MuckNorthwest. HarveyHughes H. Information Booklet

Transcription

1 MuckNorthwest HarveyHughes H 2011 Information Booklet

2 Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZ) Regulations The regulations have been in force since January 2009 for farms in existing NVZs and 2010 for new entrants. Approximately 62% of the land in England is designated as an NVZ. Failure to follow the rules may lead to a breach of cross-compliance, which may lead to penalties and therefore deductions to the Single Payment Scheme payment. Key points of the NVZ regulations that need to be thought about in spring are as follows; On an individual field basis, you must; Have a plan for Nitrogen use, which must be prepared before any manures or N fertiliser is applied to the crop. The plan must assess; the Soil Nitrogen Supply (SNS), the crop Nitrogen requirement, crop available Nitrogen from manure applications and the need for manufactured fertiliser Nitrogen Have Records of the Nitrogen plan for 2010 crops before applying any Nitrogen this spring, and of each fertiliser and manure application after application. These records must be available for inspection and kept for at least 5 years. On an individual field basis, you must not; Apply manufactured fertiliser or organic manures if the soil is waterlogged, flooded, frozen or snow covered (under extreme conditions, farmers should seek advice from the EA). Apply organic manures within 10 metres of a surface water, or 50 metres or a spring, well or borehole (250 metres if used for Public Supply). Apply Nitrogen fertiliser within 2 metres of surface water. Exceed the N max limit for the whole area of each crop type grown on the farm with any Nitrogen applications (either from manufactured fertiliser and/or livestock manure N). Exceed 250 kg N/ha of organic manures in any rolling 12 month period.

3 On a Whole Farm basis, you must; Have a Risk Map of the farm to identify suitable field areas for manure applications, and for locating temporary field heaps of solid manures. Have up to date field records, including details of the crop grown, the use of Nitrogen fertilisers and organic manures (following the application). All records must be available for inspection and kept for at least 5 years. Have, by the 1 st January 2012, at least 5 months storage capacity for cattle and other types of slurry, and at least 6 months storage capacity for pig slurry and poultry manures. The minimum storage requirement must be calculated using the specified calculation method as provided by the guidance. Have a record of the Livestock Manure N Farm Limit calculation. The farm should not exceed 170 kg N/ha produced by livestock in a calendar year, or 250 kg N/ha for farms that have applied for and received a derogation for the calendar year. To minimise the storage requirement, farms should investigate such practices as: o Using a slurry separator o Re-routing clean water away from the slurry store o Identifying Low-Risk Land if in an NVZ (slope under 3 o, no drains, record of past applications) o Exporting manure off the farm Other Sources of Information Defra s Guidance for Farmers in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones o Provides the rules that farmers in England must follow in order to comply with the Nitrate Pollution Prevention Regulations 2008 (Statutory Instrument 2008/2349). Defra s Fertiliser Manual (RB209) - 8 th edition, published June 2010 o Provides best practice advice, but it is not mandatory to follow or keep within the RB209 recommendations.

4 The Value of Muck Manure Type Dairy Slurry (6% DM) Amount or Slurry (applied to one ha) (m 3 ) Available Nutrients (kg/m 3 ) Fertiliser equivalent value of nutrients* Value of nutrients in Muck 83 Nitrogen Phosphate Potash Total 268 *Ammonium 316, 395 & 330 (FW Input Monitor 4 th March 2011) Manure Type Dairy FYM (25% DM) Fresh Weight Basis Amount or Slurry (applied to one ha) (T) Available Nutrients (kg/m 3 ) Fertiliser equivalent value of nutrients* Value of nutrients in Muck 41 Nitrogen Phosphate Potash Total 274 *Ammonium 316, 395 & 330 (FW Input Monitor 4 th March 2011)

5 Demonstration Machinery Farm Yard Manure Spreaders Three main types of solid manure spreaders are commonly used; Rotaspreader is a side discharge spreader which features a cylindrical body and a pto-driven shaft fitted with flails running along the centre of the cylinder. As the rotor spins, the flails throw the solid manure out to the side. Rear discharge spreader is a trailer body fitted with a moving floor or other mechanism which delivers solid manure to the rear of the spreader. The spreading mechanism can have either vertical or horizontal beaters, plus in some cases spinning discs. Dual purpose spreader is a side discharge spreader with an open top V-shaped body capable of handling both slurry and solid manure. A fast spinning impeller or rotor, usually at the front of the spreader, throws the material from the side of the machine. The rotor is fed with material by an auger or other mechanism fitted in the base of the spreader and a sliding gate controls the flow rate of the material onto the rotor. Typical Contract Rate: per hour Splash Plates Cheap Quick and Easy Relatively inaccurate Exposes the slurry to air, which increases the loss of ammonia to the atmosphere and the emission of smell The slurry is forced under pressure through a nozzle, often onto an inclined plate to increase the sideways spread. Typical Contract Rate: per hour

