Introduction
This assignment will highlight the importance of utilising government publications to ensure that farmers are staying within the law, and the regulations of any schemes they may be a part of. It will also highlight the need to calculate the amount of nitrogen in animal manure for outwintering, as to not apply more than is allowed beforehand.
Fertiliser Programmes
Fertiliser is key to attaining high yields when growing crops. RB209 is a publication produced by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) to enable farmers, growers and agronomists to apply the correct amount of fertiliser for the particular situation.
Forage Swedes
Forage Swedes SNS Index (kg N/Ha) 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Nitrogen (N) 100 80 60 40 0-40 0 0
Phosphate …show more content…
If they are sown after mid-august into cultivated ground, there can be an application of up to 50kg P2O5/Ha at SNS 0 only. All the Phosphate, Potassium and Boron the crop requires should be applied at sowing, with a small amount of Nitrogen to get the crop started. The bulk of the N should be applied at a later date. (RB209 Fertiliser Manual, 2010)
Legislation
When growing a forage crop such as kale, it is important to establish whether the farm lies within an NVZ. Statutory Management Requirement 1 (SMR1) states that farmers must not apply more nitrogen fertiliser than the crop needs. When grazing cattle, it is important to consider the residual nitrogen in the soil, and then work out the amount of nitrogen produced by the faeces of the cattle. Taking the combined values of these away from the total nitrogen allowance will give the total amount of nitrogen that can be applied to stay within the law.
For Example:
(SNS1, maximum N allowed is 120kg/Ha. Average manure production is 53kg/Cow/Day. 50 cows will produce 2.65 tons per day. If they are on the forage for 120 days, they will produce 318 tons of manure. Cows eat 20kg/day, 10ac will support 50 cows for 240 …show more content…
31.8kg/ac = 78.55kg/ha
120 – 78.55 = 41.45
Therefore, 78.55kg of nitrogen will come from manure, leaving the option to spread up to 41.45kg of nitrogen on the field to aid the crop in growing, and staying within the regulation of SMR1.
Further to this, there are a number of Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions (GAECs) that must be considered when growing an over-winter forage crop. GAEC 5 states that “You must have minimum land management which reflects site specific conditions in order to limit erosion.” [DEFRA (2015) The Guide to Cross Compliance in England]. This includes limiting poaching in order to limit soil erosion, and not complying with the GAEC can result in the loss of some or all of a BPS or Stewardship Scheme payment if the total area of livestock damage is a continuous distance of greater than 20 metres long and 2 metres wide near a vulnerable watercourse.
Summary
In summary, this assignment has shown that it is important to consider the laws surrounding, and therefore the use therein, of fertiliser when growing forage crops. In addition, it highlights that there are many government statues and “good practices” when considering the application of fertiliser, and that it is important to calculate and consider the nutrient values in animal manure, as to stay within
This assignment will highlight the importance of utilising government publications to ensure that farmers are staying within the law, and the regulations of any schemes they may be a part of. It will also highlight the need to calculate the amount of nitrogen in animal manure for outwintering, as to not apply more than is allowed beforehand.
Fertiliser Programmes
Fertiliser is key to attaining high yields when growing crops. RB209 is a publication produced by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) to enable farmers, growers and agronomists to apply the correct amount of fertiliser for the particular situation.
Forage Swedes
Forage Swedes SNS Index (kg N/Ha) 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Nitrogen (N) 100 80 60 40 0-40 0 0
Phosphate …show more content…
If they are sown after mid-august into cultivated ground, there can be an application of up to 50kg P2O5/Ha at SNS 0 only. All the Phosphate, Potassium and Boron the crop requires should be applied at sowing, with a small amount of Nitrogen to get the crop started. The bulk of the N should be applied at a later date. (RB209 Fertiliser Manual, 2010)
Legislation
When growing a forage crop such as kale, it is important to establish whether the farm lies within an NVZ. Statutory Management Requirement 1 (SMR1) states that farmers must not apply more nitrogen fertiliser than the crop needs. When grazing cattle, it is important to consider the residual nitrogen in the soil, and then work out the amount of nitrogen produced by the faeces of the cattle. Taking the combined values of these away from the total nitrogen allowance will give the total amount of nitrogen that can be applied to stay within the law.
For Example:
(SNS1, maximum N allowed is 120kg/Ha. Average manure production is 53kg/Cow/Day. 50 cows will produce 2.65 tons per day. If they are on the forage for 120 days, they will produce 318 tons of manure. Cows eat 20kg/day, 10ac will support 50 cows for 240 …show more content…
31.8kg/ac = 78.55kg/ha
120 – 78.55 = 41.45
Therefore, 78.55kg of nitrogen will come from manure, leaving the option to spread up to 41.45kg of nitrogen on the field to aid the crop in growing, and staying within the regulation of SMR1.
Further to this, there are a number of Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions (GAECs) that must be considered when growing an over-winter forage crop. GAEC 5 states that “You must have minimum land management which reflects site specific conditions in order to limit erosion.” [DEFRA (2015) The Guide to Cross Compliance in England]. This includes limiting poaching in order to limit soil erosion, and not complying with the GAEC can result in the loss of some or all of a BPS or Stewardship Scheme payment if the total area of livestock damage is a continuous distance of greater than 20 metres long and 2 metres wide near a vulnerable watercourse.
Summary
In summary, this assignment has shown that it is important to consider the laws surrounding, and therefore the use therein, of fertiliser when growing forage crops. In addition, it highlights that there are many government statues and “good practices” when considering the application of fertiliser, and that it is important to calculate and consider the nutrient values in animal manure, as to stay within