New programme is blueprint to aid profit and sustainability

UNDER the Climate Action Plan, agriculture is tasked with reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030.
The Teagasc Signpost Programme has been established to help demonstrate the actions that farmers can implement which will reduce emissions.

Reduce chemical fertiliser use

Farmers deserve huge credit for reducing chemical nitrogen use by 30% between 2018 and 2023. Farmers still need to grow enough grass and silage to feed their herds and flocks.

So for 2024 focus on spreading lime, building phosphorus and potassium (P & K) levels, recycling cattle slurry to silage ground in spring to retain more nitrogen, using low emissions slurry spreading to get more value from slurry, and adding clover to new reseeds and existing fields with good fertility to grow your own nitrogen.

All these actions can help to get better utilisation from the chemical nitrogen that is spread and help reduce overall chemical nitrogen use.

Move to cheaper and lower emission fertilisers

Half of the chemical nitrogen used in Ireland is in a straight nitrogen format. The cheapest form of straight nitrogen on the market is protected urea as it will deliver up to 13% more available nitrogen than ordinary urea. Both protected and ordinary urea are cheaper than CAN at current prices as a nitrogen source.

The other half of chemical nitrogen used in Ireland is in a compound nitrogen format. The cheapest form of compound nitrogen on the market is 18:6:12 and 10:10:20. Both pasture sward and cut sward are a more expensive option and also have higher greenhouse gas emissions.

So for 2024 once you know your chemical fertiliser limits use 18:6:12 and 10:10:20 as your P and K source; protected urea as your N source, add some sulphur if needed 50% K or muriate of potash if you still need to use extra K. You can save up to €25 per cow by using an 18:6:12 and Protected Urea combination for 2024.

Plan 2024 stocking rate and stock numbers

With the stocking rates allowances reducing in some areas, check whether you are within a 220 kg organic N/ha area or a 250 kg organic N/ha area.

If you are within the 220 kg organic N area then your maximum stocking rate allowance for 2024 is 2.4 cows/ha (middle band dairy cows at 92 kg N/cow).

Work out the maximum stocking rate you are allowed on your farm and if you need to make changes to reduce stocking rates look at options such as reducing cattle, heifer or cow numbers, land leasing, Contract heifer rearing or the physical movement of cattle slurry to more lowly stocked farms.

Aim for replacement rate of around 20%

Dairy and suckler cow numbers have hit a peak on many farms. Where expansion has come to an end, how many heifers are needed as replacements?

The optimum replacement rate to maximise genetic gain is 18%. Where herds have matured, 20 replacement heifers per 100 cows each year is adequate.

Heifers are expensive to bring into the herd and they will produce less output in their first year, so the trick is to have enough to keep the herd productive while not having too many where the herd can’t reach its mature potential.

Signpost programme

The Teagasc Signpost Programme is a free service and is available to all farmers across all enterprises. The AgNav programme has been developed in conjunction with Bord Bia and ICBF.

This programme examines the carbon footprint for the farm and also shows the impact on the carbon footprint by adopting the practices mentioned above.

Tom O’Connor is the Teagasc Signpost advisor for Limerick, based in the Newcastle West and can be contacted at 069 61444.