Fertiliser/Spring Management

Summary on Spring N

• Soil temp and rainfall
• Fertiliser when soil temp >5 + degrees and land trafficable
• Target paddocks that will respond (Hi PRyegrass, drier, hi/med cover - etc)
• 30kgN/ha (23 units/acre) Protected urea
• Nitrogen response 10-12kg DM/kg N on January/Feb Applications. Good N recovery approx 50 - 60%.
• On first slurry application - use slurry on paddocks with covers <600kg DM/ha (2,500 gals/acre = 20 units N/acre)
• On second slurry application - Use slurry on the early grazed paddocks (interval to regrazing)
• 70 units (Slurry and Chemical N) by end of first week of April.

BE PREPARED FOR THE RAINY DAY
- It will come!!!

Approach: On/Off grazing: 2-3 hrs & back fence

1. Milk cows at 7am & 2kg of meal
2. Cows out to grass @ 9-11am in the RIGHT paddock & strip graze
3. Cows return to shed @ 12-2pm (no silage)
4. Milk cows at 3-4pm & 2kg of meal
5. Cows out to grass @ 4-5pm in the RIGHT paddock & strip graze
6. Cows return to shed @ 6-8pm
7. Cows have access to silage until 1-2am

Grass10 Phase II
Improve Nutrient Efficiency

Challenges:

• New EU Proposals
  - Farm To Fork etc.
  
• DAFM
  - Ag-Climatise
• Soil Fertility is Substandard
• Mind-set Change required
  - Smarter use of N
• Level of nutrient recording is low

Opportunities For N

• PBI/PBI App
    - Recording/Recommendations
  Lime
     –(releases 60 units N /acre from soil)
     –Prevents about 25% N loss from fertiliser
• Slurry with LESS (+ 3 units N/1000 gals)
  
• Soiled water/parlour washings in Summer
     –(4-5 units/2000 gals)
• Reduce 500kg Meal/cow = 1 bag CAN
  
• Soiled areas in pdks (10% of farm)
    –No summer fertiliser
• GPS technology: smarter use of N
  
• Clover N ( up to 80 units/acre)
    –More research/on-farm work required

When to apply Early N  view as PDF (916 KB)