Raw milk applied to grass, crops and soil

[Guest guest]

Below is an article that was published/discussed in many printed news, TV,

radio, blogs this past wk. I think the publics interest in the story is good

news for dairy farmers. What the article does not discuss is an observation

made during the Field Day comparing side by side fields of milk spray and se

salt mineral spray. Not only did the milk field appear to have more growth but

the field was loaded in Tall Fescue. Terry and I noted that their appeared to

be a big difference in the fungus lesions on the Tall Fescue between the two

test plots. The Milk field had substantially lower fungus loads compared to the

other fields.

Obviously this is only a observation but one i think it is worth our communities

time and effort to follow up with additional trails.

Farmer says spraying milk on field improves grass

by the Associated Press

KMOV.com

Posted on June 27, 2010 at 6:37 PM

LINN, Mo. (AP) -- A Nebraska dairy farmer is drawing some attention in Missouri

after stumbling upon what he thinks might be the secret not only to strong bones

but to great grazing land: milk.

Wetzel, a former steel executive, told a conference of farmers in Linn

that when he started a second career as a dairy farmer in 2002, he doused parts

of his 320-acre farm with skim milk, which was a byproduct of his farm's

specialty butters and cheeses.

He soon discovered that his cattle preferred those fields. He called in an

expert to figure out what was going on, and the result was a bit staggering: His

milk-fed land yielded 1,100 more pounds of grass per acre than untreated land.

Wetzel spoke during a recent conference at the Osage Community center in Linn

that attracted about 50 people, The Columbia Daily Tribune reported Sunday. It

was organized by retired Osage County judge and cattle farmer Ralph Voss, who is

trying out the milk method.

Wetzel said he began making butters and cheeses that required only the fats from

the milk that his cows produced, which left behind large quantities of skim milk

as a waste product. To dispose of it, he would drive up and down a portion of

his pasture with milk pouring out of a tank. He dumped up to 600 gallons of skim

milk on the field every other day.

" I came from a background that has nothing to do with farming, " Wetzel said. " So

I don't know the do's and don'ts. I don't have any relatives that would say,

'You can't do that.' So I just kind of did what felt right. "

One day, he noticed that his cows favored that patch of field. The grass felt

more supple and looked healthier and more dense in that area.

He eventually contacted Terry Gompert, a University of Nebraska Extension

educator who specializes in holistic land management. Gompert arranged to have

researchers test the milk hypothesis.

After 45 days, they found that the plots treated with milk grew about 1,100 more

pounds of grass per acre than untreated plots, a 26 percent increase in yield.

Also, the soil had a greater " porosity " or ability to absorb water and air.

Gompert stressed that much more research needs to be done. He said the findings

make sense because milk is food for the bacteria, fungi, protozoa and nematodes

in healthy soil.

" Our unfair advantage is getting the microbes to work for us, " Gompert said. The

milk " is just feeding the workers. "

Many of the participants at the conference on Thursday and Friday said they may

give milk a try.

" When you start spraying milk on your fields, you're going to be thought of as a

fool, " said Larry Sansom, a cattle farmer from Kentucky who drove six hours to

learn about the method. " But I guess you've got to hold your nose and jump. "