Nutrients: Monday 13 January is the first day farmers in Zone A can spread slurry and chemical fertiliser. Farmers in Zone B will have to wait until 16 January and farmers in Zone C will have to wait until 1 February. Weather conditions for the uptake of nutrients were ideal early this week as air and soil temperatures were high. As luck would have it, the forecast for next week isn’t as good, with rain and colder temperatures forecast.
As tanks are filling up, slurry will be a bigger worry than fertiliser on the majority of farms.
There are advantages of using low-emission slurry spreading (trailing shoe and dribble bars) in terms of reducing nutrient losses in spring. But, for me, the big advantage is spreading the slurry on higher grass covers and not be worried about it contaminating the grass.
As you get into March, ammonia losses will increase if you are spreading slurry with a splash plate.
Farmers applying for a derogation must spread slurry with low-emission equipment after 15 April.
On nitrogen, just because you are allowed to spread doesn’t mean you should. Decisions on when to spread should be based on soil temperature and prevailing weather. Don’t spread fertiliser on the same fields that got slurry – 2,500 gallons per acre of slurry is the same as 23 units/acre of nitrogen.
There is still a great return from early nitrogen – just get the timing right.
Tasks: There are five jobs that must be done over the next fortnight:
You must become mentally prepared for calving. This involves resting and building energy reserves for the busy period ahead. The best farmers all take a weekend break in January. Have you got the flu jab?You must get facilities ready for calving. Remember, you need 70 calf spaces per 100 cows. How many tonnes of milk are you willing to carry this spring? Every calf drinks over 400kg of milk over 10 weeks. That’s 40t on every 100 calves reared. There are easier ways of moving milk than using buckets. If rotavirus is a problem or even a potential problem, then vaccination is a must. Yes, the vaccine is expensive but it’s a lot cheaper than having sick calves. You must be thinking about contingency plans. What are you going to do if you get locked up with TB? What are you going to do if you or a staff member gets sick? What are you going to do if the weather is atrocious? A contingency plan won’t solve the problem, but it means you have a plan in place for how to cope in the event of it happening. Make plans now while you’ve a clear head.Get admin out of the way: get your accounts together for 2019, pick 70% of your bulls for 2020 and do an opening grass cover and a grass budget for the spring.Chlorine: This week’s focus is on milk quality and milking equipment. A lot of farmers who started using chlorine free products last year began to experience problems towards the end of the year. We go into detail on best practice for dealing with chlorine-free products.
Read more
2019: a good year for grass growth
Dairy management: heifers weights, teat sealing and doses
Nutrients: Monday 13 January is the first day farmers in Zone A can spread slurry and chemical fertiliser. Farmers in Zone B will have to wait until 16 January and farmers in Zone C will have to wait until 1 February. Weather conditions for the uptake of nutrients were ideal early this week as air and soil temperatures were high. As luck would have it, the forecast for next week isn’t as good, with rain and colder temperatures forecast.
As tanks are filling up, slurry will be a bigger worry than fertiliser on the majority of farms.
There are advantages of using low-emission slurry spreading (trailing shoe and dribble bars) in terms of reducing nutrient losses in spring. But, for me, the big advantage is spreading the slurry on higher grass covers and not be worried about it contaminating the grass.
As you get into March, ammonia losses will increase if you are spreading slurry with a splash plate.
Farmers applying for a derogation must spread slurry with low-emission equipment after 15 April.
On nitrogen, just because you are allowed to spread doesn’t mean you should. Decisions on when to spread should be based on soil temperature and prevailing weather. Don’t spread fertiliser on the same fields that got slurry – 2,500 gallons per acre of slurry is the same as 23 units/acre of nitrogen.
There is still a great return from early nitrogen – just get the timing right.
Tasks: There are five jobs that must be done over the next fortnight:
You must become mentally prepared for calving. This involves resting and building energy reserves for the busy period ahead. The best farmers all take a weekend break in January. Have you got the flu jab?You must get facilities ready for calving. Remember, you need 70 calf spaces per 100 cows. How many tonnes of milk are you willing to carry this spring? Every calf drinks over 400kg of milk over 10 weeks. That’s 40t on every 100 calves reared. There are easier ways of moving milk than using buckets. If rotavirus is a problem or even a potential problem, then vaccination is a must. Yes, the vaccine is expensive but it’s a lot cheaper than having sick calves. You must be thinking about contingency plans. What are you going to do if you get locked up with TB? What are you going to do if you or a staff member gets sick? What are you going to do if the weather is atrocious? A contingency plan won’t solve the problem, but it means you have a plan in place for how to cope in the event of it happening. Make plans now while you’ve a clear head.Get admin out of the way: get your accounts together for 2019, pick 70% of your bulls for 2020 and do an opening grass cover and a grass budget for the spring.Chlorine: This week’s focus is on milk quality and milking equipment. A lot of farmers who started using chlorine free products last year began to experience problems towards the end of the year. We go into detail on best practice for dealing with chlorine-free products.
Read more
2019: a good year for grass growth
Dairy management: heifers weights, teat sealing and doses
This is a subscriber-only article
SHARING OPTIONS: