Soil Minerals

This is the interesting life story of one of New Zealand's great and gifted farmers Brown Trotter who pioneered the use of trace minerals in NZ farming and as a result he greatly increased his farm's profitability, improved the breeding and health of his livestock and won numerous prizes at regional stock shows. As his own health was failing he applied the same method that he used to improve the health of his stock on himself and cured his heart disease something that the doctors of the day were amazed by as they had never seen such a drastic reversal of heart disease like his before. This book is a Testament to how soil health is essential not only for the health of the farm animals but also for the delivery of the same trace elements through the food chain to maintain our own health. When they are available in the right quantities both animals and people benefit.

Brown had no qualifications of note and he was constantly challenged on his views for soil nurturing and animal nutrition. This was because his views were the opposite of what the government appointed Scientists and Vets of the day were promoting. His practical approach and results were doing all the talking and while every attempt was made to publicly discredit and suppress his views and methods; the truth was not going to be hidden this time.

Brown would buy under nourished lambs from other farms at a low price and then, next season send them out as fine fat sheep specimens obtaining top prices for them. Neighbouring farmers with the same soil profile were left wandering how Browns stock could be so healthy in comparison to theirs, especially when their animals were in the paddock next to his. He got them to that stage by pioneering the use of trace minerals in NZ, in particular copper, zinc, Iodine and selenium. He delivered these either by top dressing to the soil or drenching the animals. His conclusion was that you can farm more profitably, plus add years of vigorous health to your life, by supplying the trace minerals lacking in your soil.

Despite his success with his animals Brown's health began to deteriorate from age 45. He soon began to black out continually. At age 59, Trotter's farm animals were among the healthiest in New Zealand. Yet Brown Trotter himself was in his own words "decrepit, very lame and with a bad heart." At age 64 an x-ray a cardiograph revealed a severely diseased heart. He was immediately flown to Greenlane hospital to be operated on. This was just to hold the situation and perhaps gain another year or two of life. When Brown came home from the hospital he continued to deteriorate. He writes " I couldn't read. About two lines and I fell asleep. This was an existence I came to dread . I realised I was turning into a cabbage." Finally in desperation he decided to take the same minerals that had worked wonders with the health of his sheep. He weaned himself off the drug Diacon and began taking sheep minerals Magnesium, Zinc, Seleniu...