The 5 things you should ask me about at CropTec
NRM
Agriculture
There’s a lot going on in agriculture at the moment, with some challenging issues for farmers and their advisors to face. I’ll be at CropTec this week, in hall 1 on stand 1.109, and I’m looking forward to tackling some of these issues with both existing and new customers.
If you’re coming to CropTec, here are the top five things you should ask me about:
- How can I make best use of my fertiliser this season?
Nitrogen fertiliser prices have climbed to unprecedented highs, with on farm prices getting close to £700/t for ammonium nitrate (AN). It’s important to match any nitrogen inputs to the crops’ requirements, so we can optimise crop yield, maximise crop quality, and minimise nitrogen losses and impact to the environment. The best way to do that is by assessing how much nitrogen is left in the soil (SMN and SNS) so you can refine your nutrient management plan.
- Everyone’s talking about carbon – how can I get involved?
Soil carbon is at the centre of regenerative agriculture. Measuring and monitoring soil carbon (particularly active carbon) is an effective way to monitor soil health and will help you meet the criteria for future government schemes such as ELMS and SFI. Some farmers are also starting to take advantage of the additional income stream from private carbon markets. Once you have measured the carbon levels in your soil, this data can be benchmarked to track changes.
- I want to introduce organic fertilisers. What’s the most efficient way of using them?
The use of manure or slurry as part of a nutrient management plan is a great way of adding organic matter and essential nutrients to soils. You can use average values from RB209, but many customers are finding crop nutrition planning easier using the actual nutrient values. Manure or slurry analysis makes fertiliser planning more accurate, efficient, and effective.
- How can the grain in my shed help me improve future crop nutrition plans?
Over the last ten years, mill inlet test results have shown a steady decline in grain phosphate content, with the average slipping by 15%, indicating that many crops have sub-optimal nutrition. 75% of ADAS YEN samples were also found to be deficient in one or more nutrients. By testing the grain in your shed, you can identify deficiencies, calculate actual nutrient offtake, and adjust next season’s nutrition programme accordingly.
- How do my test results compare with my neighbours’?
For many years, we have published the summarised soil analysis results from thousands of soil tests from farms across the country. For customers interested in benchmarking soil results against other farms, we’ve now created an interactive map of the summarised results, so you can drill down into region and county to see results by crop. I’ll have the map on my iPad at the show, but if you want to see it in advance, click here.
I’d be delighted to see you in hall 1 at stand 1.109 to discuss any of these questions, or any others you may have about how specialist laboratory analysis can make your farm more productive and profitable.
Visit NRM