Grass is the biggest crops on the island of Ireland, our climate allows us to grow grass most months of the year.
On the more intensive grassland farms, which tend to be Dairy farms, the biggest challenge facing us, is how we reduce Nitrogen usage.
The EU and the Irish Government are looking for a reduction in the amount of Nitrogen fertiliser by approximately 20% by 2030.
Nitrogen fertiliser is also one the key components of the certain Greenhouse gas emissions and also a large part of Irish Dairy farms Carbon footprint.
We at Precision Nutrition believe we can help reduce these emissions and improve the Carbon footprint on livestock farms.
Some of the solutions we have trialled in the past and are currently trialling include;
- Carbon based Foliar Nitrogen (using to help reduce the total kilos of Nitrogen required to grow grass on farm. This also helps to increase the Nitrogen use efficiency values).
- Soil friendly Carbon-based fertilisers
- Use of Multi Species in Grass Swards
- Use of fermented minerals and bio-stimulants, compost teas & brewing microbes
- Adding Carbon sources and or Microbials to slurry
- More in-depth soil analysis to balance nutrients
- Grid based soil sampling
- Variable rate lime spreading
- Variable rate N, P, K
- Use of fertilisers and natural plant extracts to enhance soil microbial activity
- Identifying and improving areas of soil compaction
Some of the ideas we have touched on above, in combination, will help reduce the Carbon footprint on farm, improve Biodiversity levels on farm, and reduce the amount of chemical Nitrogen needed to grow your grass, can help farmers deal with the new Nitrogen fertiliser targets contained in the DAFM Ag climatise report.
Remember a great place to start introducing Regenerative farming practices on your farm is to grab a spade, dig a few holes in your fields and have a good Pooch, see what your own soils are telling you.
If you want to know more, call us at 087 648 7899 / 087 1306661 for a consultation, or we can put you in touch with one of our partner Merchant Agronomist or Advisors in your local area.