Shane Devaney, Education Officer, Teagasc Roscommon
As we enter the autumn months there are a few jobs that may need to be completed, especially with the recent good spell of weather.
The last date to spread slurry is the 30th of September and the last date to spread farmyard manure is the 31st of October.
There is still a good return to be got from the spreading of these manures, especially in relation to P and K, less so with Nitrogen as temperatures start to drop and the growth rate starts to slow down.
Arguably the most important job to be done between now and the end of the year would be to apply lime where needed on the farm.
Lime is the one product that will help to improve soil fertility by improving grass growth, by unlocking from the soil’s essential nutrients such as N, P and K.
Lime can be applied any day in the calendar year. Some people don’t like applying lime where there is a good grass cover in the field. In my experience from talking to my clients, they never had a problem when this happened. Livestock might not be too keen to graze the grass for a few days after lime is applied, but after that there is no issue. Don’t let this be a reason not to apply lime.
This has been the first year where fertiliser purchases have been recorded on the online National Fertiliser Database. You are required to enter the closing stock for fertiliser on your farm from the 15th of September. This can be done by logging onto your online agfood account or else by contacting your advisor. Closing stock can be entered up to the 15th of October.
Lanesborough Farm Walk
A Teagasc farm walk will take place on the farm of Ray McCormack, Bleanavoher, Lanesborough, Co. Longford (N39 NY36) on the 2nd of October at 5.30 pm.
Ray is a suckler farmer, bringing all stock to finish at approximately 26 months of age. Topics covered on the farm walk will include Soil Fertility, Suckler Herd Breeding and Water Quality on beef farms. Local Teagasc advisors will be speaking. All farmers are welcome to this free event.
*Teagasc provides a Local Advisory and Education service to farmers. They have offices based in Roscommon Town (tel: 090 6626166), Castlerea (tel: 094 9620160) and Longford Town (tel: 043 3341021), You can find us on Facebook @Teagascroscommonlongford, twitter @teagascRNLD and YouTube. And follow the hash-tag #RNLDwebinars for information about local farm webinars. Email: RoscommonLongfordAdvisory@teagasc.ie