6 Band Spreading Band spreaders discharge slurry at or just above ground level through a series of trailing hoses. The width can vary between 6 to 27 metres, with approximately 300mm (12 ) between hoses. Working widths 6 m (20ft) to 27 m (88ft) Typical Contract Rate: per hour Suitable for grassland and arable land More uniform spread that a splash plate Slurry does not completely cover the leaves If working as an umbilical system the ground speed is limited by pump capacity Larger working widths are not suitable for small, irregular shaped fields Hoses may become clogged if straw content of slurry is high Trailing Shoe The crop is parted with a metal shoe and the slurry is deposited on the soil surface directly behind the shoe, using a hose, often in the shaped end. Mainly used for applying slurry to grassland. Working widths of 3 9 m Typical Contract Rate: per hour Crop contamination is kept to a minimum Ammonia loss is reduced as the slurry is applied beneath the sward, away from wind Up to 25% greater N utilisation vs. Splash Plate If working as an umbilical system the ground speed is limited by pump capacity

7 Shallow Injection The injector is a combined soil fertilising and furrowing machine with a working depth of 20mm (¾") to 60mm (2½"). There is no leaf contamination and crop damage will be minimised Accurate application in to the rooting zone Surface compaction is broken If working as an umbilical system the ground speed is limited by pump capacity Umbilical systems may not have sufficient weight to penetrate the ground effectively The slurry is inserted into slits created steel cutting discs. When working, the spring loaded discs create slits 20 to 60mm deep which are completely filled with slurry. The slurry is only visible as narrow strips between the grass. The distance between the slits is approximately 200mm (8"). Typical Contract Rate: per hour Deep Injection & Incorporation Deep injection places the slurry between 150mm (6 ) to 300mm (12 ) deep, below the soil surface, so decreasing the surface area exposed to air and increasing contact with the soil. Emissions from slurries are greatest immediately after spreading. Incorporating slurry into cultivated land by ploughing within a few hours of spreading can reduce emissions by up to 90%. The effectiveness decreases quickly if the incorporation is delayed. Typical Contract Rate: per hour Spring tine injectors can place slurry into stubbles Not appropriate on shallow, stony or thin soils High horsepower requirement and high equipment costs Typical travel at 2/3 the speed of a shallow injector Narrow working width at 3 to 6 m

8 Important Dates 1 Jan 2012 All farmers in either existing or new NVZs, by 1 Jan 2012 must; Provide manure storage capacity Follow the closed periods Stop high-trajectory slurry spreading Annual Dates 1 Jan Start of period for assessing the livestock manure N farm limit Start planning applications of N to permanent grassland 15 Jan End of closed period for spreading: organic manure on soils other than shallow or sandy manufactured N fertiliser End Feb End of restrictions on applying organic manure: 150kg N/ha limit for registered organic producers 50m 3 /ha of slurry and 8t/ha of poultry manure limit per single application 30 Apr (From 2010 in existing NVZs, 2011in new NVZs) deadline for: records of livestock kept in previous year and storage period calculation of the N produced 1 Aug Start of closed period for spreading organic manure to tillage land with shallow or sandy soils (unless crop is sown by 15 Sept) 1 Sept Start of closed period for spreading: organic manure to grassland on shallow or sandy soils manufactured N fertiliser on tillage land 15 Sept Start of closed period for spreading: organic manure to tillage land with shallow or sandy soils where crop is sown by 15 September manufactured N fertiliser on grassland 1 Oct Start of closed period for spreading organic manure to tillage land with soils other than shallow or sandy 15 Oct Start of closed period for spreading organic manure to grassland with soils other than shallow or sandy 31 Dec End of closed period for spreading organic manure to shallow or sandy soils HarveyHughes Ltd Independent Rural Consultants Blackmoss Court, Blackmoss Road, Dunham Massey, Altrincham, Cheshire, WA14 5RG T: F: E: info@harveyhughes.co.uk W: