Northern farmers could be missing out on opportunities to harness their cheapest source of organic nutrients, according to advisors.

Four leading Northern Ireland ruminant and agri-environment advisors will challenge farmers to reassess their slurry management practices in an upcoming webinar.

Hosted by the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE), the session entitled ‘Building Soil Fertility on Farm’ will take place on Wednesday, February 10, at 7:30pm.

This webinar will highlight on-farm practice which can boost soil fertility and grassland production, whilst also improving environmental conditions and nutrient management.

A study carried out by the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) in 2014-2015 showed that 64% of soils in Northern Ireland have below optimum pH.

The panel will feature the following CAFRE staff:

  • Hannah McNelis (beef and sheep adviser), who will chair the event;
  • Aveen McMullan (senior agri-environment technologist);
  • John Moore (senior beef and sheep adviser); and
  • Alan Agnew (senior dairy adviser).

With topics to be covered including:

  • Soil analysis and interpretation of your soil report;
  • How to assess soil pH;
  • Managing P and K indices;
  • Utilisation of slurry and manures; and
  • Targeted chemical fertiliser applications.

Following the presentations, there will be a live question and answer session.

The event will be broadcast via WebEx with the opportunity to ask questions via online during the event.

Details on how to join the webinars can be found on the events section of the CAFRE website.