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How Polyhalite will change organic farming

The truth about organic farming is different from what most people think, it's far more complicated, especially, if you want to be fully certified as bio/organic.  Our farm has that advantage, in addition to being located in the United Kingdom, where certification is not only complex but intrusive, of being considered as testing ground for many new agricultural practices.  Our ability to replenish the land with both organic and inorganic supplements is critical.  Although we don't grow soya beans, it is one of the most demanding crops in terms of potassium.  A favourite of the vegan/vegetarian but only some of them realize how destructive to the land soya bean production is in mineral depletion.   In the UK, 100% of our potassium comes from Russia (and Ukraine...).

Yeah, so the greens' strong appetite for soya products supports the Russian economy, and it's not a pretty sight.  These mines are very polluting and are rumoured to use forced labour.  That's a truth that the anti-meat lobby conveniently forgets.  

Over the next few years the Woodsmith Mine in Yorkshire will open (pushed back to 2027) for commercial quantities of polyhalite (POLY4).  POLY4 is a multi-nutrient and low-chloride fertilizer suitable for organic farming. Derived from a naturally occurring mineral polyhalite, POLY4 contains four of the six essential macronutrients required for plant growth: potassium, sulphur, magnesium and calcium. All this from the United Kingdom less than 250 miles from our farm...

Over the past 18 months, we have received small quantities (less than a tonne) of Poly4 for testing purposes.  The results have been excellent and it meets all the criteria that are essential for us to maintain our bio/organic certification (it is ground a little too fine and creates too much dust).  The extent of processing is grinding.

UK farming will benefit, like many others, from this new source of naturally occurring minerals, because it is not a pure compound it is far less abrasive (although are application was somewhat challenging because of the powder form...) still it brings all the essential minerals that are depleted by agriculture.  

Note:  All summer and autumn we have had faculty and students from two UK Universities testing on our POLY4 fields, from leaching studies to absorption to impact on the plant growth. 


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