John Maher, the Teagasc Grass10 Manager, outlines a suitable fertiliser programme for the spring months on Irish dairy farms on this week’s episode of the Dairy Edge.

John explains that spring Nitrogen is crucial to kick start grass growth during the spring and to boost the farm cover to ensure grass remains the predominant feed in the dairy cow diet in early lactation.

Farmers should first look to maximise the value from slurry by spreading 1/3 of the farm that has the lowest covers now using LESS equipment and a further 1/3 of the farm following grazing in late February and early March - 2,500 gallons of slurry equates to approximately a half bag of Urea.

For the remaining 2/3 of the farm, farmers should aim to spread a half bag of protected Urea now.

To calibrate yours or the contractors’ slurry spreader, to ensure you are achieving the correct application rate, check out the new Slurry Spreader Calibration Calculator:
https://www.teagasc.ie/rural-economy/farm-management/farm-machinery/machinery-calibration/slurry-calibration-tool/

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/