Still can't get lime

[Steve in VA]

I'm now in the 17th month of the great lime chase. I'm definitely a small operation and that doesn't work in my favor. At first it was a hunt for soneone to spread it. Truck is broken, I need to check my calendar, I just do fertilizer...

Second CoOp assured me they would do it but as soon as the weather broke, they switched to seed and fertilizer and left me hanging. I went so far as hand delivering an anniversary card on the 1 year time. Thst got some attention but nothing more than empty promises.

Now everybody says they can't get any. I've got 3 quarries w/in 12 miles but no joy. They get all the business they want making gravel for construction. When they do produce lime, they call the next BTO and it's gone. Nearest supply I can find is almost 2 hours away; if it's there when I arrive.

Oh well. Thanks for listening to my whining.

 

[Welding man]

Steve , Most all the lime in my area comes from a quarry in Blacksburg Va. There never seems to be any trouble getting it there. There are at least 8 people in my area that have spreader trucks. Most of them have it hauled in by dump trailer or Quad axle trucks and reload and spread it on the farm.

 

[Steve in VA]

Steve , Most all the lime in my area comes from a quarry in Blacksburg Va. There never seems to be any trouble getting it there. There are at least 8 people in my area that have spreader trucks. Most of them have it hauled in by dump trailer or Quad axle trucks and reload and spread it on the farm.

That may be where I end up. I'm about 1.5 hours north but it may be thr only choice. Thanks.

 

[DanielW]

Don't get too hung up on using ag-lime that the co-op probably offers. Regular, dolomitic crushed lime fines/screenings from a quarry will do just fine, and probably cost a lot less. Might take a little longer for it to break down enough to really start helping the soil pH, but it's effectiveness will also last longer. Some folks used to express concern about using more common dolomitic rather than calcitic lime: The concern was that dolomitic might have too much magnesium, but those concerns have pretty much been washed away. Unless your soil is already really high in magnesium and you're dumping 15 tons an acre on, too much magnesium isn't going to be a problem. There's a good chance your soil may even need some magnesium, in which case the dolomitic is even better.

Quarry lime fines/screenings are usually about $10-20 per ton. Trucking is the main expense. The only issue with using it vs. ag lime is spreading it: If using a fertilizer-type spreader, you really need one with an apron chain at least 16" wide or it'll just bridge over the chain. We've spread a fair bit using a 3pt pendulum spreader or a trail spreader with a narrower chain, but it often requires someone riding it, poking it with a shovel handle to keep it from bridging. There are also other ways to get it spread: The old Gandy-style drop spreaders aren't the fastest units in the world, but they usually spread it well and you can usually pick one up for a couple of hundred dollars. We now use a 12' New Idea drop spreader for a lot of our lime. Some folks just mix a couple buckets of lime in with each load of manure.

 

[Steve in VA]

Don't get too hung up on using ag-lime that the co-op probably offers. Regular, dolomitic crushed lime fines/screenings from a quarry will do just fine, and probably cost a lot less. Might take a little longer for it to break down enough to really start helping the soil pH, but it's effectiveness will also last longer. Some folks used to express concern about using more common dolomitic rather than calcitic lime: The concern was that dolomitic might have too much magnesium, but those concerns have pretty much been washed away. Unless your soil is already really high in magnesium and you're dumping 15 tons an acre on, too much magnesium isn't going to be a problem. There's a good chance your soil may even need some magnesium, in which case the dolomitic is even better.

Quarry lime fines/screenings are usually about $10-20 per ton. Trucking is the main expense. The only issue with using it vs. ag lime is spreading it: If using a fertilizer-type spreader, you really need one with an apron chain at least 16" wide or it'll just bridge over the chain. We've spread a fair bit using a 3pt pendulum spreader or a trail spreader with a narrower chain, but it often requires someone riding it, poking it with a shovel handle to keep it from bridging. There are also other ways to get it spread: The old Gandy-style drop spreaders aren't the fastest units in the world, but they usually spread it well and you can usually pick one up for a couple of hundred dollars. We now use a 12' New Idea drop spreader for a lot of our lime. Some folks just mix a couple buckets of lime in with each load of manure.

