With the closed period for spreading farmyard manure (FYM) now only a matter of days away, it is important that farmers get the most out of any dung left in the yard.
Getting the last of your FYM or dung out could make a huge difference in the following spring and also free up space for winter dung.
Organic fertilisers, such as dung, are a valuable source of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and sulphur (S) and can replace synthetic fertilisers and reduce production costs.
Farmers should try and target fields that have showed poor growth rates throughout the season and paddocks with low P and K indexes.
Farmers need to make the most out of their dung, as their dung capacity has been taken away from the N and P allowance of the farm, meaning if a farmer does not use it up, they are not getting the most out of their allowances for the year.
Soil temperature, growth rates and conditions might not be ideal at this time of the year, but getting out the remainder of the dung on the ground can still have a serious impact on the ground for next season.
When dung is spread, the soils organic matter increases, which allows for the further uptake of more nutrients.
Closing date for farmyard manure
We are well into the closed period now for spreading chemical fertiliser and for spreading organic fertilisers other than FYM.
For FYM or dung, the prohibited application period for all zones begins on Friday, November 1.
The table below outlines the prohibited periods for spreading both chemical and organic fertilisers to land:
Dungstead manure (decomposed), according to Teagasc has a nutrient content of 1.4 N kg/t, 0.9 P kg/t, and 4.2 K kg/t which gives it a value of approximately €15/t.
FYM (fresh) has a nutrient content of 1.35 N kg/t, 1.2 P kg/t and 6 N kg/t, which gives it a total value of approximately €19/t.
Paddocks should be targeted, as the most money can be saved when dung is applied in relation to what the grass needs, in order to maximise the nutrients available to the plant.
Quite often, farmers will target their silage fields at this time of the year to try and make up for the offtake of N, P and K on the silage ground.
If heavy dung goes out on silage ground or paddocks, it is no harm to go out into the field with a chain harrow afterwards to break the dung up further to ensure better cover of the field and easier uptake for the plant.
This year (2024), the closed period for spreading soiled water will begin on December 1, with the exception of winter milk suppliers.
However in 2025, the closed period for soiled water is from December 1 to December 31, for all milk suppliers.
Farmers should still be utilising their soiled water at the moment to build up covers for the spring time and to keep young stock and cows out at grass.