Our local Farmers Co-op dropped off 28 tons—yes, 28 tons—of lime today for the pastures. Not once in 25 years of marriage have Mike and I ever discussed the need to “lime.” But now we do, marking the D’Avanzo’s first foray into this area of farm management. Google “liming pastures” and you’ll get about 32,500 results. Because we know you’re just dying to know this stuff, we’ll save you the trouble with these fast facts (which is about all I can understand anyway!):
1. Liming neutralizes soil acidity.
2. The main action of lime is to raise the pH of the soil. A pH of 7 is neutral, a lower pH is acid, and a higher one alkaline.
3. Ideal pH for most pasture soils is 5.8 to 6. Depending on the rate of lime and the initial soil pH, pasture production can be raised by up to 12%.
4. Auburn University soil tests confirmed that our pastures are between 5.4 and 5.7 pH. Not bad, but not good enough. We gotta hit 6 at least.
5. Hence, the white stuff being spread all over the land today.
