The next couple of months are a good time to catch up with jobs such as soil testing your fields and analysing manures, and with the price of fertiliser this year it is more important than ever to make sure that inputs are well managed.
Decisions about how much nutrient application is needed should be based on accurate soil analysis, which Defra recommends is undertaken every three to five years. It can take up to 5 years to build P and K levels in the soil, so acting early to address deficiencies is important to avoid seeing any impact on yield. Recent data across all sampling by NRM Labs found that 31% and 46% of grassland samples were short of P and K respectively. Excess applications are also important to avoid over-supply where there may be a risk of run-off or leaching to groundwater and watercourses, almost 40% of grasslands were found to be over the target P index. With the changes in ELMS schemes ahead to a much greater emphasis on soil health, natural fertility and carbon stores, we recommend adding soil organic matter assessment into your basis soil suit. The small additional cost will ensure that you have the data available to benchmark your soil carbon, which is a requirement in the Sustainable Farming Initiative and increasingly asked for by farm assurance schemes.
Our analysis supplier at NRM Cawood Laboratories provides us with a good deal on their soil and manure packages, so get in touch if you would like a quote or support to use their services.