I’m told urea has become very scarce, as merchants have run out of existing stocks. Prices have also risen by between €30 and €50/t from their December base of €270 to €280/t. For those who haven’t yet ordered: you better get a move-on to secure delivery by the end of the month.

For those who have it in the yard and are in the permissible zones: make sure and get it spread over the coming days, as delaying application will reduce the amount of grass you will grow this spring.

While the forecast for most of the country is dry for the coming week there is, in my view, still sufficient moisture in the soil and grass canopy for urea to work, so I would keep with urea and not switch to CAN.

Some farmers are questioning the responses in grass growth to early spring nitrogen. In 11 independent studies, including at Grange and in Northern Ireland, the range in grass dry matter response between spreading nitrogen in January or early February and harvesting grass in late March and April was between 6kg and 18.3kg of grass DM per kg of nitrogen spread.

The average response was over 10kg of grass per kg of nitrogen spread. Even if air and soil temperatures dip again, or we get heavy rain, urea is a stable product in the soil, so it won’t be lost and will be available for the grass plant when it needs it. The message is clear: get nitrogen out as soon as possible.

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