Nitrates

There is still a lot of confusion about the nitrates derogation and the map for 2024. Earlier this month the Department of Agriculture published a new purple and white map showing what areas of the country will have a maximum stocking rate of 250kg N/ha (white area) and what areas will be at 220kg N/ha (purple area).

Most of the midland counties are all in the purple area, but most other counties have some parts in white and other parts in purple.

There are two maps available, a high level one with little detail and a very detailed map, which must be downloaded and viewed online.

In many cases the division between the two zones divides farms and even fields.

The Department is using LPIS or parcel numbers to calculate the maximum farm stocking rate.

My understanding is if a parcel or LPIS number has some area in purple and some area in white, it will be considered to be all in white and so have a maximum of 250kg N/ha.

Add up all the area under purple and all the area under white and multiply by 220kg and 250kg respectively. Then add these two numbers and divide by the total hectares being claimed to get the farm level organic stocking rate figure.

This means that from next year, some farms will have a maximum stocking rate of 220kg, some at 250kg and others at any number in between, depending on how many of their parcels falls under the purple and white areas.

Winter milk

There is a seven page Focus on winter milk in this weeks’ paper. Winter milk suppliers are understandably concerned about the situation they find themselves in, with projected costs for this year up 23% compared to 2021.

Current milk price is about 10% lower than it was in October 2021. So margins are really squeezed now, and while receiving a higher premium is justifiable given where costs are at, farmers also need to be proactive on costs.

Feed is one of the biggest costs, and so is an area where there is most scope for cost savings. There are two ways of achieving cost savings here; feeding less and buying cheaper. Get silage tested and get the results interpreted independently.

Protein and energy are limiting factors in winter diets, but where silage quality is good, less and lower protein meal can be fed.

Target feeding rates to the average of the herd, not the top 10% as this means too much meal is being fed to cows that don’t have the potential to convert it to milk.

Weather

The southern part of the country has once again been battered by severe rainfall. Where there are sheds available it makes perfect sense to use them in weather like this. It is early, but if land dries up some stock should be able to go back out again.

The key thing is to watch silage stocks and plan ahead if fodder stocks are going to be low. The general feeling is that silage is available, but straw is very scarce.

Measure pits and update the fodder budget once a month over the dry period. In terms of future planning, it’s a good idea to get a handle on how much silage is being eaten every month.