As part of the Teagasc/Boortmalt malting barley joint programme, Boortmalt suppliers can avail of soil samples at a reduced rate of €10/sample, down from €25/sample.
The offer can be availed of on the area of land dedicated to malting barley on a Boortmalt supplier’s farm. These samples can be taken throughout the three year period of the joint programme.
A free nutrient management plan will be carried out on the new soil sample results. This will be done on a field-by-field basis.
How to avail of this offer
If you wish to avail of this offer, you can contact the joint-programme advisor, Eoin Lyons, or your local Teagasc or Boortmalt advisor. An on-farm meeting will then be organised to design a soil sampling programme that best suits your farm.
Farmers should have a copy of their most recent maps of malting barley fields for 2019 available.
Benefits of soil sampling
October is an ideal time to take soil samples and the benefits by far outweigh the costs.
Soil samples provide soil index levels of all the major nutrients and give an accurate understanding of soil fertility on the farm.
Once soil samples are taken, farmers can work towards improving soil pH and building or adjusting soil index levels to index 3.