Fertiliser Association of Ireland puts soil fertility to the fore

The Fertiliser Association of Ireland is a voluntary organisation in existence since 1968 and is made up of members from across the agricultural industry. Its objective is “to promote the efficient use of fertiliser to produce quality food in an economical and environmentally sustainable manner”.

We hold two field outings every year, visiting relevant sites in Ireland and abroad. We hold an annual seminar in The Horse and Jockey Hotel every February where we have topical technical papers delivered by guest speakers.

Our 2016 seminar took place on Tuesday of this week. A summary of the presentations along with several other articles are included here in our annual Irish Farmers Journal supplement.

We have a very comprehensive website (www.fertilizer-assoc.ie) which contains information on fertilisers and nutrient management, including a catalogue of past seminar papers. The website also hosts an online P and K nutrient calculator for grassland and tillage crops. This calculator is also available to download as a smartphone app.

Last year, we launched the first of our technical bulletins at the Teagasc Soil Fertility Conference in Clonmel in October. This is the first in a series of bulletins that will be published over the coming years to highlight the importance of sustainable soil fertility management and achieving maximum return on investment from nutrient inputs on farms.

Last year saw the dawn of a new era in the dairy sector with the abolition of milk quotas. Gone is the restriction on producing milk, but there are other restrictions and challenges. The ever-swinging milk, grain and beef prices are a major challenge and the amount of available land is a restriction. Never has it been more important to get every drop of available productivity from the land you have from the least amount of inputs. To do this, your soil has to be as close to its optimum fertility as possible and you will go a long way to getting there if you get the basics right.

The Fertiliser Association fully supports the message of soil fertility management developed by Teagasc in recent years. The five-step message is as simple as it is important.

Step 1: Soil test. You can’t know what you’re dealing with without a basic soil test which will give you your soil pH, P and K levels, or additional nutrients as required.

Step 2: Apply lime. Get your pH as close to 6.3 for grass and 6.5 for cereals by spreading adequate lime. Lime is arguably the most important fertiliser.

Step 3: NPK requirements. Use your test results to plan your fertiliser application rates to achieve top yields and maintain optimum levels of soil P and K. Build fertility and production potential of low-fertility soils. Don’t waste money applying excess nutrients on highly fertile fields where lower rates can result in cost savings.

Step 4: Slurry is valuable resource on the farm, but only valuable when applied in the right fields that can put the nutrients in the slurry to the best use.

Step 5: The right fertiliser. There are many different types of fertiliser blends available with different combinations of N, P, K, S and other essential nutrients. Select the right fertiliser based on soil test results and the requirements of each field, and apply at the right rate and time to match your crop requirements. Cost savings are also significant when the right products are chosen. For example, urea can be more economical than CAN if the conditions are suitable.

If in doubt, get advice. There’s plenty to be had from Teagasc, any private consultant in your area, or from your local discussion group. If you’re not already in a group, consider looking into it.

There will be plenty more challenges and opportunities ahead, but we must be prepared for them. One of the hot topics at the moment is climate change and how the world needs to respond to this challenge. No doubt we will have to play our part and already there is much debate as to how we can do this. There will be measures taken to help reduce our carbon footprint and our greenhouse gas emissions and that may mean changes to the way we farm our land. We as an association embrace the opportunity this brings to improve the sustainability of our farming systems, and contribute to this debate as it unfolds.

We hope you enjoy our supplement, and that the information helps the performance of the soils on your farm.

To read the full Fertiliser Focus Supplement click here.