In recent years, more and more farmers are focusing on the overall health of their soil, worm population and root depth; essentially, bringing their soil back to life.
Soil is comprised primarily of organic matter, rock particles, air, water and micro-life. A healthy soil will help the uptake of nutrients into the plant and animals will have access to better quality forage.
Noel O’Toole is a third-generation farmer based in east Galway milking 180 cows on 45ha. Noel has been using Sobac products on his land for the last four years.
Noel uses both Sobac’s products, Bacteriolit and Bacteriosol, on his land. Bacteriolit is added to the slurry and spread on the grazing platform and Bacteriosol pellets are spread with a fertiliser spreader on the out farms.
Following the use of Sobac’s products, Noel has managed to stop using phosphorous (P) and potassium (K) fertiliser while maintaining his indexes.
His soil structure has improved along with root depth, leading to increased worm activity and soil health, which has resulted in a 40% reduction of nitrogen requirements on his land.
Sobac
Sobac is a French company in origin, is based in the south of the country, and has been specialising in organic soil amendments since the 1980s.
It was developed by Marcel Mezy, a French farmer and pioneer, whose aim was to produce high-quality, self-sufficient, profitable agriculture.
In developing his products Bacteriosol and Bacteriolit he only had one idea in mind: To give new life to deteriorated soils, often by the overuse of chemical inputs, so that farmers can regain their autonomy but also their pride by actively participating, at their level, in the protection of the planet.
Sobac now operates in over 12 countries and entered the Irish market ten years ago in 2012 in partnership with Tom Stapleton from P&T Stapleton Limited. In more recent times, the company has developed a partnership with Francis Egan from Soil Life and Adrian Molloy Grassland Services.
Sobac works for the health of soil. A living soil is a healthy soil, and its humus content is the primary sign of that. While decades of chemicals, erosion and adverse weather have degraded soils all over the country, Sobac’s products Bacteriolit and Bacteriosol have proved that it is possible to give soils back their fertility by boosting their humus content.
As Mezy himself often says, when humus goes away, humans go away. Humus is the natural storage capacity of the soil, and it is more important than ever that we are looking after our soil.
Sobac’s products work for the overall health of our soil, and the results speak for themselves.
In livestock farming, Sobac’s solutions focus on the relationship between soil, plants, and animals, to produce high-quality forage, beneficial to both animal health and product quality.
The overall concept provides real solutions for the sustainability of farms. Sobac is one of the only companies helping farmers to produce humus as fast, in all types of soils and in all weather conditions. Sobac is committed to implementing a new form of agriculture that is productive and environmentally friendly, whereby farmers regain their freedom and their pride in being farmers for the soil, for a long time.
Sobac’s products
Bacteriosol is a granulated soil amendment can be spread in a normal fertiliser spreader. The application rate is 40kg/ac if you are under three livestock units (LU) to the hectare or 50kg if you are over 3LU to the hectare.
It creates humus in your soil and unlocks the potential of your soil. When you use Bacteriosol you reduce your chemical nitrogen usage by 30% and eliminate the use of chemical phosphorus and potassium.
Bacteriolit is the first product that Sobac developed it is a selection of microorganisms. It can be added to the bedding of animals to reduce ammonia, reduce smells and toxins. It can be used in slurry tanks and dry bedding of cattle also.
It is very effective at breaking down organic matter and composting straw. It also creates humus in the soil and unlocks the potential of your soil
For more information or to arrange a no-obligation consultation, contact.
- Tom Stapleton: 087 232 8051 (North, East, South, South West: South Tipperary);
- Adrian Molloy: 087 232 5234 (West: Clare, Limerick, North Tipperary, Galway, Offaly);
- Francis Egan: 087 752 3328 (West: Mayo, Roscommon, Longford, Galway, Offaly).
For more information on Sobac, visit their website by clicking here.
