Grassland

Taking a targeted approach to the use of manures and slurries as part of a comprehensive nutrient management planning process is essential to keep input costs manageable.

Ross Dilks, an agronomist with Agrii and a dairy farmer in Derbyshire, says although his clients have tried a variety of home-grown feed sources over recent years, his experience shows grass is consistently the most cost-effective way to feed dairy cows.

Yield mapping for grassland provides vital information to inform future decision making and diet planning and the technology need not cost the earth.

Market forecasts show fertiliser prices are unlikely to drop any time soon as the perfect storm of high energy prices coupled with supply side issues mean stocks are tight and will remain so for the forthcoming season at least.

Switching to precision slurry application techniques leads to reduced contamination and improved grass growth. Two farmers share their stories.

As market analysts predict milk price rises into autumn 2022, dairy farmers who can maintain milk yields over this period will be in the best position to take advantage of this buoyant market.

Soil compaction often goes unnoticed in grassland soils and yet it can have an adverse impact on productivity comparable to the effect in cultivated soils.

Exploring all the options to increase milk from forage is yielding results on one Cambridgeshire dairy farm.

Machinery which is set up correctly lasts longer and makes better silage. These simple steps enable tedders, rakes and mowers to work effectively.

With the price of ammonium nitrate almost three times what it was this time last year, it is not surprising that many farmers are thinking hard about what they can do to mitigate this escalating input cost. And it is not just fertiliser prices which are rising.