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