Precision Nutrition is one of a growing number of Irish firms promoting regenerative farming solutions.

The family-owned business based in Ardee, Co Louth, headed up by Robbie Byrne, has been active in the area for 15 years.

The company has a strong R&D focus, with annual trial programmes with UCD and Teagasc.

“We design and mix our foliar feeds for grassland and tillage based on results from trials,” he said.

“The biostimulants we use in our products include Irish seaweed, humic acid, fish fertiliser, fermented plant juice, other nutrients and microbes,” explained Byrne.

Precision Nutrition’s primary grassland product is Phylgreen.

“The grass foliar trials programme started with Teagasc in 2019. Grass yields in the trial blocks using Phylgreen increased by between 16.5% and 24.5%,” he claimed.

Reasons for biostimulants

Byrne identified a number of reasons for farmers using biostimulants.

“They improve nitrogen-use efficiency, increase root mass growth, feed and nourish soil microbes, and help balance macro- and micro-nutrient levels in grass and cereals,” he said.

Byrne is currently involved in a research project under the European Innovation Programme titled Danú which is assessing how 12 grassland and tillage farmers transition from a traditional farming approach to biological farming practices.

Byrne is confident this project will confirm the benefits of regenerative farming solutions.

“Biological farming is already showing very decent reductions of chemical nitrogen usage on Irish dairy farms. Foliar feeding of grass, based on grass-plant testing, is one of the strategies helping achieve this,” he said.