Raymond Pogue Soil Solutions has been at the forefront of improving soil performance on farms across the province of Ulster for three decades. Based near Dungannon, the company is run by Raymond Pogue, designer of the Pogue Soil Aerator.
Having initially specialised in animal health and dairy hygiene products, Raymond decided to go down the soil nutritional route and became a FACTS (Fertiliser Advisors Certification and Training Scheme) consultant who provides a tailored soil nutritional advisory service for the agricultural sector as well as for fruit, potato and vegetable growers and sporting amenities. Recommendations for this programme are based on the results of a comprehensive soil survey.
To get maximum benefit from the advisory programme, Raymond stocks a wide range of trace elements which can be used on their own or blended. He also provides fertiliser blends (based on survey recommendations) that can be made to suit your soil’s requirements. For grassland to get maximum benefit from the advisory programme, soil must have adequate oxygen.
To facilitate this, Raymond has researched and developed his own grassland aerator which is known as the Pogue Soil Aerator.On grassland farms, aeration is often the first step in good soil management. It allows very soluble nutrients like iron and sodium to move freely and not build up in soil. By introducing air, this will allow the soil life to flourish and release locked up nutrients. A loose open soil will facilitate good root growth and alleviate problems like sod pulling, thus encouraging thicker swards and clover.
Pogue Soil Aerators are robustly constructed and are available in two widths – three and six metres. They are very efficient implements for relieving compaction to deliver benefits such as increased grassland productivity, better utilisation of slurry, reduced expenditure on NPK, reduced poaching and sod pulling and increased tolerance to drought.
Also, well aerated soils warm up faster in the spring and recover faster after grazing / cutting, while a more effective microbial population fixes nitrogen for free and improves the utilisation of applied fertilisers. Features of the Pogue Soil Aerator includes ballast tanks, 50mm flange bearings, unique blade support, adjustable rotor to suit soil types, galvanised for long life and back linkage.
“Coming from an engineering background and through my experience of soil testing and compaction, designing the Pogue Soil Aerator was something that came naturally to me,” said Raymond.
“Unlike the big engineering companies whose aerators are designed to sell in large numbers, the Pogue Soil Aerator is designed with the farmer and his soil in mind. It is fully galvanised and the six metre machine hydraulically folds neatly behind a tractor for convenient movement.
”Since the mid-1990s, Raymond Pogue Soil Solutions has been the sole agent for the Glenside Group in Northern Ireland. The Glenside Group is based near Edinburgh in Scotland, they specialise in soil consultancy throughout the UK and Ireland. Their unique patented soil analysis test determines an accurate and comprehensive nutrient measurement of soils. All soils consist of a team of three elements – Physical, Chemical and Biological.
These three are the indivisible, interdependent members of the “soil team”. Each one potentially affects the efficient working of the other. The Chemical affects the Physical which in turn affects soil Biology and micro-organic activity. Imbalances make the rooting environment less hospitable for root development, thereby inhibiting the plant’s ability to access the balanced range of nutrients it needs for optimum yield and disease resistance. Imbalanced soils and poor microbial activity restrict their contribution to crop yield and quality. Margins suffer due to the additional costs of compensating for these soils not performing as they could. Plants cannot obtain nutrients without roots. Plants with more effective root systems will be able to access a wider range of essential nutrients. Soil micro flora substantially increases the nutrient gathering ability of root systems.
To be productive, a soil has to provide a hospitable environment for roots and microbes alike – 25 per cent air to breathe, 25 per cent water to drink and move about in, 45 per cent mineral and five per cent humus or colloidal organic matter. Soils with poor microbial activity cannot contribute cost effectively to profitable production.
Raymond Pogue Soil Solutions uses Glenside’s comprehensive Albrecht Soil Survey to identify the limitations of each soil and the barriers they pose to optimum crop and livestock production. The Albrecht Soil Survey is a powerful diagnostic aid to understanding the intricate inter-dependence of three parameters of soil – the Chemical, the Physical and the Biological. With all package deals, Glenside’s technical consultants provide an on-farm visit to discuss the results of your soil tests and plan a tailored programme to suit your soil’s nutritional requirements.
“From Glenside’s unique Soil Survey, we can tell how biologically alive the soil is. From that, we can decide what nutrients need to be applied. If your soil is balanced, your plants and crops are balanced. It’s a simple logic. We can help to maximise your soil’s full potential,” Raymond explains.
With a continued focus on quality, Raymond stocks a full range of JFC quality plastic moulded agricultural products, pipes and fittings. Bespoke JFC rainwater harvesting systems are made to suit individual requirements.
The affable soil advisor is also well-known in pig and pedigree cattle breeding circles. With the help of his son Stuart and father Charlie, he runs a piggery which finishes about 5,000 pigs per year. Raymond, is a former chairman of the Ulster Farmers’ Union Pork and Bacon Committee. He is also an past chairman of the Northern Ireland Hereford Breeders’ Association and is now a Director of Elite Herefords Ltd which promotes Hereford cattle and certified Hereford beef. Every year Elite Herefords Ltd organise shows, sales and other events to promote the breed.
Raymond Pogue Soil Solutions
54-58 Milltown Road,
Benburb,
Dungannon,
Co. Tyrone BT71 7ND.
Telephone: 028 3754 9649
Mobile: 07860 402 673 / 07738 735 888
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.poguesoilsolutions.com
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 5 No 1, January/February 2017
