Sustainability encompasses three pillars: economics, environment, and social wellbeing. It’s essential to generate income from your farm, protect the environment and maintain a high quality of life.

At this year’s Tullamore Farm Open Day, we will bring you through the different actions being carried out on the farm to improve sustainability from increasing clover levels and cutting nitrogen to hiring contractors and working on improving habitats.

Soil sampling on Tullamore Farm revealed that 30% of the soils are at optimum levels for phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and soil pH, according to the 2024 soil test results. That is a soil pH of 6.3 or above, and P and K index levels of 3.0 or 4.0. This is 12% above the Teagasc national average, but there are still plenty of improvements to be made. While there has been a reduction in pH levels from the 2021 results, 70% of the soil remains at optimum pH levels. Soil pH levels are good overall, largely due to the soil types on the farm. The average soil pH is 6.71 and in 2021 this was 7.34.

While the pH remains at a good level, it has seen decreases. This could be due to a number or reasons such as soil type, heavy rainfall leading to leaching and the application of sulphur which lowers soil pH. Nitrogen and phosphate fertilisers are acid formers, which have the potential to lower the overall pH of the soil.

Building soil P and K levels

Where silage has been produced, the soil K levels are often lower, and these must be raised. But it is difficult to raise soil K levels by spreading slurry if the K content of the soil is low. Building soil K levels with farmyard manure containing straw could be a possibility, but the process will take time. The slurry from finishing cattle can help low-pH soils because the animals are fed rations, which should increase the P content of the slurry.

In order to gain a better understanding of the slurry that gets applied to various fields, we examined slurry from three distinct tanks in the spring of 2022 – and the N, P, and K levels of each tank differed greatly. This makes it possible to determine how much artificial fertiliser is required to meet a farm’s needs.

Tullamore Farm is a proud participant in the Irish Farmers Journal’s Footprint Farmers programme, supported by Macra Agricultural Skillnet. This initiative aims to enhance farm sustainability and prepare for the future of agriculture. Through this programme, we have conducted carbon testing on Tullamore Farm. This will enable us to monitor increases in carbon storage and potentially sell that carbon in the future, contributing to both environmental and farm profitability.

Biodiversity and sustainability trail

A biodiversity assessment on Tullamore Farm, conducted as part of the BRIDE project, will be detailed at the upcoming open day. The Farm Biodiversity Index (FBI) for this farm is 5C. The farm has 5% of its area classified as SFN, indicated by the five and the average quality of the SFN is rated as ‘C’. There were several recommendations from the BRIDE project, some of which included:

Not topping hedgerows can increase habitat quality, FBI score and improve carbon sequestration. Mature, uncut hedgerows flower and provide fruit, supporting insects, birds and mammals.

Ivy in hedgerows benefits late-season pollinators. Important foraging habitat for bats and acts as ‘corridors’ for nocturnal movement.

Riparian Buffer zones of an average widths of 3m+ provide habitat and shelter for wildlife along the riverbank and intercept nutrients from surface runoff to protect water quality.

Sustainability trail

At the open day, the Footprint Farmers programme will be showcasing a comprehensive list of implemented sustainability measures. A sustainability trail will guide visitors around the farm, pointing out various efforts to enhance biodiversity and sustainability. Be sure to look out for the informative posters along the way.

Incorporating clover

Reducing nitrogen on Tullamore Farm is a goal that we are achieving year-on-year. Planting multispecies sward in 2022 has helped reduce N use and prolonged the grazing season. Despite challenging growing conditions this year, the multi-species sward remains abundant with varieties, especially chicory and plantain, and continues to produce good covers. The multispecies sward has been grazed every three weeks by cattle and sheep, at a heavy cover of 1,700kg DM.

During the open day, visitors will get to see how incorporating clover into the farm’s swards has helped reduce the use of artificial nitrogen. Like all farms now, there has been an increase in the use and importance of clover in swards. At the start of the project in 2017, a significant portion of the farm was reseeded. These swards have now matured and are thriving, with a high proportion of clover evident in most paddocks. This successful reseeding effort has resulted in improved forage quality and enhanced nitrogen fixation – contributing to overall farm sustainability and productivity.

Clover scoring is a crucial tool for determining which paddocks need reseeding or over-sowing with clover. The presence of clover across the farm not only supports better livestock nutrition, but also reduces the need for artificial nitrogen fertilisers, showcasing the long-term benefits of strategic reseeding. Shaun attributes the high clover proportion to thoroughly cleaning out paddocks before winter closure. This practice allows light to reach the base of the sward, helping the clover survive through the winter months.

Combi crop at the open day

During the walk this year, visitors will have the opportunity to see the combi crop that was sown on 20 April this year – 1.6ha was sown at a seeding rate of 70kg/ha to qualify for the protein aid scheme. The decision was made to grow this crop to produce high-protein silage and reduce the cost of meal fed to the weanlings.

The crop will be harvested in late July and baled before it begins to ripen, ideally when the grain is at the cheesy stage. These bales, with an expected high protein content of approximately 18%, will be used to feed the weanlings, providing a nutritious and cost-effective alternative to purchased feed.

Additional information and cost details will be available on the day, allowing visiting farmers to examine the crop up close.