With the terrible events in Ukraine unfolding before our eyes, the consequences are being felt immediately at home.
The Boss of Yara, Svein Tore Holsether has warned in a BBC interview that the situation could get even tougher and has spoken of the Ukraine war as ‘catastrophic for global food’.
What was already a difficult situation with gas prices at 400 – 500% up on last year and the consequent issues with supplies, caused by increased manufacturing costs, production facilities closing, plus shipping and road transport shortages being known for the last 6 – 12 months, things have now become considerably worse. Gas and oil have both doubled in the last fortnight!
Russia is a significant player in energy and commodity markets, including nitrogen’s, phosphates and potash. As the sanctions take effect, the worldwide supply becomes ever tighter pushing prices even higher, regardless of where domestic markets traditionally source products. The combination of the increased manufacturing costings and a restricted supply is a double hit.
The efficient use of fertiliser has never been so important. Without fertiliser applications crops will not reach yield potential. In a grassland scenario, home grown forage is still the most efficient way to feed livestock. With the forecast of these high prices being the norm for the foreseeable future, a good quality silage for the winter months will be essential to keep what we will be higher feed costs, down. At Wynnstay we can offer a soil sampling service to ensure that the best suited products are used in the most cost-effective way through a nutrient management plan. The plan can include your organic manures and can be followed up with plant tissue, manure and silage analysis to give a true picture of the silage feed values to maximise on farm savings.
Please note: This information was correct at the time of drafting on 09/03/2022 and is subject to change at any time.
Inclusion of spring cereal crops in a rotation can be economically beneficial, providing either cash crops or valuable home-grown starch and energy feed sources. However, to see a good return on investment, it’s important to achieve maximum potential yields and this requires attention to detail when it comes to a nutrient plan.
With cropping decisions being made, now is a great time to carry out soil sampling to plan your fertiliser regime for the coming season. Good yields may have results in greater nutrient offtake which will need to be replenished to ensure your subsequent crops can reach their full potential. By soil sampling now you can also gauge whether there is a requirement for an autumn application of fertiliser.
The 2021/22 AHDB Recommended List sees several high-yielding varieties introduced in the wheat and barley groups. For maximum potential yield to be achieved, crops need to be provided with the correct balance of essential nutrients throughout the growing season.
Fertiliser prices have increased significantly since the beginning of 2021, particularly for Nitrogen and DAP/TSP, and this upward trend appears to be continuing into spring.
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.
With yields on cereal crops widely being reported across the industry as much as 1 tonne higher per acre, (2.5 tonne per hectare) than last year, and grass yields certainly outstripping 2018, grain stores and silage clamps are looking fuller going into the winter this year.
We are facing unprecedented times, and farming along with other industries are having to ensure their businesses are as well positioned as they can be to manage the impact our withdrawal from the EU in whatever form that might be, will have. The engine room and lifeblood of any farm is the soil, an element that has the potential to impact greatly on farm profitability. Knowing the fertility of your soils is key in determining the most efficient and cost-effective choices that should be made when using both fertilisers and manures.
As you would expect, the spell of exceptionally good weather that we saw during February has prompted a high demand for fertiliser throughout the month, and leading into March as people take advantage of windows of opportunity as they appear.
Wynnstay have launched a new range of fertilisers within the established TopCrop brand. PotashPlus offers an ideal combination of four nutrients in one single fertiliser.
