Sometimes the simplest of things make the biggest difference.

We had a Teagasc sheep spring grass walk locally last Friday. We are lambing away at the moment but I was determined to attend because no matter what livestock you farm, grass is key in all systems if you want to try to pay the bills.

I was slightly disappointed at the attendance. It was a lovely afternoon and I thought every sheep farmer in the area would have turned up. After all, this is the time to get grass ready.

In fairness to Teagasc, this was a fantastic event with simple take-home messages presented in layman’s terms. The advisers explained a few simple steps to increase grass growth, utilise it and save money.

I was at home yesterday when it all came together for me, like an epiphany. I was spreading fertiliser in preparation for peak spring grass demand in about six weeks’ time.

As I was driving up and down the field listening to the radio, it struck me – isn’t this an awful lot easier than lugging bags of meal around to sheep in March and April?

Save money

Drive the tractor around the field, spread your fertiliser, walk away, let the sheep out, they eat it and turn it into cash, as well as saving you money on meal feeding.

We have been trying in earnest for the last few years to get our soil fertility right so that the grass can grow to its maximum. It’s a long-term project and it can’t all be done overnight. I think that’s why some people fall off the wagon and revert to meal.

I recall being told once “at least you can see the sheep eating the meal” by someone who preferred to see his €8 bag of nuts being physically eaten by his ewes.

Sometimes farmers’ trust in fertiliser is lost but you need to stick with it and you will reap the rewards in terms of sheep performance, time and money saved. That’s not to mention the difference it will make to your knees, back and hips by not lugging tonnes of nuts around all winter. To grow 10kg of dry matter in the form of grass from fertiliser costs €0.74, we were told by Teagasc. To give a ewe the equivalent dry matter in the form of a nut costs €3.04.

I know which one I’ll be using this spring.