Ozzy Scott
Well-Known Member
Both.No organic or Is it no chemical you mean?
Spring came too wet to get on the land, then there was too much grass, and now too dry. It has gotten one application of Sulphur and trace elements about 20 days ago
Both.No organic or Is it no chemical you mean?
In times of poor growth, do you notice a deterioration in quality in the low N areas? i.e. does the grass get stressed more in the low N areas and start to head out faster? I have always questioned how much extra grass is grown for the extra N that is applied. I had a discussion with a prominent dairy farmer once who tried to convince me that by halving how much chemical N he was applying, he would halve the amount of grass he was growing. Needless to say, he was wrong and I don't think any study ever will prove him right.Max rate is not the right term. High input was what I should have said, but still under the nitrate regulations. Just farm plots. Most of the farm is now on a medium to low chemical N, some high N, and some zero chemical N. trying to get max efficiency from it. All would still receive a portion of organic fertiliser
When you consider that if you apply 30 units of nitrogen per acre to grass and only 20% of this is actually used by the grass(6units), it's time to start wondering.
In times of poor growth, do you notice a deterioration in quality in the low N areas? i.e. does the grass get stressed more in the low N areas and start to head out faster? I have always questioned how much extra grass is grown for the extra N that is applied. I had a discussion with a prominent dairy farmer once who tried to convince me that by halving how much chemical N he was applying, he would halve the amount of grass he was growing. Needless to say, he was wrong and I don't think any study ever will prove him right.
How regularly atm.gr 77 last week ,60 kg/ha of urea is what we are spreading
What does that mean to the uneducated do you mind me asking? Are you saying you are doing a trial where you are spreading exactly the max amount of chemical N allowed without derogation on one spot and spreading no N at all (even slurry) on the zero N plot?
Grass bouncing out of the ground with us since the rain Monday morning and again last night but to be fair, we have had some rain each weekend except one for the last 6 weeks whereas other areas locally missed a lot of it.
When you consider that if you apply 30 units of nitrogen per acre to grass and only 20% of this is actually used by the grass(6units), it's time to start wondering.
When I see these statistics rolled out I always like to point out that just because only 20% of the N is used by the crop, doesn’t mean the balance is lost to the environment in the form of various pollutants.
Much of the 80% is actually immobilised by soil microbes and stored in the soil in the form of highly stable organic N where it can be mineralised for plant uptake in months or years to come.
Unfortunately, These sort of statistics are usually pedalled by anti-farming groups who would like the public to believe modern agriculture is the route of environmental destruction, but like bikinis, what these statistics reveal is suggestive but what they conceal is vital.
why are teagasc using the figure of 21% efficiency on grassland so? are you not in any way concerned with the carbon burned to process this nitrogen or the N2O emmisions that have us in a quagmire, especially given Wednesdays mish mash of a document
Had ye plenty rain? Growth rates will definitely jump after it. A very noticeable difference in grass around here over the last 24 hours if that bloody wind would Feic off we would be flying again43 last week 35 this week going backwards.
Got about 20mm Thursday night but by Friday morning there was hardly any trace of it,we could do with some softness.Had ye plenty rain? Growth rates will definitely jump after it. A very noticeable difference in grass around here over the last 24 hours if that bloody wind would Feic off we would be flying again
Teagasc use this figure as they can't account for its subsequent uptake through remineralisation in future years or decades. And rightly so. But it's not lost out of the N system.
Concerned, although probably not as much as yourself. The fact remains that without artificial N fertiliser we would have mass starvation in the world today. What is the lesser of 2 evils?
At a more local level there are plenty of very good farmers, some of them on this forum, using higher rates of N to grow big crops by accurately matching N supply and demand both in timing and quantity. They should be commended for their work, not criticised by yourself or anyone else for that matter.
When I see these statistics rolled out I always like to point out that just because only 20% of the N is used by the crop, doesn’t mean the balance is lost to the environment in the form of various pollutants.
Much of the 80% is actually immobilised by soil microbes and stored in the soil in the form of highly stable organic N where it can be mineralised for plant uptake in months or years to come.
Unfortunately, These sort of statistics are usually pedalled by anti-farming groups who would like the public to believe modern agriculture is the route of environmental destruction, but like bikinis, what these statistics reveal is suggestive but what they conceal is vital.
Guess we are at 25, north/east wind is the main issue, as we are still fairly green. Has been another disastrous grass growing year so far.Growth rate of 38. 4mms of rain last night, ain’t worth a shit, the cold north/east wind is cruel all day, same again last weekend, it must be one of the windiest years ever.
Three weeks ago tonight since we got the last decent sup about 20mm,a few mm last night but there was hardly a trace of it this morning.Growth rate of 38. 4mms of rain last night, ain’t worth a shit, the cold north/east wind is cruel all day, same again last weekend, it must be one of the windiest years ever.
A few days of continuous light rain is whats needed, a downpour and most of it will end up in the rivers, we are a long way from second cuts of silage by the time grass covers build to exceed demand.Three weeks ago tonight since we got the last decent sup about 20mm,a few mm last night but there was hardly a trace of it this morning.
Grass is hardly going to burst out of the ground in June anyway and a big flood of rain could create more problems with so little cover out there.
We had 3-4 mm max your in your own world down Barryroe way!still up, 2 weeks of mid 70s here a lot of rain in the last 24 hrs, exp to be up in the 90s nxt week ,farm here needs rain most weeks never got above 60 last yr and still hit 14 t.