In light of increasing environmental, political and consumer pressures, 2020 is poised to be the year of sustainability in agriculture. While on balance, the tillage sector stacks up well to most of these challenges, it is still imperative that we as an industry arm ourselves with the facts and the figures pertaining to our sector.
In comparison with other farming systems, the tillage sector has the lowest greenhouse gas (GHG) and ammonia emissions per ha as well as the highest nitrogen and phosphorus use efficiency.
Teagasc figures show the carbon footprint of wheat and barley production in Ireland is low at 0.3kg to 0.4kg of CO2 per kg of grain. However, growers heard at the recent Dairygold tillage conference in Co Cork that the tillage sector still has many challenges to meet.
The theme of the event was sustainability and Dairygold gave attendees an insight into how it uses and values Irish grain in its mill. The co-op takes in around 110,000t of Irish grain annually, 50% of which is feed barley, 24% malting barley, 16% wheat. The remainder is oats and beans. Much of this supplies its mill and is sold as straights or included in rations, of which it produces around 275,000t annually.
In comparison with other farming systems, the tillage sector has the lowest greenhouse gas (GHG) and ammonia emissions per ha
Dairygold chief nutritionist Colman Purcell said the co-op places a high value on Irish grain and protein crops. He said this isn’t just to support the tillage member base in the co-op, however. Colman explained that the net energy density value of grains available in Ireland per kg of feed is often higher than some of the other ingredients available for use in rations.
The co-op also places a high value on the story of native grain locally produced and locally utilised in terms of its carbon footprint and sustainability and believes this story will become even more important in the near future. As a result, last year it introduced its first fully native ration, Gold Farm Beef, formulated with Irish cereals and beans.
Sustainability
Dr David Wall of Teagasc put the scale of the environmental challenges facing Irish agriculture into context. Agriculture is responsible for around 32% of national GHG emissions and 98% of national ammonia emissions. From 2005 to 2011, we saw a 9.8% decrease in GHG emission from agriculture but from 2011 to 2018 this increased by 14.9%. Ammonia emissions, which are an air pollutant, have also been increasing from 2011.
Teagasc's Dr David Wall was one of the main speakers at the Dairygold Conference.
David said that with increasing scrutiny of agriculture, all sectors must contribute to the reduction of GHG emissions by 10% by 2030 as well as improve water quality and deliver carbon sequestration.
Ammonia levels must also be reduced by 1% from 2020 and 5% from 2030 (compared to 2005 base year) he explained. This represents a huge challenge for agriculture. There are a number of abatement options for agriculture, but just a handful apply to tillage farmers.
Fertiliser
Changing fertiliser type to protected urea is one of the most cost-effective and simplest measures, David said. CAN and urea are the two most common fertilisers used in Ireland. However, in sunny, drying conditions, ammonia volatisation from urea can be as high as 25%. On the other hand, CAN fertiliser has a higher risk of nitrous oxide and leaching losses.
Protected urea is seen as one of the simplest measures growers can adopt to reduce GHG emissions.
David said that using protected urea has been shown to reduce ammonia emissions by 78% when compared to urea in conditions likely to cause volatilisation while it can reduce nitrous oxide emissions by 71% when compared to CAN.
Asked about the safety of the urease inhibitor used in protected urea, David said Teagasc, AFBI and international trial work has shown that, while the inhibitor works by temporarily blocking soil biology from carrying out urea hydrolysis (releasing ammonium), there have been no negative effects recorded on soil biology.
Slurry and carbon
For any grower who imports organic manures such as slurry, when spreading incorrectly in dry, sunny or windy weather, this can lead to a loss of 65% or more of its nitrogen in the form of ammonia within hours. He recommended spreading in dull, overcast weather ideally in the spring or autumn using low-emission spreading machinery such as injection, trailing shoe or dribble bar.
With increasing scrutiny of agriculture, all sectors must contribute to the reduction of GHG emissions by 10% by 2030
He said tillage soils have a role to play in sequestering carbon. Tillage GHG emissions really depend on previous land use. If land is in long-term tillage (>30 years), no soil carbon is assumed to be lost. However, if grassland is converted to tillage, CO2 emissions from breakdown of soil carbon can be substantial.
Long-term tillage soils with low organic matter have the potential to sequester a reasonable volume of carbon. Increasing soil organic matter through incorporating straw or manure as well as growing cover crops and reducing tillage will help build soil carbon stocks. David said this is a win-win as these measures will also increase soil health and farm productively.
