Maintaining grass growth at lower levels of chemical Nitrogen

The Dairy Edge

Deirdre Hennessy joins Emma-Louise Coffey on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast to give tips and advice on maintaining grass production whilst spreading lower levels of chemical Nitrogen. Deirdre firstly explains that farmers can expect lower grass production if they spread less chemical Nitrogen to the tune of 800-1,000 kg DM/ha. She recommends that farmers target spreading slurry in the spring using LESS techniques to increase the amount of N available. Furthermore, farmers should consider the inclusion of white clover to take advantage of the plants ability to fix Nitrogen in the soil. This allows the opportunity to reduce the rate of chemical Nitrogen application during the summer months, while maintaining grass production and has additional benefits of greater milk yield. For more information go to: https://www.teagasc.ie/news--events/daily/dairy/improving-nitrogen-use-efficiency-nue-will-save-you-money.php For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/ Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com