Farmers in all counties except those in Ulster and Leitrim are now permitted to spread slurry on their land. Those in the aforementioned regions will have to wait until the start of February to get slurry moving on to land.
Farmers in all counties except those in Ulster and Leitrim are now permitted to spread slurry on their land.
Those in the aforementioned regions will have to wait until the start of February to get slurry moving on to land.
While pressure on slurry tank capacity seems to be less this year than in other years, probably as a result of the good back-end, now is still a good time to get slurry spread.
In the main, ground conditions are good and while the recent snow certainly made land wetter, free draining soils continue to dry out and the forecast is for good conditions for most of this week.
Thinking back to last year, there was good weather for spreading slurry in January but February, March and April proved very wet and getting slurry spread was a big challenge.
Where there is sufficient storage remaining to hold slurry for another month or more, farmers can be confident to delay spreading until later in the year when uptake is likely to be better.
However, for the majority of farmers, it would be sensible to take advantage of the good weather and lower tanks to create a bit of breathing space.
All of the slurry on the farm doesn’t have to be spread now. As mentioned, responses will be better later in the year.
Plus, most of the value of slurry is the phosphorus and potash so its important to apply this on to the fields that need it most, not just those that are dry or convenient for spreading.
In terms of rates, applying around 2,500 gallons/acre is the equivalent of 23 units of nitrogen per acre and is a good target to aim for.
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