Fertiliser Price Tracker

Wombat

Member
BASIS
Location
East yorks
Some of us have been talking about NUE for long enough, however as you say often would get told "your thing says need 30 kg N, I was planning on putting on 60 kg N, lets go at 50 then" or "well I've got it in the shed so might as well put it on" only time I ever get questions on N-Sensor or N-Tester is when it says to put on less N...........that might be different in spring 22 !!!
The issue is springs like last year where it doesn’t rain for 7 weeks from mid March to early May. If you pop on little doses it’s too late when it gets to the plant.
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
I cant see that being the case going forward atm mind.
no one can predict the future, you can only 'hope' you have made the right predictions. It's what makes farming different from other industries. We sow/decide, to do something, with no guarantee of a profit, in a year or so's time.
It makes farmers cautious, in how they farm, that silage additive, or extra N, is applied, on a 'just in case' basis, or insurance. The other side of the coin, is we quite happily take on technology, new methods etc, and perhaps best described, as a cautious vibrant, and exciting industry.
 

cricketandcrops

Member
BASIS
Location
Lincolnshire
The issue is springs like last year where it doesn’t rain for 7 weeks from mid March to early May. If you pop on little doses it’s too late when it gets to the plant.
Correct, however I didn't mention little doses. I believe little and often can make it more efficient however that first 80-100 kgs needs to go on early in one hit to build the biomass..........then little and often, practically though it isn't viable, especially with liquid fert as having to fit in amongst spraying stretches capacity anyway.

My view it should always get a big dose on early.
 

Wombat

Member
BASIS
Location
East yorks
Correct, however I didn't mention little doses. I believe little and often can make it more efficient however that first 80-100 kgs needs to go on early in one hit to build the biomass..........then little and often, practically though it isn't viable, especially with liquid fert as having to fit in amongst spraying stretches capacity anyway.

My view it should always get a big dose on early.
When would you put on the first 100kg then? Don’t disagree with your comment and it’s what we do, but interested in your timing
 

Farma Parma

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Northumberlandia
no one can predict the future, you can only 'hope' you have made the right predictions. It's what makes farming different from other industries. We sow/decide, to do something, with no guarantee of a profit, in a year or so's time.
It makes farmers cautious, in how they farm, that silage additive, or extra N, is applied, on a 'just in case' basis, or insurance. The other side of the coin, is we quite happily take on technology, new methods etc, and perhaps best described, as a cautious vibrant, and exciting industry.
Yes a agree with all of that.
I did about four year ago when Nitram was £165/ton buy an extra load that was not used until the following year but how far can you go.
Good old hindsight yet again.
The way dare i say it the Russians can dictate how much Gas were going too get is rather worrying, where is all our own?
Even tho there current issue with that new pipeline is with Germany were all feeling the heat of it...
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
Yes a agree with all of that.
I did about four year ago when Nitram was £165/ton buy an extra load that was not used until the following year but how far can you go.
Good old hindsight yet again.
The way dare i say it the Russians can dictate how much Gas were going too get is rather worrying, where is all our own?
Even tho there current issue with that new pipeline is with Germany were all feeling the heat of it...
we take risks every day, and have to live with the results, good or bad.
But for to many reasons, the use of fert, is in the sights of many, it definitely is not green !
So l think we will have to learn to use a lot less.
alternative ways to increase soil fertility, should be looked at hard, even if fert price comes down, or back to 'normal' price, if we can successfully build soil fertility by 'other' methods, it would be a win/win solution.
Modern farming, as we know it, only started around ww2, when food was desperately needed, so in itself, is a relatively new thing.
 

PSQ

Member
Arable Farmer
Generally, chemical fertiliser is not climate friendly, either in it's manufacture, or use, and has been a very easy, and convenient product to use, which produces good results. It has replaced good rotations though, pre fert, fertility was based on a 'proper' rotation, building up soil fertility, to take a cash crop, or two. That has changed to taking continuous cash crops, only possible by using fert, to replace rotation. And many farmers today, think that is the 'normal' practice. Farmers, on very light soils, are finding problems, with that, continuous cultivation, has depleted soil structure, which is needed, with fert, to produce a crop.

So, if fert use is restricted, either by price, or tax/law, to maintain crop yields, an alternative needs to be found, or you accept lower yields, that's pretty obvious, it's the how, that isn't. Pre extensive use of fert, a huge amount of research was going into building soil fertility, by rotation, different crops etc, all that research, went out the window, when fert came in, the easy, reliable alternative, that has remained the 'stalwart' behind decent yields, ever since, till now. So replacing/reducing fert use, you have to look back, to that early research, to find answers, luckily we have plenty of modern 'tools' to help.

