Bare minimum N rates

Gator_boy9

Member
Seriously considering splitting what nitrogen we have in the shed across 2 seasons. Had planned to go with 140N/ha on both wheat and osr, dropping to 70kg N would insulate us from high N prices in 2023 but potential would drop to 6-7t/ ha I think. Averaged 8.3t in 2021 on 60:40 1st and 2nd wheats. We’re on fairly heavy moisture retentive clays.
 

David.

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
J11 M40
On our droughty brash the weather has a bigger say than N applied, I think.
I have put on 55kgN on everything at the weekend, as Piamon. Shall put same on again when lambing winding down, and I have enough Lithan in stock for 1 cwt/ac thereafter.
That will be it; and I'm wondering about keeping the Lithan for 2023.
 

DRC

Member
Much will depend on the history of your fields and background fertility. I have seen people grow good crops with only 50 units but you will struggle to do that on a full blown arable rotation except where a lot of manure or similar is going on.
What would spring barley get away with if it has a dollop of pig muck under it
 

Grass And Grain

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Yorks
I've to get used to the idea my AN is worth £650/t. That will concentrate the mind.

Thinking...

spring barley 80kg N/ha (down 40kg compared to normal).

W wheat, 160 kg (50kg down).

W barley, 150kg (50kg down).

Hay. Sprinkle a bit on if anything left in the spreader after doing cereal fields. Max 20kg.
 

Steevo

Member
Location
Gloucestershire
Funny how farmers are all facing different decisions at the moment.

Some thinking of buying for next year now.
Others thinking of saving some of this years fert for next year
Others with no N in stock to use this year

A year ago farming seemed so simple by comparison with more farmers in a similar boat facing similar decisions.
 

Hindsight

Member
Location
Lincolnshire
The AHDB who you pay your levy to is trying to help with the decision making process. And produced the attached guidance report. Well worth a read. Skim through first to identify the key pages as there is some padding and waffle in it. But sound science based first principles.
 

Attachments

  • How best to respond to costly fertiliser nitrogen for use in 2022.pdf
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Two Tone

Member
Mixed Farmer
We often forget that putting no fertiliser on crops, doesn’t mean the yield will be nought.
As a rule of thumb, I reckon that what ever %age rate you cut your Nitrogen fertiliser by, the yield drop will be about half the %age you dropped the fertiliser by.

I’m also convinced that when using Urea fertiliser, there is a carryover into the following year and even a third year!
Growing a stewardship crop of GS4 Herb and legume rich pastures proves this and when we switched from 12 to 24metre tramlines, you could still see where the 12 metre headland Start/shut-off overdoses were for at least 3 years.
 

Two Tone

Member
Mixed Farmer
I’m also interested to see how zero-till direct drilling is going to effect nitrogen rates using Urea. Going by last year’s results, I don’t need as much. probably IRO 20% less to get the same yield as my old plough based system. However, that carryover effect of Urea, might be the reason, insofar as by not disturbing the soil profile (and burying it), might actually be making more available from the previous year.

One thing I have certainly noticed is that where muck was applied and not buried by cultivations, There is a definitely a big carry over into the following year.

This land has a definite max yield potential when conventionally farmed depending on the year. We do well in dryer years and RB209 is at least 20% above what we must apply. If we go over this amount, we go way above the N response curve and yields go down.

So @Gator_boy9 , I too am seriously considering saving a chuck of my Urea fertiliser over to 2023.
But not as much as half, because it was bought in the lower £400’s and I don’t want to lose out on a decent yield with High grain prices in the same year.
 

DRC

Member
If you think about it, we can grow good crops of maize with muck and 50kgs of DAP down the spout.
our maize has never been top dressed, so why shouldn’t cereals also find their nutrition from years of built up reserves .
 

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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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