increasing the efficiency of soil nutrient …...improve soil fertility improve the distribution of...

Increasing the efficiency of

soil nutrient management in

Northern Ireland

Suzanne Higgins

Agriculture in Northern Ireland

Agriculture 998ha (74% total land area)

Farms: 25,000 Av. Farm Size:40.1 ha

Rich, fertile high organic matter soils, Ideal for grass

growth. Small field size

Dairy: Average Enterprise Size: 88

Milk: 27% of NI Agricultural Output

Beef: Average Enterprise Size: 17

Sheep: Average

Enterprise Size: 209

Small Areas Cereals

& Potatoes

High Rainfall Climate

1000-2000 mm rainfall

Annually

Soils can be

saturated

or above field

capacity

for >250 days per

year

• Soil Compaction

• Nutrient loss to

waterways

Challenges for Agriculture in NI

Soil Managing Nutrients

Water

Reducing P losses to

waterways

Air

Mitigating GHG & NH3 Emissions

Sustainable Production

Soil Nutrient Management

• The Agri-Food Strategy Board’s “Going for Growth” has set

ambitious targets for NI’s agri-food sector, including a target

of a 60% growth in sales by 2020.

• In a report published in 2016 ‘The

Sustainable Agricultural Land

Management Strategy for NI’ the

following was highlighted:

Grass utilisation is significantly below

optimum

Less than 10% of farmland has an up-

to-date soil analysis

64% of our soils are at sub-optimum

pH

Soil Sampling and Analysis Scheme

• EU funded

• Supported by

Soil Sampling and Analysis Scheme

• Objectives

• Improve PROFITABILITY

Increase grass and forage yields

Improve soil fertility

Improve the distribution of manure nutrients

• Improve the ENVIRONMENT

Reduce risk of nutrient loss to water bodies

Structure 1. The Open Scheme

2. The Catchment Scheme

The Open Scheme

• Open to all eligible livestock farmers

• 3,030 farms registered (Online registration)

• 522 farms randomly selected (12,218 fields)

The Catchment Scheme

Upper Bann River Catchment with 11 sub-

catchments to be soil tested in the Catchment

Scheme

The Catchment Scheme

• Open to all eligible livestock

farmers in 11 sub-catchments

• 513 farms registered out of total

of 654 (78%)

• 7,772 fields sampled out of 10,063

in 11 Sub-catchments (77%)

Dots are a graphical representation only, and are not indicative of

specific farm locations

The Catchment Scheme

• Open to all eligible livestock farmers

in 11 sub-catchments

• 513 farms registered out of total

of 654 (78%)

• 7,772 fields sampled out of 10,063

in 11 Sub-catchments (77%)

• LiDAR based P run-off risk maps were

generated all participating farms LiDAR

technology

Sample collection

Sample verification

Sample preparation

Sample reporting

Results – Soil P 50% of fields on dairy farms >

Index 2

37% of fields on beef farms >

Index 2

50

37

35

P Over-Supply (%)

Dairy Beef Sheep

Dairy farms 15% fields < Index 2

Beef farms 27% fields < Index 2

Sheep farms 31% < Index 2

Catchment Scheme – Run-off Risk

Mapping

• Risk maps for P run-off were prepared using LiDAR digital elevation data, soil Olsen and WSP

concentrations, soil wetness index and hydrology information

• Yellow = high risk of run-off of newly applied fertiliser or manure-P

• Purple dots = expected points of run-off entry into water-ways.

• Approximately 10% of farmland in Upper Bann to be at high risk of fertiliser/manure-P run-off

• Strategies to mitigate P loss to water could include avoiding slurry application to certain fields during

early spring, and use of targeted riparian zones to prevent run-off reaching water-ways.

Open Scheme – Soil K Status

24% of fields had

K < Index 2-

20

26

33

K Under-Supply (%)

Dairy Beef Sheep

Adding extra slurry or potash on 20% of dairy area and 26% of beef area

could result in 400 kt/yr extra grass DM worth £40 million

(gross)/yr

Soil pH and Lime Status

Overall 43% of grassland requires lime

Fields at sub-optimal soil pH could be losing 2 t DM/ha/yr

Correcting soil pH could result in an increase of

1.95 million tonnes DM (1 t DM/ha/yr for 5 years)

Potentially worth £195 million (£100/t DM)

• 71% of farmers in Open Scheme attended training sessions in Nutrient

Management Planning

• 42% of farmers in Catchment Scheme attended training sessions

• 57% over all

Farmer Participation in Training

More efficient management of nutrients

on farms • Soil test regularly – every 4-5 years

• Optimum soil fertility enhances nutrient cycling and soil health

• Improved yields

• Careful management to minimise compaction damage

• New technology can help increase efficiency

Thank You