We are absolutely committed to changing the face of New Zealand agriculture for the betterment of farmers, growers, and the environment.
We pride ourselves on delivering fertility that is as close as possible to what nature intended, while balancing the commercial reality, and providing information and advice that farmers and growers can literally bank on.
Many farmers in New Zealand and in 75 countries around the world are actively growing their production and profit by using the Albrecht-Kinsey system of soil fertility. Currently we have five years of solid results behind us that has proved to us that this system works exceedingly well here in NZ. The Albrecht-Kinsey system is backed up by 80 years of science, and by results that speak for themselves.
The message is clear: Superior results that transfer directly into greater profitability and sustainability on the farm.
Experience the Kiwi Fertiliser way for yourself - Contact us to request a soil audit.
Neal Kinsey runs Kinsey Agricultural Services, which specialises in building and maintaining soil fertility for optimum quality and yields. As a consultant, Neal Kinsey’s job is to advise those who want guidance on how to improve their soils, crops, pastures and animals, so the clients’ production targets are better achieved. Neal Kinsey studied soil science under Dr. William Albrecht, Emeritus Professor of Soils and former Chairman of the Department of Soils at the University of Missouri; College of Agriculture.
Dr. Albrecht was born on a farm in Illinois. He grew up with an intense interest in the soil and all things agricultural. As he and his associates unlocked the secrets of nature, they recorded their findings from the 1930’s to the 1970’s.
Dr. Albrecht held four degrees – B.A, B.Sc, M.Sc, and Ph.D. from the University of Illinois. He travelled and studied soils in Great Britain, Europe and Australia. During his long teaching and learning lifetime, Dr. Albrecht wrote no less than 445 papers on sound agriculture, and almost all have been reprinted in the world’s major languages. Follow this link to read Healthy Soils, Healthy People; an article about the work and legacy of William Albrecht.
Kiwi Fertiliser Company is committed to encouraging farmers to understand the “true science” behind soil testing and fertiliser application.
So what is that true science? Dr. Albrecht emphasised that to be true science, it must be highly repeatable. The soil tests must be highly accurate. If you can’t measure it; you can’t manage it. It manages you. In these circumstances, you are subject to the whims of nature and fluctuating yields, diseases and results.
A worthy soil consultant, working with a truly scientific soil test must be able to differentiate between soils that produce top quality crops and those that don’t; and be able to tell why. Our consultants are all highly trained to do just that, and are committed to improving the situation of each of our clients.
The proof of the pudding is in the eating. You can only prove what is being said here by doing it in the field. In some cases, the complete response may take up to three years to achieve. In most cases, results are evident within a month or two, but almost certainly within the first year. If you still have doubts about the effectiveness of the programme; try it on a small scale, or read the many success stories from around the world. You will not regret it. The results you get will prove; this is true science.
Contact your local consultant to request a soil audit today, and start getting real fertility results for your farm.
Kiwi Fertiliser prides itself on delivering fertility as close as nature intended as practicable. Farmers have been led to believe urea is essential for high production. We contend that is not true. Nitrogen can be sourced from the air by plants if the correct conditions are met. After all, the urea manufacturers obtain nitrogen from the air, convert it to urea, and then sell it to the farmer. To ensure your farm gets free nitrogen, you just have to ensure the following conditions:
In our general experience, this is what we find, in relation to the above factors:
We often find higher amounts of nitrogen in our soil tests, than in soil tests taken on farms not using our fertiliser system. That means the nitrogen is where it is supposed to be. It’s in the soil, not in the water.
Our recommended phosphate products are all alkaline. Alkaline P does not have the same propensity to complex in the soil as acid superphosphate does. Further, acid P is harsh on soil fungi. One of soil fungi’s functions is to hold calcium in the soil. Without those fungi, calcium is not held in the soil at all. To make matters worse, urea can take calcium and copper out of the soil. Some fungi increase plants’ ability to uptake P by up to 1000 times. It is a huge loss to lose them.
Potassium is not considered an issue by regional councils. However, since potassium chloride can be harsh on soil microbial life, we only recommend potassium sulphate. The chloride form is the main culprit that hardens soil. Hard soils are dead soils with less humus in them than living, productive soils. When it rains, hard soils shed water much faster than soft, spongy living soils. This leads to erosion and nutrient loss. A soil with 1% organic matter can only retain 20% of the water that a 5% organic matter soil can. That has serious implications in drought situations.
Please Note: Any figures mentioned above are relevant only to those establishments and results will not be the same, or mean the same, if applied to or from other any soil tests.
Owners: Mike and Claire Belcik
Location: Torere, Bay of Plenty
Type of Operation: Garlic
Mike and Claire Belcik use organically certified products and advice supplied by Kiwi Fertiliser. The below is an article about the Belcik's by Elaine Fisher. This article appeared in Coast and Country Magazine in Feb 2015 and is used here with permission.
