There are going to be knock-on effects for Irish businesses and agri firms in the coming weeks and months as a result of the conflict in Ukraine.

In unprecedented times, open minds are necessary and change can come quickly.

The Irish Farmers Journal livestock and tillage specialists take a look at what farmers can do to de-risk their business.

Land use: forage crops, slurry and clover

By Siobhán Walsh

Livestock farmers could make an agreement with local tillage farmers to grow forage crops like forage rape, stubble turnips or rape/kale hybrids. These crops need to be planted early to maximise yield and soak up any fertiliser from the previous crop. Agree on fencing, the type of stock to be grazed and be organised so that crops are planted early.

Slurry results vary hugely between different samples taken. Knowing what’s in your slurry allows you to decide what you can cut back on and what is in deficit. It costs €60-80 per sample. Safety should be a priority when sampling as tanks need to be agitated before sampling. If you have clover in your grass swards, cut back on nitrogen due to high prices and this will allow clover to do its job. Plan where you have clover so nitrogen rates are reduced.

Tillage: consider crop choice

By Andy Doyle

Consider crop choice to make best use of land, money and inputs. Autumn catch crops are seen as lower-risk than forage crops. Can they work for you?

Growing a protein crop can significantly decrease the overall nitrogen fertiliser requirement across a rotation.

Use organic manures to enhance soil productivity.

Fodder crops like maize and beet are high-cost, fertiliser-intensive and seen as higher risk than a cash crop so demand would have to be led by serious cropping and livestock farmers who share the investment and stand by any agreements.

Sheep: use strong prices strategically

By Darren Carty

Farmgate prices for hoggets, cull ewes and ewes with lambs at foot are relatively positive, providing an opportunity for producers to sell surplus or non-productive stock. This may also reduce grass demand and lessen demand for higher-priced fertiliser.

The important religious festivals of Ramadan (1 April to 30 April) and Easter (17 April) take place in close proximity and should help to keep a good floor under markets. The festival of Eid al-Adha, which supports the highest levels of annual throughput, runs from 9 to 13 July.

Don’t cut back severely on nitrogen or eliminate targeted concentrate usage as this will only serve to diminish winter forage reserves and possibly leave higher numbers of lambs on farm competing for grass later in the year. Explore link-ups with tillage farmers to graze catch or cover crops.

Dairy: target nitrogen where you get a response

By Aidan Brennan

Any chemical nitrogen that is available should be targeted at fields that will give the best response such as recently reseeded, good soil fertility, dry and free-draining, etc. Skip fields that have a good clover content.

Consider off-loading non-essential stock to reduce the demand for grass. Heifers can be contract-reared and cull cows can be sold early.

Soiled water and good-quality slurry are valuable assets and should be used sparingly and spread over as big an area as possible to get the maximum effect.

Beef: plan now for next winter

By Adam Woods

First up, do a fodder budget and calculate how much silage you need for next winter.

One of the first things to do at this stage is to secure enough silage fertiliser so that you can make enough silage for next winter. A lot of cattle farmers are sitting on the fence regarding purchasing fertiliser, but prices won’t come back between now and the middle of the year. With meal prices also increasing, good-quality silage will also be important to reduce feed costs next winter.

If fertiliser can’t be sourced or gets scarce, look at reducing the stocking rate through the sale of stock. Avoid offloading breeding stock. Cull underperforming stock or sell cattle earlier.

Many farmers are looking at paying for fertiliser up front this year as opposed to buying on credit as in previous years. Without increasing overdrafts or borrowing funds, this will put huge pressure on farms over the spring and summer. Traditionally these were always tight months, with no support payments issuing during this time. Draw up a simple plan about what is coming into the farm and what is going out at today’s prices. If you need an extra credit line, talk to your bank early and have your request and plan clearly written down to discuss.