Agriculture minister Charlie McConalogue is to be heartily congratulated for his commitment to the new liming programme.
In my opinion, it is one of the most positive developments to have impacted on Irish agriculture in a generation.
It also goes without saying that all farmers eligible for the initiative should commit to it with all haste.
However, this would be on the basis that those using the lime would justify its application on the back of a current soil test result.
Liming
It is a scandalous fact that the vast majority of the grassland soils in Ireland have a pH value well below 6.0.
It has been known for years that regular lime application was the backbone of every soil management plan.
Research has shown that ground limestone will deliver a plant growth response within two to three months of spreading.
As a rule of thumb, spreading lime at rate of 1.0t/ha will raise soil pH value by approximately 0.3 of a unit.
And, here’s the really good news: Ireland is sitting on trillions of tonnes of the stuff. We don’t have to import one grain of the material. In fact, we could probably supply the world with it.
Lime
Lime is nature’s wonder. It is a soil conditioner/fertiliser that has no peer. If we want to reduce our dependency on bagged nitrogen, lime is the answer. It’s as simple as that.
Looking to the future, production agriculture in this country must wean itself off chemical nitrogen. And a back-to-basics approach should get us a long way down the road in meeting this objective.
Agricultural lime remains the cheapest and most effective soil quality enhancer that is available to Irish farmers.
All that is required is a soil test to determine the amount of lime that needs to be applied to a particular field.
During the period 1970 to 1985, lime usage in Ireland averaged 1.5 million tonnes annually. For the specific years 1979 and 1985, the actual amount of limestone spread was in the region of 1.7 million tonnes.
According to Teagasc, these figures are indicative of the national lime requirements to maintain soil pH in the optimum zone of pH 6.3- 6.5 on mineral soils in Ireland.
In contrast, annual lime usage has only exceeded one million tonnes on four occasions during the last 30 years. As a consequence, soil acidity has increased on Irish farms resulting in a large requirement for lime.
Correcting soil pH needs be carried out on an annual basis with ground limestone applications to maintain soil pH in the optimum zone for efficient use of both soil and applied nutrients – manures and fertilisers.
Traditionally, the perceived practice was to treat 20% of available farmland with lime, based on soil test results.
Teagasc confirms that such an approach remains good advice, when it comes to managing soil pH. So, does committing to an effective liming programme tick every box? I absolutely think so.