It’s just as well the sheds on Mike and Claire Belcik’s Torere market garden are well constructed – for from their rafters hangs one tonne of garlic.
The couple have been growing garlic for 24 years and such is their reputation for quality and taste that it’s sold throughout the country in gourmet and whole food stores, health food shops and supermarkets.
Claire also sells garlic, along with a wide range of other produce she grows, from her popular roadside stall in Opotiki each summer.
The latest crop of heirloom Takahui garlic was harvested just after Christmas with the help of WOOFers – a coin for Willing Workers on Organic Farms – as well as friends and a mechanical “lifter”.
“I don’t plant garlic on the shortest day of the year and harvest it on the longest, which a lot of people do,” says Claire.
“I plant according to the most favourable phases of the moon and keep a record on my calendars of when I plant and harvest all my crops.
“Before I plant a new crop, I get out all my old calendars and check back to see what I did in other years and what worked best,” says Claire.
“Last season I planted the garlic in late July and it grew really well.”
Claire amongst the Takahui garlic.
Planning when to pant is just one part of the preparation. Claire operates a five-year rotation system for the garlic and each new bed is at least two years in the making.
This includes growing an herbal ley to be grazed by the family house cow. Mustard is used as a ‘bio-fumigant’ to clean the soil followed by another cover crop.
As with planting by the moon, Claire also uses biodynamic principles to enhance soil fertility, including making biodynamic preparations, compost, seaweed and fish-based liquid fertilisers, and growing green manures which are dug back into the soil.
“For me it all begins with the soil. If we keep the soil healthy then we produce good food; and I want to grow good, nutritious food for people to eat.”
For the garlic, the soil is worked up into raised beds, carefully weeded and planted with the biggest and best of last year’s garlic cloves placed five rows to a bed.
The rows are 20cm apart and the garlic is spaced 15cm apart in the rows. Mulch is applied to retain moisture and supress weeds.
There are a variety of crops grown by the Belciks.
Harvesting is hard work and last year, with the help of friends and neighbours, Claire and Mike built a garlic lifter using different pieces of machinery cobbled together to create a new tractor-drawn tool which has made a huge difference to the work.
The device lifts the bulbs, making it easier for workers following behind to pick them up.
In the curing shed, the bulbs are cleaned by removing two of the outside leaves, graded and tied in bunches, still with their roots, to be hung up to cure.
“I think the garlic goes on growing a little after it’s harvested as it takes up nutrients from the leaves. We don’t wash our garlic or do anything other than let it dry.
“When it comes time to sell, we cut off the dead leaves and roots.”
The garlic will keep for up to nine months in the curing sheds.
While she’s experimented with a number of varieties, Claire prefers the Takahui garlic which was discovered growing in sand dunes near Dargaville many years ago.
“It was probably brought to New Zealand by Dalmatian gum diggers.”
She also grows elephant garlic, which is truly huge. Unlike common garlic, described as “soft necked” and most closely related to onions, elephant garlic is hard necked and related to leeks. To date only small quantities of the elephant garlic have been grown but Claire’s pleased with the latest harvest and will plant more next season.
Growing food and being a farmer was all Claire wanted to do when she was growing up at Edgecumbe in the Bay of Plenty.
At 21 she and a girlfriend bought round-the-world tickets and began their big OE. It was while in the USA that she met woodsman Mike.
In 1990 the couple bought 70 hectares of land at Torere, near Te Kaha.
“Our first child John had just been born and Mike had been seriously injured in a car accident, but we knew this was the property for us.”
Much of it was and still is, covered in native bush. The couple began clearing the land and as Mike recovered, he erected a tepee and lived on the farm while he built a home.
The family returned to the USA to spend time with Mike’s family and earn money to help pay off their mortgage – Claire working with landscape gardeners, Mike using his considerable building, joinery and timber milling skills.
They returned with a container filled with American hard wood they had milled and Mike’s portable sawmill.
Elephant garlic being processed.
The Belciks and their children, John, Dan and Ben, have made subsequent trips to the USA “so the boys can get to know their American cousins” and Mike’s family has visited Torere too.
Today market gardening and timber milling are the main focus for Claire and Mike. Apart from garlic their other commercial crop is 145 lime trees with the fruit in demand for juice as well as fresh fruit.
Their property also grows a wide variety of other trees, including citrus, avocado, macadamia nut, feijoa, persimmon, bananas, berries, peaches, pears, plums and exotic timber trees.
Always experimenting, new varieties of cucumber and melons are being trialled.
There’s asparagus, kale, and watermelons. The ‘kitchen garden’ grows an impressive variety of food, flowers and herbs including corn, tomatoes, cabbage, lettuce, onions, celery, carrots and potatoes.
Everything is grown on organic principles and the property is just six months away from gaining full organic certification.
The Belcik family is keen to share their knowledge of farming and gardening and are involved in gardening projects at the local school and marae.
