Current production from 255 cows stands at 28 litres/day at 4.1% butterfat and 3.21% protein.

Transcription

1 Demonstration Farm Walk Broughton Mains 09/03/2010 The day began with an update on events since the last meeting. Crop update The spring oat harvest was good with a yield of over 7t/ha with a good crop of straw also. A crop of triticale (variety Fidelio) was sown in early October. Inspection of this crop at the end of the day revealed excellent establishment with limited weed competition. After recent cold weather it was certainly the greenest field in the area. Rations Silage quality was excellent with a ME of over 11MJ/KgDm. A pre mix consisting of 40% Maize 30% Soya 15% Beans and 15% Peas was balanced to 24% CP with the addition of homegrown cereals. The total ration is currently 39kg silage 7kg premix 7kg wholecrop 1kg chopped hay. It was felt that the wholecrop was not giving sufficient scratch hence the incorporation of the hay. An 18% CP cake is being fed in the parlour at 2kg/day Current production from 255 cows stands at 28 litres/day at 4.1% butterfat and 3.21% protein. Blood sampling is now a regular part of herd management to assist in maintaining energy balance in the ration and to look out for trace element issues.

2 Dietary crude protein levels had been reduced for the low yielders to improve body condition prior to calving. Farm Policy Two significant events since the last meeting were the sale of the ewe flock and the commissioning of a 15KW wind turbine. The grass management provided by the sheep will be replaced by renting land to a grazier or through buying organic store lambs. If all the sheep are sold then non organic sheep could be taken on to the farm for 120 days in a year. Walk through steading Some points of interest were raised as the group looked through the steading area. - Cubicle design. Some single pole carbon fibre cubicles had been installed in the hospital area. These could be easily taken out if a cow was in distress and provided a very simple design solution. These were originally installed without a front barrier but a rope division had since been added. - Building design. The group discussed the recent trend of outer feed passes. Mr McKay felt that if starting again a centre feed pass would be tidier and easier managed than the outside trough. - Diet feeder. After trialing 7 feeders a Shelbourne machine had been selected. The key factor was the versatility of the elevator. - Maize growing. The growing of maize organically was discussed. While this would be a good energy source the difficulty of weed control was discussed. Trials taking place with flame weeding would be watched with interest. - Red clover/spring wheat silage. This mix works well for a wholecrop while establishing a sward in the same year. Three cuts of the red clover dominated mix would be taken in a season. The main issue with the red clover is the loss of plants due to compaction while making silage. - Aeration. A 5 metre machine is used to improve soil structure. The main difficulty is getting the soil conditions right for the job.

3 Slurry storage The current storage between below and above ground storage amounts to around 1.5 million gallons which is the equivalent of approximately 6 months storage. SEPA are now looking for a minimum of 6 months storage for any new facility. For grant purposes the SRDP rate for a slurry store is 50% which can be further enhanced by 10% if the holding is LFA and a further 10% for a young farmer. A store that is designed for 7 months storage will attract a High for additionality under the SRDP scoring system. Presentations Links to presentations prepared by Alex Sinclair, SAC senior soil scientist, and Hugh McClymont, SAC farm manager are given below. Some key points were as follows: - The definition of dirty water rather than organic manure is if the effluent has less than 0.5% dry matter and less than 0.5kg/N per cubic metre. - The total monetary value of nitrogen in the slurry produced at SAC s Crichton Royal farm is over 8, The total value of nutrients in a 2200 gallon tanker of undiluted slurry is around 4.50 at current fertilizer prices. - A thin slurry will percolate faster than a thicker slurry. If applied in the spring this will result in 45% availability of nitrogen rather than 35%. - Shallow injection of thin slurry can result in 55% availability. - A new advisory tool will be available to farmers later in the spring. Planet Scotland will allow farmers to plan fertilizer applications, complete NVZ records and more accurately calculate the value of their farm wastes. - Soil analysis at Broughton Mains generally showed good ph, P and K levels. One field had low P and K and a derogation had been granted to apply sulphate of potash and rock phosphate. Nitrogen value calculation. A typical 2000 gallon/acre application of slurry is the equivalent of 22 cubic metres/ha. A slurry containing 1.6kgN cubic metre will supply 35kgN/ha. Multiply by 0.8 for units per acre = 28 Then consult tables to see the availability of the nitrogen depending on time of year and method of application

4 Next Meeting The final demonstration farm meeting at Broughton Mains will be an evening farm walk in June which will be followed by a barbecue. Presentations Presentations prepared by Alex Sinclair, SAC senior soil scientist, and Hugh McClymont, SAC farm manager are given below.

