Time to empty your slurry tanks, as weather set to turn

Ground conditions for the most part are reasonable, and the good weather is expected to hold for a few days yet, so now is a good opportunity to empty your slurry tanks.

The good weather and ground conditions will not last, and regulations prohibit the spreading of slurry at any time of the year when land is waterlogged or when heavy rain is forecast.

The weather is expected to hold until Sunday, when conditions will turn unsettled as rain will spread across the country – with more showers also expected next week.

Targeted application

The targeted soil index is three, so you should target the spreading of slurry on land that is index one or two.

There is a tendency, sometimes, to spread slurry on the same fields. This is usually because they are the easiest to access or because spreading has been left too late and they are the only fields in which machinery can travel on.

Cattle slurry is a valuable source of organic nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K).

Typically, a 1,000gal has the equivalent content of a 50kg bag of 6-5-30 and if used wisely, can reduce chemical fertiliser bills.

So, it should be used as effectively as possible to improve and maintain soil fertility.

LESS

Another reason why fields do not receive slurry is because they are used for grazing, which spreading slurry would delay.

The use of Low Emission Slurry Spreading (LESS) techquies not only increases N efficiency and reduces ammonia loss, it also help with a quicker return to grazing.

On average, using LESS will give you 50% more N and reduce ammonia loss by 60%.

Using LESS offers more flexibility around grazing; this is because a smaller amount of the sward is contaminated.

This means swards can be grazed quicker and there is less of a chance of possible rejection or poor clean outs.