Nitrogen: The closed period for spreading slurry and chemical fertiliser has ended for farmers in Zone A. Farmers in Zone B can spread from Saturday and farmers in Zone C and in Northern Ireland can spread from 1 February. The policy around early nitrogen on light soils is shifting, as the focus is moving more and more towards nutrient use efficiency. The first step in this is to use early slurry to replace early nitrogen. Every 1,000 gallons/ac of slurry spread with low emission applicators is worth around nine units of nitrogen/ac, so 2,500 gallons/ac equals 23 units/ac. The response is lower when slurry is spread with a splash plate.

The best response to early chemical nitrogen will be when soil temperatures are above 6°C, ground conditions are good and grass varieties are mostly perennial ryegrass. If these conditions present themselves in January, then that means it is safe to spread, but if it means waiting until February then so be it. A maximum of 20 to 25 units/ac is advised. Urea is the nitrogen of choice in early spring. From an ammonia emissions perspective, the risk of losses in early spring is low, but unless protected urea is used, ammonia losses from using ordinary urea will be added to the national inventory.

Slurry: While rainfall amounts in January have been relatively low, land is still quite wet in many places. There is a big risk of causing soil compaction when spreading slurry from big tankers travelling on soft ground. Umbilical pipe systems have an advantage over tankers, in that there is much less weight applied to the soil. To avoid environmental damage, making sure soils are not waterlogged and that there is no heavy rain due after spreading the slurry is the best way to ensure that the slurry stays where it is supposed to be and doesn’t find its way into watercourses. For the first two weeks after the closed period ends, the buffer zone between the application area for slurry and surface water (all drains and watercourses) increases from the standard 5m to 10m.

Try to avoid spreading on all the dry fields with low covers, to ensure there is sufficient area for cows to graze in February if conditions are suitable. Dribble bars and trailing shoes are a help, as they do a lot less soiling of the grass.

Debt: In this week’s paper, we take a look at the debt situation on dairy farms and give an overview of the different options that are available for farmers looking to borrow money. It’s obvious that most of the capital development work that has been completed on dairy farms over the last decade has been financed through cash flow or savings. This is good, because debt is a cost and it increases risk. However, I would say that there is good debt and bad debt. Good debt is where the investment is delivering a high return and sets the farm up for future wealth creation. Bad debt or too much debt can suffocate the business. Everyone has a different risk profile for debt and just because some people are happy with and can manage well with high borrowings, doesn’t mean everyone can or should. Having little or no debt is a business strength.