No mention of mixed farming, or the fact that if any of us had carried on farming like it was 1922 we wouldn't have survived the lean years between 1996 - 2007?
Bagged fert has been the only game in town, and it will remain so. For all of the 'environmentalism' thrown at farmers, not one of the experts can put the lid back on Pandoras Box / Norman Borlaugs 'Green Revolution', or explain how we feed 8 billion people with token gestures.

We're farmers, not alchemists. We can't produce 14,000,000 tonnes of wheat a year (etc) using only 'sound bites' and good intentions. The nation apparently demands we continue to feed 70 million people while "working towards Net Zero". If they want us to farm like it's 1922, then we'll need to almost halve the population back to 38 million (1921 census) and accept that they're going to be kept alive on pretty thin soup. Vegan diets, organic farming, regenerative farming, direct drilling, (Insert next farming fad here) etc etc; the sum of these doesn't come near to touching the sides of what we are being asked to achieve.
 
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som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
No mention of mixed farming, or the fact that if any of us had carried on farming like it was 1922 we wouldn't have survived the lean years between 1996 - 2007?
Bagged fert has been the only game in town, and it will remain so. For all of the 'environmentalism' thrown at farmers, not one of the experts can put the lid back on Pandoras Box / Norman Borlaugs 'Green Revolution', or explain how we feed 8 billion people with token gestures.

We're farmers, not alchemists. We can't produce 14,000,000 tonnes of wheat a year (etc) using only 'sound bites' and good intentions. The nation apparently demands we continue to feed 70 million people while "working towards Net Zero". If they want us to farm like it's 1922, then we'll need to almost halve the population back to 38 million (1921 census) and accept that they're going to be kept alive on pretty thin soup. Vegan diets, organic farming, regenerative farming, direct drilling, (Insert next farming fad here) etc etc; the sum of these doesn't come near to touching the sides of what we are being asked to achieve.
no, but we are expected to. And they want to cut fert use, for #climate change'. might not be joined up thinking by them, they might alter policy, they are on spreading shite in the autm, that's been delayed a year. very thankfully.
On the other hand, if we can improve soil, by other means, and use the that, with fert, or reduced fert, to get the same yield, all for that.
Or fert may come down in price, product price may rise to cover the higher cost, if neither occur, less fert will be used. As to feeding the nation, that is not our job, that is down to the idiots that create all these stupid rules/ideas.
And if food becomes less plentiful, as it will do, if this continues, the price to us, will rise, a position l would quite happily accept.
 
no, but we are expected to. And they want to cut fert use, for #climate change'. might not be joined up thinking by them, they might alter policy, they are on spreading shite in the autm, that's been delayed a year. very thankfully.
On the other hand, if we can improve soil, by other means, and use the that, with fert, or reduced fert, to get the same yield, all for that.
Or fert may come down in price, product price may rise to cover the higher cost, if neither occur, less fert will be used. As to feeding the nation, that is not our job, that is down to the idiots that create all these stupid rules/ideas.
And if food becomes less plentiful, as it will do, if this continues, the price to us, will rise, a position l would quite happily accept.
You've lost me I'm afraid.
 

Northern territory

Member
Livestock Farmer
I’m amazed more people aren’t looking at buying cheap fodder that’s available . Could well be cheaper than buying fertiliser .
Who knows what’s going to happen? Guy my dad was talking to had halved his store cattle numbers to 400 because of price of barley. He buys everything. If you can’t grow your own feed as in grain,numbers don’t stack up currently. Also would you want to feed it if you do grow it.
 

Stw88

Member
Location
Northumberland
I’m amazed more people aren’t looking at buying cheap fodder that’s available . Could well be cheaper than buying fertiliser .
Even with fert where it is I couldn’t make the figures add up buying crop in. 30 bales for £900 doesn’t go far. My 10k fert bill would only buy 330 bales. I need 1600. 75kg/ acre of urea is £50ish/acre, £5 bale at 10 bales acre. There’s no real cheap fodder round our area. To many mouths!
 

DRC

Member
Correct, however I didn't mention little doses. I believe little and often can make it more efficient however that first 80-100 kgs needs to go on early in one hit to build the biomass..........then little and often, practically though it isn't viable, especially with liquid fert as having to fit in amongst spraying stretches capacity anyway.

My view it should always get a big dose on early.
Depends though . My crops have plenty of biomass apart from one late drilled ( Nov ) after beet .
last year I had a block after rape that was also very forward ( it does get plenty of pig slurry pre drilling), and I left it alone until late March and only used 140 units in old money . Yielded 3.8 tons and more importantly stayed up .
I won’t be in any rush to waste fertiliser this spring .
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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