March 24 2010
IMPROVING Nutrient Management on farms In the North West is one of the Livestock Programme’s key themes, but why is it important and how does it affect performance?
Promar dairy consultant James Webster offers an insight into the importance of Nutrient Management Planning and the issues he’s helped address on farms in the North West...
Over 700 farmers from the North West have signed up to the Nutrient Management Planning and significant on-farm practical benefit has been seen. In my role as a dairy consultant for Promar in the North West I am discovering two main issues on farms.
1. A lack of slurry storage. The majority of farmers have less than 5 months storage
2. Over application / misapplication of nutrientsSo how important is nutrient planning?
So how important is nutrient planning?
Nutrient planning is more important than ever with new NVZ legislation in force and farming becoming under increasing public scrutiny for pollution and diffuse issues. A nutrient management plan under the Livestock Programme is designed to help farmers in the region understand the principles of nutrient planning, to promote correct decision making to improve efficiency and reduce costs. This is done by analysing farm slurry production and storage, cropping requirements and soil analysis.
Satisfying Crop Nutrient Need
One major issue I've come across whilst undertaking Nutrient Management Plans for farmers through the Northwest Livestock Programme is satisfying crop nutrient need. A common problem for intensive livestock farmers is providing more Nitrogen, Phosphate and Potash than the crop requires to grow. A major cause of this problem is underestimating the nutrient value of slurry. The mindset of slurry being a waste product is becoming increasingly a myth and indeed slurry should be treated as an asset as valuable as our bags of Nitram or Urea. Over-supplying the crop with these nutrients can reduce crop quality, become a cost burden and increase the risk of pollution.
Where to start
The starting point for any nutrient plan is to understand soil indices. These analyse the level of Phosphate and Potash in the soil which can be used by the crop. Knowledge of soil levels will help to evaluate accurately the crop requirement. For instance, on the majority of dairy farmers Phosphate and Potash indices are high in grazing areas and no extra artificial additions are required.
However, in multicut silage fields I am seeing a Potash deficiency. This becomes apparent because each crop use (i.e. silage vs. grazing) has very different crop requirements, hence these areas should have entirely different management regimes in order to maximise output.
Timing and Application
Another way in which farmers can increase their nutrient efficiency regards timing and application methods of slurry. For example 3000 gallon/acre of slurry in March can be worth up to 5kg of nitrogen/hectare more than a February application. This is even more applicable this season. The extremely cold spell of January and February has really delayed the spring season and grass for much of the northwest is some time away from greening up. Therefore fertiliser and slurry applications should be rethought.
For example, a mid-may cutting date will limit the time available for the grass to utilise applied nitrogen (in slurry and fertiliser) due to the slow spring, therefore applications may need to be reduced in order to minimise the risks of residual nitrogen when the grass is cut. This season in particular pre-cut nitrate testing would be advisable.
To discuss these options and increase nutrient efficiency, contact Promar on 0870 870 7380 and register your interest in a nutrient management plan.