With warmer daytime temperatures forecasted for the week ahead, farmers should seize the opportunity to get fertiliser applied to grazing ground.
As soil and air temperatures increase, so will grass growth. Feeding nitrogen to an actively growing sward means there will be a quick uptake of nutrients.
Spreading 25 to 30 units/acre of nitrogen is recommended for grazing. On swards that did not get slurry this spring, grass growth will benefit from spreading a compound NPK fertiliser.
This will get phosphate and potash into the ground. Ideally, choose a product with added sulphur to maximise grass growth rates.
Silage
For farmers planning to harvest silage in late May or the beginning of June, it is now time to get fertiliser applied and ground closed off from livestock.
For first-cut silage, target around 100 units/acre of nitrogen. This can be a combination of 3,000 gallons/acre of slurry, along with 75 to 80 unit/acre of chemical nitrogen, which is approximately three bags of CAN or silage sward.
To reduce the risk of nutrient loss from such a large application of fertiliser, allow 10 to 12 days between applying slurry and spreading chemical fertiliser. Alternatively, split the fertiliser across two applications.
Beef Management: silage fertiliser, getting stock out and tetany prevention