Nitrogen Fertiliser - pros & cons?

[Loadabullocks]

Nitrogen (granules) are on order at quite-a-bit over £200 / tonne.

I’m very curious to hear the collective opinions on using fertiliser. Pros, cons? Short / long term effects? Ultimately... how sustainable is it for the climate, the farmer, the accounts etc.

For context of my situation, these photos of our pasture I took today. These fields will likely have a couple of cuts of silage.

*Disclaimer...! We don’t mob-graze (yet). However I am interested into the dynamics of using or not using fert in a mob stocked system.

 

[JohnGalway]

I don't use fert any more. I can't think of any positive when considering the "whole" ie my finances, my soil, my livestock - above and underground.

They do say it is best to reduce use rather than go cold turkey all of a sudden. So perhaps reduce by a % this year, and next and so on.

 

[puppet]

Fertiliser on half of it and then decide for next year. Depends on how much early grass you want. If 2 cuts then nitrogen will need balanced somehow.

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

As @JohnGalway says the evidence is pretty strong for the damage Nitrogen fertiliser does to the soil and the atmosphere but don't cut it suddenly, taper it off over a few years whilst changing your other management, or you'll most likely see production crash.

 

[Rod Dumbreck]

You can look at it either way

 

[Loadabullocks]

You can look at it either way

I like those ads.

Nothing beats nitram... if you work for nitram

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

You can look at it either way

Precisely, so use nothing!

 

[ShooTa]

gives the plants the N fix which stop them being able to get it naturally from the soil - and converts the carbs to protiens afaik - ie not what you want as carbs get turned to fat/energy in animals.

 

[Loadabullocks]

taper it off over a few years whilst changing your other management

What are the best changes to make?

 

[steveR]

As @JohnGalway says the evidence is pretty strong for the damage Nitrogen fertiliser does to the soil and the atmosphere but don't cut it suddenly, taper it off over a few years whilst changing your other management, or you'll most likely see production crash.

Need to get clover/legumes into the swards surely, so a gradual transition can aid this.

 

[Kevtherev]

It would certainly be a good idea to get some WC in the sward after a cut of silage.
@neilo is our resident grazing guru

 

[awkward]

Would slurries have a similar effect on soil as fertiliser, we reduced fert here over last few years but increased slurry usage, we feel that we suffer output reduction but that may be to calcium and sulfur, ph is good. Soil is obviously darker and infiltration has improved with the reductions of fert but concerned that slurry will undo the good.

 

[neilo]

Would slurries have a similar effect on soil as fertiliser, we reduced fert here over last few years but increased slurry usage, we feel that we suffer output reduction but that may be to calcium and sulfur, ph is good. Soil is obviously darker and infiltration has improved with the reductions of fert but concerned that slurry will undo the good.

A heavy dose of slurry is pretty damaging, making the surface anaerobic. Light doses would be better, but obviously the application costs more.

 

[puppet]

Would slurries have a similar effect on soil as fertiliser, we reduced fert here over last few years but increased slurry usage, we feel that we suffer output reduction but that may be to calcium and sulfur, ph is good. Soil is obviously darker and infiltration has improved with the reductions of fert but concerned that slurry will undo the good.

You will reduce grass output as 3000 gallons slurry per acre is 20 units N2 and 100kg of straight nitrogen is 68 units per acre.

 

[Loadabullocks]

It would certainly be a good idea to get some WC in the sward after a cut of silage.
@neilo is our resident grazing guru

how long after?

 

[Kevtherev]

how long after?

Soon as the field is cleared I’d scratch some white clover in
1-1.5kg to acre then roll hope for bit of rain.

 

[neilo]

I use Nitrogen fertiliser more as a management tool than anything else.
As someone described a couple of weeks ago, see it as an accelerator.

I know that I’m going to be tight for grass in April, so I put 125 kg/ha of AN on a lot of my grassland last weekend, before the wind picked up, and as I was doing my Winter Barley.
The forecast looked like I wasn’t going to be able to spread for a good ten days after, and I’ll have small lambs or lambing ewes everywhere in a fortnight’s time, so better on.
When it begins to warm up, grass will grow that bit faster for it, and the clover won’t be doing anything yet.

I’ll put similar on again in early September, to build a wedge of grass going into the Autumn, shortening the winter.

If it looks like I might be tight earlier in the Autumn, I might put a light dose on before then too.

Not a massive user of N, but it’s a valuable tool that would be missed just to be evangelical about it. As with everything, it has to return more than it’s application cost of course.

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

What are the best changes to make?

Short grazing periods during fast growth tines of the year followed by appropriate rest periods for recovery of the grass. That's a very simplified version.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

I'm not so sure that the pasture gets addicted to it, as much the farm business comes to be reliant on its use over time.. more grass, more costs, more grass...

As a "one hit wonder" to get you out of strife, it can be useful.
Like smoking a joint with old mate, really; it's not the substance "being addictive" because it isn't at all... it's more to do with why you wanted the fix

 

[ShooTa]

What are the best changes to make?

might be a starting point...