Dave Mitchell

Read the latest advice from the Wynnstay Arable & Forage team on crop nutrition from our Spring Seeds 2021 edition.

The evidence that most grassland soils require the application of sulphur from fertilisers to maximise grass silage and grazing yields still mounts.  Most farmers now appreciate that all light and medium soils, and even now some heavier loam soils, don’t release enough sulphur from organic matter to allow grass growth and quality to meet potential.  They also realise that there is not enough available sulphur in slurries and manures to meet demand.

Balancing farm inputs and outputs against a backdrop of increasingly variable growing conditions will be one of the key challenges for farmers in the future, with Nitrogen use being one of the most important issues.

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New season AN prices were launched in the UK at the end of May. Prices are approximately £50/t cheaper than last year's launch and nearly £40/t cheaper than the levels they were trading at recently.

With the delays that have been experienced getting on to the land this spring don’t forget to ensure the nutrient requirement of your soil and plants is calculated in the dash to get crops planted or animals turned out.

We all know the reasons for taking a 2 or 3 cut silage system to 4 or 5 cuts; better grass quality and higher yields to increase output from forage, and if you’re not doing it already, you’ve probably dismissed is it as an option for your business or are thinking of moving in that direction

As another weather front blows in across the whole of the UK and with cropping still unsure in a lot of areas, the thought of fertiliser applications may be at the back of grower’s mind.

We witnessed world prices for fertilisers fall towards the end of 2019, this has been helped further with a strengthening of the pound sterling. Manufacturers have now reset UK prices and are considerably cheaper than they were at the same time last year.

Many grassland farmers with a high stocking rate and significant feed inputs have moved away from using fertilisers containing P (Phosphate). But it’s important to know that even a maintenance application of P to keep soil indexes at target 2 can have an impact on grass yields.