Aaron & Brian Butt – Oakenden, Mackay
Aaron and Brian Butt are a father and son team from Oakenden in the Mackay sugar milling districts. The cane-growing duo are farming land of around 200 hectares and as you can imagine face many challenges.
One of the biggest challenges when farming at scale is the diversity in soil and earth makeup. Three soil types spread across this block. A clay loam at one end, a heavy black gluepot at the other, and a red clay strip running across the middle. This made it difficult to prepare resulting in poor germination and staggered emergence. In turn, the cane grew to all different sizes for much of its young stage.
Aaron visited Nutrien Ag Solutions in Mackay. Heidi suggested incorporating Katek’s Super Cal, a liquid clay breaker concentrate. Katek’s Super Cal breaks down clay which balances the soil and improves drainage. This is crucial for root growth, general health and in turn the yield of your plants. Super Cal contains 100% available calcium making a 1000 litre IBC concentrate as effective as 20 tonnes of Gypsum.
Aaron applied Katek’s Super Cal with his boom spray at 100 litres per hectare before planting. The cane emerged without gaps which was unusual based on the track history of this block. Whilst the cane was still young Brian didn’t want to get his hopes up and decided to have a dig to examine closer. A huge root mass stemmed from the young cane much to Brian’s surprise.
Aaron and Brian’s hardest paddock turned into their easiest. They will continue to apply Super Cal to part of the block at 30 litres per hectare each year as a trial until the next fallow.
#katekfertilizers #commercialgrower #queenslandfarms #sustainablefarming #soilhealth #soilhealthproducts #fertiliserforthefuture #supercal #claysoil #claybreaker
Our Sales Manager Andrew Weeks would love to answer any questions you may have about our products and help you choose the right product for your fertiliser program or customise a blend to suit your soil needs.
For more information or to chat about product options,
GIVE ANDREW A CALL ON 0427 223 307.