5 Managing Farm Nutrient Where there s muck there s brass Hugh McClymont Farm Manager SAC Crichton Royal Farm 1

6 The Problem Dairy Herd Size Increasing Investment in Sheds & Parlours Slurry Storage Last on the List More cows housed all year Increased Rainfall 2

7 Storage Issues 3

8 Crichton How much does a 650kg cow produce/day? 65kg/day (what weight are you?) 485 Cows (30 on Straw) 355 housed for 6mths (4153m/3) 100 housed all year (2370m/3) 280 DYS (160 cubicles 8mths)(30kg/day) 1150m/3 Total Annual Slurry 7673m/3

9 Farm Nutrients 455 cows DYS on cubicles = 7700m3 Additional water = 5000m3 total 12700m3 What is it worth? How do you know? Test on Farm (Agros Meter) CRF worth 1m3 = 1kgN Available N 225/ton = N is.65/kg 12,700m3 = 8,280 5

10 Storage at Crichton 6

11 Nutrient Store at Acrehead 7

12 Nutrient Storage 8

13 Lagoon 9

14 FYM Compost

15 N + P + K Values How Much in a m3 worth? 6% DM Dairy Slurry (Thick Soup) Book Values 1m3 = 3kgN +1.2kgP + 3.5kgK Current Prices for N, P & K? AN 321 ( 225) TSP 620 ( 255) MoP 535 ( 330) 7.50/m3 or ton ( 4.53) 10m3 Tanker (2200 gall) = 75/load ( 45/load) 2% DM Dairy Slurry ½ value

16 Application Methods 12

17 Minimise Losses Effect of technique on the reduction of ammonia emissions occurring after spreading cattle and pig slurry Spreading technique Emission reduction % compared to splash plate Injection deep/closed slits 98 (90-99) Injection open slits (shallow) 87 (67-97) Trailing shoe 63 (35-88) Trailing hose 41 (25-88) 13

18 Splash Plate 14

19 Trailing Shoe Grass 15

20 Shallow Injector Grass 16

21 Tanker Shallow Injector 17

22 Grass Slots 18

23 Trailing Shoe 19

24 Grazing & Conservation 6-8wks after surface application for grazing 3wks after injection for grazing Grazing dependent on leaf contamination & consistency of slurry 5wks after injection for silage 6wks after surface application for silage Risks of anaerobic spoilage in silage 20

25 Topping and Baling

26 Grazing following injection Bare Stubble 2-3 Weeks recovery with excellent sward quality Most Susceptible animals are youngstock CRF stay in till in calf Graze rented land that does not receive slurry

27 Where Now? Longer Closed Period (22 weeks) Organic N Loading 170kg/ha or 250kg/ha Increase storage or reduce water content Waste Management Plan to verify 6 mths Separate water at source Separation Bugs in tank Bio Gas? 23

28 Summary Faecal Oral Contamination Minimise Improved Slurry Management Value On-Farm Nutrient Increased efficiency Less Purchased Fertiliser Reduce Carbon Footprint Cross Compliance Issues Embrace new technology for the future 24

29 25

30 Nutrient management Dr Alex H Sinclair SAC Consulting This presentation was funded by the Scottish Government as part of its Public Good Veterinary and Advisory Services 1

31 Farm Gate Nutrient Budget Inputs: organic & inorganic fertilisers, seed, livestock, feed, bedding. Outputs: grain, straw, livestock, milk Surplus/deficit: inputs - outputs Recovery of inputs in outputs 2

32 Farm Gate Nitrogen Budgets 3

33 Farm Gate Phosphorus Budgets 4

34 PLANET Scotland (available late April/early May?) Decision support system for nutrient management on farms in Scotland Planning Land Application of Nutrients for Efficiency and the environment 5

35 PLANET Scotland Funded by Scottish Government Managed by SAC Coded by ADAS.NET software runs on Windows XP, Vista & 7 Available under license for use by commercial software developers CD provided free of charge to farmers, advisers and consultants 6

