Spraying the milk and fish oil brings earthworms to the surface of the soil for dinner. The fish oil does great as a low-no burn nutrient too. The milk may have a value for the grass, but I feel that you are calling the "Ground keepers" to the surface. Mix a cup of alfalfa pellets in a two gallon bucket, let it sit for three days, then pour it on the ground, and you will see a difference where you poured that mixture. Of course alfalfa makes a type of alcohol that plants take in that forms basal root growth; but it brings in earthworms from surrounding areas that can get to it. Pour it on roses, or branched plants and you will see new limbs forming from the main stem. Like the fair coming to town with all of the 4-H Chicken tents, and Funnel Cakes, we all love to eat. Worms love alfalfa tea and pellets too for those who have gardens. It gives them muscles. I think the Alfalfa tea makes them crazy the way they slash around. Usuually they are pretty quiet.
Without earthworms, you would not have anything growing. If earthworms are given something to eat, they will come to the surface, bringing new, richer nutrients to the top, and can add as much as .02" of soil to your land a year if you feed them. I have a feeling that the milk and fish oil is exactly where this is going. Earthworm casings is the richest nutrient plants can ask for besides water. Charles Darwin studied Earth Worms before he studied all of us monkeys. :banana:
Charles Darwin said when he comes to an area where there is no vegetation growing, only soil, he knows the earthworms have not reached the soil yet. It may be desert land, or waste land. But it is not inhabited by earthworms.
But more important, they are aerating the soil to bring in the oxygen to the roots, and tunnels for water to saturate down into the soil. Studies show where the mechanical aerator destroys more than it helps because underneath the surface of the soil, there is a city of earthworms, dung beetles, bacteria, microbes, etc... that keep the soil healthy, to make it work. Once you have run a $14,000 aerator across your pasture, you have busted up everything the earthworms have worked to build, and what the purpose of the milk and fish oil brings to your pasture. It takes time for the worms and the bacteria and microbes to reproduce/build and put this city together, the tunnels to the surface for food from old grass leaves and such..... But if you have over grazed pastures where cattle stomp your soil hard and the roots of your grass are only 1" deep because the grass is 1" or less, then it will be difficult to get things in shape below. Short grass gives no shade to the roots and no shade to what is below. It will always just dry out the ground if it stays packed from over grazing. It will not matter how much fertilizer or work you do to it. Check this site out and look at the number of earth worms in each crop per square meter.
http://www.css.cornell.edu/courses/260/ ... co%202.pdf
It shows for tilled crops and no till crops.
I live in West TN, and no-till was forced on the farmers here, because of soil erosion, and they DID NOT like it. But after they started the practice, and saw when they did not till the fields, only cut into the soil when they planted; this left a solid mulch for the next years crop, and the ground became loose and the farmers said they could pick the soil up in their hands and it had the texture of a fine potting/gardening soil. They were very pleased with the results. So, with the clay/loam soils, they increased the top soil with a mulch, and stopped cutting up the "Underground City," leaving the earthworms to work their magic, and it paid off. It left them with much less hours of work too.
Here is an Earthworm site that is from Charles Darwin's site. Click on the left hand side and it will give you information of how the earthworm can process 2-20 tons of dung and plant litter in your pasture and other info.
http://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/Science- ... Earthworms
I would say if you have a chance to spray that milk and fish oil, go for it. But make sure you don't overgraze your pastures, because you are taking care of what is underground. If you mess this up by over stressing it afterwards, you will not reap the rewards. Nature knew what to do with it before we came along. I think in the long run, you will have a much, much healthier pasture. You know you have a good pasture or hay field when you have soft mole runs through it!
Chuckie