The challenges in getting slurry spread this spring means that slurry storage facilities are likely to be fresh in the minds of most farmers. Some issues in the west of the country were compounded by the fact that some farmers had difficulty last autumn in getting tanks fully emptied before the prohibited period started on 15 October.

The good ground conditions at present should serve to encourage farmers to get storage facilities emptied in good time and ensure there is no repeat of this in 2020.

Expansion

Significant expansion has taken place on dairy farms in particular in recent years and there is greater scrutiny being placed on assessing if the required facilities are in place for the number of livestock present on the farm.

This should already be available for farmers that have a nutrient management plan in place, but it is worth double checking that this tallies with numbers that are planned to be over-wintered. We have a detailed description of how slurry storage facilities can be assessed.

Crops

Potato growers have to contend with big changes to the manner in which they need to clean potato stores and equipment.

The option of using the important potato sprout suppressant chlorprohham (CIPC) is no longer available to farmers in Europe and there are question marks surrounding CIPC residues and limits that will be set. Stephen Robb discusses this issue and gives detailed advice on what farmers should do to prevent such issues from arising.

With the harvest of winter crops approaching fast, it is also important to put a plan in place to ensure grain stores are adequately cleaned and ready for this year’s harvest. Preparations should take account of cleaning and disinfecting stores to ensure pest and disease risks are removed.

It is also important to ensure that any disinfectants or pesticides used are allowable and that accurate records are maintained.