36 What will PLANET Scotland do? Field-level nutrient and lime recommendations based on SAC technical notes Field-level records to meet NVZ compliance requirements Farm Gate Nutrient Balance (NPK) Library of range of key reference documents 7

37 Other PLANET Scotland features Data export function (into spreadsheet) e.g. to calculate a fertiliser buying requirement Organic manures inventory, storage capacity and storage requirements ENCASH calculating the N produced by pigs and poultry based on specific dietary input. May be used instead of standard values of manure N production in NVZs 8

38 The PLANET Project 9

39 PLANET Scotland helpline Proposed combined helpline will continue to be based at ADAS Gleadthorpe Queries received via the web, or telephone contact Simple queries dealt with by trained ADAS reception staff Nutrient management queries (Scotland) to duty SAC specialist 10

40 Training of PLANET Scotland users? SG-funded training workshops 25 (maximum) farmers/advisers/consultants participate in each workshop On-line packages that can be accessed at the user s convenience 11

41 Soil ph and lime requirement Field number ph LR arable LR grass t/ha t/ha Tacher ? Meadow Old Mair Mair Hill Carwheats Big Mains Murray s Hill

42 The following soil ph levels are recommended for arable crops and temporary grass Soil Type Recommended ph Sands 6.1 Light 6.2 Medium/Heavy 6.4 Peats 5.4 Soluble aluminium inhibits root growth at low soil ph 13

43 Soil ph and potential yield of spring barley ph Yield %

44 Notice the thick, stubby roots 15

45 Soil acidity damage 16

46 Soil ph falls gradually due to leaching of lime, off-take in crops and livestock and acidification from fertilisers such as ammonium nitrate. The application of lime corrects soil ph. Liming Material Approx. NV (Neutralising Value) % CaO % CaO Calcium carbonate 56 hydrated lime 70 Ground magnesian limestone 56 burnt lime 90 Ground limestone 48 paper waste 10 Sugar beet waste lime 20 shell sand 30 Neutralising value indicates different strengths of liming materials 17

47 Extractable soil PKMg Field number P K Mg mg/l mg/l mg/l Tacher Meadow 3.6 (L) 128 (M) 138 (M) Old Mair 5.8 (M) 149 (M) 185 (M) Mair Hill 6.8 (M) 232 (H) 143 (M) Carwheats 6.6 (M) 212 (H) 189 (M) Big Mains 11.4 (M) 261 (H) 189 (M) Murray s Hill 4.9 (M) 68 (L) 213 (H) 18

48 Target PK soil status & crop rotation Crops in rotation P K Grass (moderate/high N mg/l mg/l 6 (lower M) 80 (lower M) Grass/clover 9 (middle M) 120 (middle M) Ley/forage/cereals 11 (upper M) 120 (middle M) Cereals/potatoes/ vegetables 12 (upper M) 150 (middle M) 19

49 Phosphorus deficiency Small plants - soon after emergence - slow root development - thin stems Leaves and stems become dark bluish green, turning a strong purple colour in older leaves. Delayed ripening: lack of ENERGY in the crop. 20

50 Potash Necessary for: efficient photosynthesis resistance to disease, winter kill, drought maintenance of sward clover content Luxury uptake When excess K present in soil, plants will take up K in preference to other elements such as Mg and Ca. They will absorb more K than is required for growth - LUXURY UPTAKE - leading to reduced Mg and Ca content in herbage - hypomagnaesemia and milk fever 21

51 Typical PK offtake values in kg/tonne fresh material P 2 O 5 K 2 O Grass silage@25%dm Grass Cereals: grain only Winter wheat/barley: grain & straw 9.0* 12.0* Spring barley: grain & straw 9.0* 14.0* *offtake value is per tonne of grain but includes nutrients in straw 22

52 Typical manure NPK contents of solid manures Solid manures Cattle FYM DM% Total N kg/tonne Total P 2 O 5 kg/tonne Total K 2 O kg/tonne Pig FYM Layer manure Poultry litter

53 Typical total nutrient contents of liquid manures (kg/m 3 ) Nitrogen (N) Phosphate (P 2 O 5 ) Potash (K 2 O) Sulphur (SO 3 ) Magnesium (MgO) Cattle slurry (6%DM) Pig slurry (4%DM) Cattle slurry, mech separated liquid (4%DM) * * Pig slurry, separated liquid (3%DM) * * Dirty water(0.5%dm)