Read more
Spreading coronavirus putting pressure on international grain markets
Cork farmer crowned Dairygold malting barley winner
In light of increasing environmental, political and consumer pressures, 2020 is poised to be the year of sustainability in agriculture. While on balance, the tillage sector stacks up well to most of these challenges, it is still imperative that we as an industry arm ourselves with the facts and the figures pertaining to our sector.
In comparison with other farming systems, the tillage sector has the lowest greenhouse gas (GHG) and ammonia emissions per ha as well as the highest nitrogen and phosphorus use efficiency.
Teagasc figures show the carbon footprint of wheat and barley production in Ireland is low at 0.3kg to 0.4kg of CO2 per kg of grain. However, growers heard at the recent Dairygold tillage conference in Co Cork that the tillage sector still has many challenges to meet.
The theme of the event was sustainability and Dairygold gave attendees an insight into how it uses and values Irish grain in its mill. The co-op takes in around 110,000t of Irish grain annually, 50% of which is feed barley, 24% malting barley, 16% wheat. The remainder is oats and beans. Much of this supplies its mill and is sold as straights or included in rations, of which it produces around 275,000t annually.
In comparison with other farming systems, the tillage sector has the lowest greenhouse gas (GHG) and ammonia emissions per ha
Dairygold chief nutritionist Colman Purcell said the co-op places a high value on Irish grain and protein crops. He said this isn’t just to support the tillage member base in the co-op, however. Colman explained that the net energy density value of grains available in Ireland per kg of feed is often higher than some of the other ingredients available for use in rations.
The co-op also places a high value on the story of native grain locally produced and locally utilised in terms of its carbon footprint and sustainability and believes this story will become even more important in the near future. As a result, last year it introduced its first fully native ration, Gold Farm Beef, formulated with Irish cereals and beans.
Sustainability
Dr David Wall of Teagasc put the scale of the environmental challenges facing Irish agriculture into context. Agriculture is responsible for around 32% of national GHG emissions and 98% of national ammonia emissions. From 2005 to 2011, we saw a 9.8% decrease in GHG emission from agriculture but from 2011 to 2018 this increased by 14.9%. Ammonia emissions, which are an air pollutant, have also been increasing from 2011.
Teagasc's Dr David Wall was one of the main speakers at the Dairygold Conference.
David said that with increasing scrutiny of agriculture, all sectors must contribute to the reduction of GHG emissions by 10% by 2030 as well as improve water quality and deliver carbon sequestration.
Ammonia levels must also be reduced by 1% from 2020 and 5% from 2030 (compared to 2005 base year) he explained. This represents a huge challenge for agriculture. There are a number of abatement options for agriculture, but just a handful apply to tillage farmers.
Fertiliser
Changing fertiliser type to protected urea is one of the most cost-effective and simplest measures, David said. CAN and urea are the two most common fertilisers used in Ireland. However, in sunny, drying conditions, ammonia volatisation from urea can be as high as 25%. On the other hand, CAN fertiliser has a higher risk of nitrous oxide and leaching losses.
Protected urea is seen as one of the simplest measures growers can adopt to reduce GHG emissions.
David said that using protected urea has been shown to reduce ammonia emissions by 78% when compared to urea in conditions likely to cause volatilisation while it can reduce nitrous oxide emissions by 71% when compared to CAN.
Asked about the safety of the urease inhibitor used in protected urea, David said Teagasc, AFBI and international trial work has shown that, while the inhibitor works by temporarily blocking soil biology from carrying out urea hydrolysis (releasing ammonium), there have been no negative effects recorded on soil biology.
Slurry and carbon
For any grower who imports organic manures such as slurry, when spreading incorrectly in dry, sunny or windy weather, this can lead to a loss of 65% or more of its nitrogen in the form of ammonia within hours. He recommended spreading in dull, overcast weather ideally in the spring or autumn using low-emission spreading machinery such as injection, trailing shoe or dribble bar.
With increasing scrutiny of agriculture, all sectors must contribute to the reduction of GHG emissions by 10% by 2030
He said tillage soils have a role to play in sequestering carbon. Tillage GHG emissions really depend on previous land use. If land is in long-term tillage (>30 years), no soil carbon is assumed to be lost. However, if grassland is converted to tillage, CO2 emissions from breakdown of soil carbon can be substantial.
Long-term tillage soils with low organic matter have the potential to sequester a reasonable volume of carbon. Increasing soil organic matter through incorporating straw or manure as well as growing cover crops and reducing tillage will help build soil carbon stocks. David said this is a win-win as these measures will also increase soil health and farm productively.
Read more
Spreading coronavirus putting pressure on international grain markets
Cork farmer crowned Dairygold malting barley winner
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