Will the soil improve if dairy farmers sow clover in their grass? To answer that question, the province of Drenthe wants to start a study among a hundred farmers. To this end, it is looking for farmers to participate in the experiment.
The research should make it clear whether soil life benefits from the clover and whether it has an effect on crop yield. It must also be determined whether it is profitable for farmers to use clover on their farm.
Research shows that clover has a unique property: it can fix nitrogen from the air into the soil. The result is the ability to use nitrogen and carbon to produce proteins or make nitrogen usable for plant growth. The idea is that this means that much less fertilizer is needed.
The dairy farmers participating in the study can indicate via a survey whether working with grass clover on the farm is feasible. They can, among other things, let us know how much fertilizer is saved, what the yield of the grass clover is and whether the livestock also like it.
Researchers from Bioclear Earth, commissioned by the province, will look at all bacteria and fungi, minerals in the soil and the acidity at twenty participating companies. We also look at how nutritious the clover is.
A sown plot is divided into two parts for this purpose. 50% fertilizer is spread on one half, and none at all on the other half.
Dairy farmers will receive compensation for their participation in the study. The province is paying more than 430,000 euros for the project.