The closed period for farms to spread slurry in zones A and B ends in the coming weeks, while zone C has to wait until the end of the month.
The closed period ends for zone A on January 12, zone B on January 15, and zone C on January 29.
This means that slurry contractors are likely to busy from January 13 onwards – depending on the weather, of course.
With that in mind, it may be no harm for farmers who are planning on using contractors to make contact with them now.
Slurry
It is expected that the cost of chemical fertiliser will remain high in 2023, so it is important to get the most out of the slurry on your farm.
According to Teagasc, in previous years the value of a 2,000 gallon tanker of slurry was about €40, but with current prices, it is worth about €100/load.
Because of the increased price, it is important that slurry is managed correctly in order to achieve the best production-boosting results from what you buy.
To get maximum uptake from your slurry you should wait until soils are starting to warm up. Ideally, wait for temperatures of >5.5°, ground that is nicely dry and when no rain is forecast.
Furthermore, farmers should aim to use low emission slurry spreading (LESS) equipment to ensure maximum nitrogen (N) retention.
It is also important to note the changes to the nitrates regulations as they may impact your farm.
From January 1, 2023, it has now become mandatory that all farms with a stocking rate greater than 150kg of organic N/ha, must spread their slurry using LESS.
Some other updates that farmers need to be aware of are the changes to the soiled water spreading.
Effective from Application prohibited from January 1, 2023 December 10-31 January 1, 2024 (except winter milk producers) December 1-31 January 1, 2025 (except winter milk producers) December 1-31
The closed period for slurry is also going to be earlier this year; in 2022 the closed period began on October 8, but in 2023, it will begin on October 1.
Soil samples
If you have soil samples that were recently taken and show that soil indexes are below what is ideal you should target these paddocks/fields with slurry.
It also important to ensure you keep enough slurry to spread on silage ground.
Soil sampling is becoming increasingly more important for farmers, from both a regulatory and financial point of view.
The new changes to the nitrates regulations mean that any farm stocked over 130kg N/ha must have valid soil samples or else they will be deemed to be phosphorous (P) index 4, effectively meaning they will have no chemical P allowance.
These soil samples must be no older than four years, and can represent no more than 5ha.
And, just as important as meeting your regulatory obligations, it is also important for your farms performance.
Soil samples allow you to determine the level of soil fertility on your farm and its requirement for lime, P and potassium (K).
Having soil fertility in the ideal conditions also allows you to increase N use efficiency on your farm.