Teagasc is confirming that a buffer zone of 6m will be required if late harvested crops are planted in a tillage field with an intersecting watercourse.
The list of relevant crops in this context includes maincrop potatoes, forage maize and beet.
In these circumstances, the area affected can be kept fallow, sown out in grass or planted out with an earlier maturing cereal crop.
According to Teagasc Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advisory Programme (ASSAP) advisor, Hugh Rooney, the principle to be established is that of giving machinery a firm standing when turning or simply parked on a headland.
“Reducing the disturbance to ground means the potential for nutrients to leach into water courses is minimised,” he said on the latest Tillage Edge podcast.
Rooney is strongly encouraging farmers to seek advice on these matters, particularly prior to the submission of 2024 Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) applications.
“Farmers should make sure they are totally on-side, if they do get an inspection,” he commented.
“Grass margins should be topped once or twice a year, simply to keep them in check.”
Overland flow is a phenomenon that can cause challenges, particularly on farms that feature heavy soils.
“Overland flow can lead to the deposition of sediment on land. Phosphorous fertiliser can attach itself to soil and these sediments,” he explained.
“As these sediments move across land and into watercourses, they bring phosphorous with them. The end result is the clogging up of drains and streams. Eutrophication then follows.”
Eutrophication is defined as a natural process that results from accumulation of nutrients in lakes or other bodies of water.
Algae that feed on nutrients grow into unsightly scum on the water surface, decreasing recreational value and clogging watercourses of all sizes.
“The physical accumulation of sediment is a problem in its own right as it can block up spawning areas within streams,” Rooney continued.
“However, it is the accompanying phosphorous that causes the additional plant and algal growth.
“I would encourage farmers to walk their own lands after a strong rainfall event. They will then see areas of fields that are prone to flooding. Weak points in banks and drains will also become apparent at that stage,” he added.
“Steps should then be taken to prevent the quick flow of water into the drains concerned.”
Rooney said that such an approach will also allow sediment to settle before it gets into a watercourse.