They also like to share their home so there’s a steady stream of Woofers coming and going, including this summer Kaisa Schlarb from Washington who helped with the garlic harvest.
“Meeting Claire and coming to Torere has been very special. I have learnt so much and every day we have wonderful meals made from produce growing in the garden.”
Pinky Tafatu-Hipa, who Claire met while on holiday in Niue two years ago, has visited for the last two summers, helping with gardening and selling produce from the roadside stall.
“I just love it here, helping Claire and selling fruit and vegetables from the store,” says Pinky, who admits she had no idea where Torere was, but now thinks it’s a little piece of paradise –in many ways not unlike her own island home.
Pinky Tafatu-Hipa shows off the sunflowers.
For further information, contact Claire and Mike via email: belcikfamily@yahoo.com
Owners: Jeff and Fiona Graham
Location: Maungatautari, near Te Awamutu, Waikato
Type of Operation: Dairy goats, and Pukeatua Peak Cheese
"In five years, milk production has increased from 28,000kgMS from 600 goats (2010) to 55,000kgMS from 450 goats (2014). That’s a 96% improvement in total production and an improvement of 162% per goat."
When Fiona’s late father entered the Graham’s 600 milking-goat farm into the Ballance Environmental Awards, it heralded the start of a new direction for the farm. The goat droppings were recognised as a resource for compost and a compost turner was purchased. The first application was 9t/ha applied by muck spreader.
A few years later, the Grahams, Ron McLean, and Craig Vincent began the company now known as Kiwi Fertiliser. Kiwi Fertiliser uses the services of Kinsey Agricultural Services, and Perry Agricultural Laboratories (PAL) in Missouri, USA to conduct rigorous soil testing, and from there to make recommendations. These three companies absolutely nail soil fertility issues, leading to increased pasture production, better drought performance and superior animal health over time. Following this system requires investment and commitment, so to begin with 5 hectares of Pukeatua Peak Goat Farm were brought up to excellent soil fertility each year. Jeff attended one of Neal Kinsey’s soil fertility courses and became convinced that this was the way of the future.
Jeff subsequently found that when the calcium and magnesium reached base saturation of 68% and 12% on a PAL soil audit, pasture production went from 12,000 kgs/ha to over 20,000kgs. (68% calcium and 12% magnesium on a PAL test is the correct percentage for this and most farms. Other farms on certain soils may vary to 60% Ca and 20% Mg.)
The Grahams average 23,000kgDM/Ha over their property (excluding sidlings). As Jeff often says, “You can’t grow 23 tonnes if you are fertilising for 12.” This year the signs are all there that that figure will be substantially increased.
Jeff initially criticised the cost to improve each paddock, but, at the end of the day, that cost amounted to “chicken feed” when measured against the improvements in productivity and profit. In five years, milk production has increased from 28,000kgMS from 600 goats (2010) to 55,000 from 450 goats (2014). That’s a 96% improvement in total production and an improvement of 162% per goat.
The goat industry currently pays $18.50/kgMS, and the price paid has increased steadily along with production. The average live weight of the goats has increased from 64kg to 89kg (+72%). At $18.50 per kg, in 2010, each goat produced $860 worth of milk. In 2014, that had increased to $2,260. Each goat was producing its body-weight in milk. Now it is 137% of body-weight with the top goats producing twice to three times their body-weight. This is well above industry average.
In contrast to improvements via soil fertility, genetic improvement amounts to $13/goat/yr. First kidders produce 155kg on average and the best mature goats between 180 and 200kgMS. Kidding has dramatically increased with the increased soil fertility. Quads and quins are now common-place. Progeny sales are an important part of the operation with sales now being worth $200-250,000 per annum.
The Dairy Goat Co-op has managed goat milk production in a very controlled fashion. As the Graham’s production increased, surplus milk above quota was paid for at lower rate. This opened the door for cheese making and Pukeatua Peak Cheese was born. In their first year, 2010, five Pukeatua cheeses won six medals; two bronze, two silver and two gold; one gold being for the Artisan Cheese of the Year.
All feed grown on the farm is cut and carried. The harvesting round is about 16-18 days to maximise protein. Each load of herbal ley weighs in at 405kgDM, rain hail or shine. It is nutritionally balanced with grain and baleage. If the mass exceeds 2,600kgDM, it is likely end up as baleage, and much does. In some instances, the growth has caught them by surprise and the mass has increased to 3,000kgDM/ha, in which case it has been added to the compost. Feed quality is of paramount importance. The amount grown is just a bonus.
While the Grahams have exited Kiwi Fertiliser Company, they have remained very loyal customers. Since Purchasing a Keenan mixer wagon, production has increased further. The Keenan nutritionists have told Jeff his pasture quality is in the top 2% in the world, and Keenan have 31,000 customers around the globe.
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This document was last updated on November 17, 2014
