Nitrogen fertiliser is spread once a year on the milking platform of Stephen and Mark Montgomery’s farm near Drumahoe, Co Derry.
At a National Milk Records (NMR) open day held on the farm on Thursday, visitors were told that a mixture of ammonia and water is applied to the grazing block in February through a liquid fertiliser drill.
“The solution is integrated at 10cm depth and 30cm apart for a slow release which lasts throughout the grazing season,” said Dr Debbie McConnell from the Agri Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI).
Slurry is applied in the springtime with an umbilical system and this is the main source of phosphorus, potassium and other micronutrients. If additional K is needed, fertiliser such as 0-0-60 may be spread in the autumn, visitors were told.
The Montgomery brothers run a 185-cow Holstein herd in Co Derry.
McConnell said that reduced labour demand is the main benefit of using an annual application of liquid fertiliser as regular spreading of fertiliser throughout the grazing season is not needed.
However, she said there has been limited research carried out in recent years on the efficiency of liquid fertiliser as a source of nitrogen.
The Montgomery brothers run a 185-cow Holstein herd with pedigree prefix Gortree. Figures to the end of April show a herd yield of 9,700 litres/cow at 4.13% butterfat and 3.28% protein from 3.3t of concentrates per cow.
Read more from the open day in next week’s Northern Ireland edition of the Irish Farmers Journal and at www.ifj.ie/ni
Read more
Watch: making best use of grass in a high-yielding cows
Letter re unfair milk pricing structure in Northern Ireland
Nitrogen fertiliser is spread once a year on the milking platform of Stephen and Mark Montgomery’s farm near Drumahoe, Co Derry.
At a National Milk Records (NMR) open day held on the farm on Thursday, visitors were told that a mixture of ammonia and water is applied to the grazing block in February through a liquid fertiliser drill.
“The solution is integrated at 10cm depth and 30cm apart for a slow release which lasts throughout the grazing season,” said Dr Debbie McConnell from the Agri Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI).
Slurry is applied in the springtime with an umbilical system and this is the main source of phosphorus, potassium and other micronutrients. If additional K is needed, fertiliser such as 0-0-60 may be spread in the autumn, visitors were told.
The Montgomery brothers run a 185-cow Holstein herd in Co Derry.
McConnell said that reduced labour demand is the main benefit of using an annual application of liquid fertiliser as regular spreading of fertiliser throughout the grazing season is not needed.
However, she said there has been limited research carried out in recent years on the efficiency of liquid fertiliser as a source of nitrogen.
The Montgomery brothers run a 185-cow Holstein herd with pedigree prefix Gortree. Figures to the end of April show a herd yield of 9,700 litres/cow at 4.13% butterfat and 3.28% protein from 3.3t of concentrates per cow.
Read more from the open day in next week’s Northern Ireland edition of the Irish Farmers Journal and at www.ifj.ie/ni
Read more
Watch: making best use of grass in a high-yielding cows
Letter re unfair milk pricing structure in Northern Ireland
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