Do you see these restriction regulations as a challenge, or do you look back over the years and realise the huge amounts of N that you have wasted from a economical POV.
considering you low rates, are you still using granular N? Or are you liquid soil applied or foliar to improve N efficiency
Use both liquid and granular N.
I was discussing this with the lads at home yesterday. The one issue we agreed upon was that if their allowance for the year was 46units/ac, they’d be waiting until optimum conditions to spread...ie, there wouldn’t be any spread in Jan etc.
Yes I’ve probably wasted an untold amount of N over the years, but would I change anything if I was to farm at home again? Probably not too much...it’s just so easy to ‘spread a bag’ as Teagasc counsel.
There’s untold hassle and work composting fym, growing cover crops, strict rotations etc etc.
Regulations that are draconian do sharpen the mind though!
I posted a pic of traceability tags on artificial fert yesterday and nobody seems to know if they’re on Irish fert also??
Those tags are on all native/imported fert here, so every grain of fert is accounted for.
Thus no false accounting/invoicing.
Spreading of artificial fert, slurry and fym have been pushed out until the 1st of March now...that would probably equate to around the 10th of April in Ireland? Its hard to disagree though.
Pics were taken 30mins ago of a stream that is usually dry by the first week of May.
I know that I’m critical of Teagasc and their guidelines on artificial fert...in the last fodder crisis they were encouraging farmers to spread a bag (ffs, in a near drought) however the decision to guide family farms into dairy production is excellent advice given to small farms on poor quality land. However the future of stocking farms to the hilt and the intensive use of fertilizer to produce 16+t/ha of grass is, imho, unsustainable. It won’t end well, especially as costs constantly creep up and price plateaus at best. One time of day 50 dairy cows gave a comfortable living, what’s it now? 150+? Farms are small and are extremely vulnerable to any climatic irregularities and when your highly stocked and the grass doesn’t grow...?