A Farming Connect project focussing on better use of home produced fertilisers shows how managing manure applications and testing soils nutrient status can improve productivity and profitability on Welsh soils.
The project, located at Lower Eyton Farm near Wrexham, focussed on how farmers can make best use of their home-produced and available fertilisers. Moving away from routine purchasing of fertilisers, to a purchasing protocol based on soil status and crop requirement to ensure that the business is getting the maximum returns for investments made. The value of the manures produced on farm were estimated at a value of £1,019 for the poultry manure and £4,580 from the cattle manure and therefore it was essential to ensure that they are utilised in the most effective and efficient way.
What was done
- Soil samples were collected over the entire farm (200 ha) which were used to determine the soil indices, quality and structure.
- Both the farm poultry and beef manure were tested to determine the nutritive value.
- A Nutrient Management Plan was constructed taking into consideration the above and recommendations were made to the current fertiliser applications.
Project findings
From the soil sampling it was clear that there is a range of soil fertility across the farm land. The sampling showed that lime was required for 19 of the 35 fields assessed due to a low pH level. Improving the pH of soils increases the soil fertility with more organic matter and soil nutrients available for crop uptake.
There was a risk of diffuse pollution due to high nutrient indexes present in the soils. Particularly Phosphate with indexes of 4 present on two fields of the farm. To lower the P index the farm should avoid applying Phosphate to these fields.
There was a risk of nutrient losses from manure due to how it is stored. 60 tonnes of poultry manure is produced and available for use every 14 months, the manure is estimated to be worth £1,019 when compared with fertiliser prices. Utilising this resource effectively will reduce the amount of costly inorganic fertilisers needing to be purchased.
Targeting applications of manure and balancing with additional fertilisers to meet crop requirement will ensure that valuable organic fertilisers are best utilised. The farm yard manure produced from the 300 cattle housed for 5 months is estimated to be worth £4,580. Balancing and appreciating this asset will reduce the need to apply bought in non-organic fertilisers. Applying the nutrients, such as nitrogen that are required in a straight format rather than a compound will reduce costs for the business due to straights being less expensive to source than compound fertilisers.
Recommendations
Soil analyses of pH, N, P, K and Mg every 3 to 4 years should be undertaken as part of business management. This is especially important where large volumes of organic manures both home produced and imported are used on the farm. Target values to maintain for grassland are pH 6.0 and Index 2 for soil P, and 2- for K.
It is advised to use a targeted approach and a field by field basis to ensure that nutrient content matches crop need. Matching inputs to crop requirement will make and save the business money as well as protecting the environment. Target spring applications of organic manures where possible to maximise the available nitrogen for crop growth.
Where it is necessary to apply urea fertiliser it was advised to do so in the spring time, when temperatures are low and little volatilisation takes place. Using it outside of this period results in higher risk of leaching into the wider ecosystem, and a cost without return to the business.
Maintain an on-going field record of manure use, together with any inorganic fertiliser applications. Re-directing organic manures at lower index fields will help to balance soil nutrient levels on the farm.
Conclusion
The project reviewed the farms available resources and encouraged best utilisation of them whilst maintaining the fertility of soils and reducing the environmental impact from the nutrients applied to soils. Where recommendations are adopted emissions from nutrient applications will be reduced, applications of nutrients will become more cost effective and land management practices will be better understood.
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Always ✔ Ensure there is no risk of run-off. ✔ Prepare and follow a manure management plan, and a nutrient management plan. ✔ Limit applications to no more than 250kg of total nitrogen on any given hectare in any 12 month period; this does not include manure deposited from grazing animals (and the threshold is higher if using certified compost or applying in an orchard). ✔ Check waterways frequently, during and after spreading. ✔ Leave at least three weeks between applications to avoid surface sealing and to allow the soil time to absorb the nutrients.
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Never ✘ Apply when run-off to a waterway is likely to occur. ✘ Allow silage effluent, slurry, manure or fouled water to enter a waterway. ✘ Apply liquid organic materials when heavy rain is forecast within 48 hours. Rainwater that runs off fields that have recently been spread with slurry may also cause pollution. ✘ Apply more than 50m3 (50t) per hectare in any one application. ✘ Apply to land that is flooded or likely to become flooded. |