Vital to get your fertiliser regime right, for your pocket and the environment

IF you look at a set of farm financial accounts and look at the top three or four expenses incurred during the year you can be sure that fertiliser is going to be included in those expenses, especially on well stocked farm. That’s is why when you are applying fertiliser, both chemical and organic, that you do so when it is appropriate and when you are going to get a good return from it in terms of grass grown.

NOT only will this make you more money but it will also be better for the environment from an emissions and water quality perspective.

EVERY farmer applying fertiliser on their farm needs to have soil samples taken and with these samples an appropriate nutrient management plan (NMP) should be completed. Not only is this a requirement under the Nitrates legislation but it is good farming practise. Farmers availing of Nitrates Derogation who are stocked over 170kg/N/Ha will be well aware of their obligations with annual records etc. We need to look beyond this as being another set of regulations. LACK of nitrogen (N) supply in the soil can limit spring grass growth which leads to the question of when should I apply N in the spring? The timing and rate of fertiliser N application are key decisions for every livestock farmer. RESEARCH has shown a large range in grass response to early N ranging between 5 to 18kg of grass Dry Matter (DM) for every kg of N applied. While the appropriate application of early N is beneficial, the incorrect application of early N is wasteful, costly, pollutes water and increases greenhouse gas emissions.

THE following recommendations should guide your decisions around early N application.

REFER to Teagasc guidance on the application of early N which provides and simple checklist of do’s and don’t’s. Check the weather forecast prior to making fertiliser N applications. There should be no heavy rainfall for at least 48 hours after applying nitrogen. CHECK the soil moisture deficits (SMD) for your area and only spread if SMD is greater than zero and only apply fertiliser N when soil temperature is greater than 5°C and rising. Target fields for early N that are most likely to respond to an early N application which would include Perennial ryegrass / recently reseeded fields and drier, free draining fields FIELDS with a good grass cover of greater than 400 kg DM/ha or 5 cm of grass. Grass needs more grass to grow early in the spring. Where fields are very bare no N should be applied until temperatures increase significantly. Early N should be applied on fields with optimum soil fertility, i.e. good P and K status, and pH > 6.2 REPLACE chemical N fertiliser on approx. 1/3 of the farm with cattle slurry if available. Target slurry applications to fields with low P & K levels & low grass covers at a rate of no more than 2,500 gals/acre. The preferred method of application would be by low emission equipment such as dribble bar or trailing shoe. Where this Is not possible get slurry out on an overcast dull day with low covers of grass. Slurry applied at 2500gals/acre will supply the equivalent of 20 units/acre of available nitrogen

USE urea or protected urea (NBPT) for early N applications. Apply up to 24 units N/ ac in mid to late February/early March and avoid fields that have received an application of cattle slurry. To ensure you are spreading accurately calibrate and maintain your fertiliser spreader in good condition and don’t apply fertiliser or slurry into buffer margins. There are different buffer margins for fertiliser and slurry so you should be aware of these TO maximise your fertiliser investment this spring prepare an NMP for the farm and ensure fertiliser is spread when it is appropriate to do so.