I agree on all points, I just can't even get fines. I'm still searching but at least I've got a fella to spread it IF I can get anything to spread. Neighbor has an OLD drop spreader that is currently yard art but ui may be able to resurrect. Again, IF I have anything to spread.

 

[DanielW]

Ah, I see. That's a tough situation. How much do you need? The quarry two hours away is probably cost-prohibitive if you only need a few tons, but if you can use more in the long run, than the 4-hour round trip trucking price might be warranted as long as they offer a large-enough truck? Maybe get them to bring a 40 foot transport-sized dump or live-bottom trailer in with 20 tons or so? We always get the largest load possible: The trucking price usually doesn't vary much with the load weight: If it costs $500 to truck for 4 tons on a single axle dump, that's $125 per ton (plus lime cost), which is definitely not worth it. If it only costs $800 to get a transport-sized dump with 20+ tons, that's only $40 per ton, and a lot more justifiable. Even if you can't use it all at once, it usually doesn't wash away too fast, and will probably be good for at least a few years. I've got a pile sitting in one field that's been there since early 2020 and I still pick at it and spread some now and again. I always get it dumped it at the top of a hilly field, and at least if any does wash away it's going somewhere good.

 

[Steve in VA]

Ah, I see. That's a tough situation. How much do you need? The quarry two hours away is probably cost-prohibitive if you only need a few tons, but if you can use more in the long run, than the 4-hour round trip trucking price might be warranted as long as they offer a large-enough truck? Maybe get them to bring a 40 foot transport-sized dump or live-bottom trailer in with 20 tons or so? We always get the largest load possible: The trucking price usually doesn't vary much with the load weight: If it costs $500 to truck for 4 tons on a single axle dump, that's $125 per ton (plus lime cost), which is definitely not worth it. If it only costs $800 to get a transport-sized dump with 20+ tons, that's only $40 per ton, and a lot more justifiable. Even if you can't use it all at once, it usually doesn't wash away too fast, and will probably be good for at least a few years. I've got a pile sitting in one field that's been there since early 2020 and I still pick at it and spread some now and again. I always get it dumped it at the top of a hilly field, and at least if any does wash away it's going somewhere good.

Two of the nearby farms are in the same boat so I'll check to see if we can go together and get all we need. I only need 15ish tons.

 

[showcrop]

That may be where I end up. I'm about 1.5 hours north but it may be thr only choice. Thanks.

Here in New Hampshire I got it from New York Massachusetts state line 3 1/2 hours away by tractor-trailer load

 

[Fixingfarmer]

Even around here where it’s quarried and pelletized even for some people they like to line a bunch of a stuff up at the coop. Some YEARS the coop just doesn’t have that much to do if the crop price took a dip so they aren’t as willing. If they come by and ask do you have any liming to do that’s when it will have a chance of getting done because he has ten neighbors lined up. I know it’s more expensive for what you get but I have driven with a 3/4 ton pickup to get a bag of pell lime for a customer. If I was having trouble that’s what I’d do. They come in the same bag as seed does if it’s not in a tote. Then give it to your spreader guy. I don’t know how many I could put on the gooseneck but it would probably be about as much as a little single axle dump truck.

 

[Steve in VA]

Even around here where it’s quarried and pelletized even for some people they like to line a bunch of a stuff up at the coop. Some YEARS the coop just doesn’t have that much to do if the crop price took a dip so they aren’t as willing. If they come by and ask do you have any liming to do that’s when it will have a chance of getting done because he has ten neighbors lined up. I know it’s more expensive for what you get but I have driven with a 3/4 ton pickup to get a bag of pell lime for a customer. If I was having trouble that’s what I’d do. They come in the same bag as seed does if it’s not in a tote. Then give it to your spreader guy. I don’t know how many I could put on the gooseneck but it would probably be about as much as a little single axle dump truck.

That's an idea.