Variable Rate nutritients

[Jack Russell]

Is it possible to get the £27/ha for doing VR manures? I’m thinking it would work on our own land and then offer it as a contract job. If someone had a prescription it wouldn’t take much for us to load it to the ops centre.

 

[Spencer]

All nutrient applications have to be VR applied as I understand, so you’d have to do all bag and liquid as well to claim the payment.

 

[Punch]

VR manures are required but it’s ambiguous which nutrient you vary the rate with. I’ve been in discussion too vary rate the highest P or K value but do you then need some straights to top up the lower value? How does it effect N rate required?
FYM application is variable rate anyway, the problem is not knowing which bit you are varying. That’s why historically you look a soil sampling trends not specifics. I think DEFRA still don’t understand the issues with soil sampling and continuity.
I’m sure a system will be able to meet the SFI requirements, however there will be some unusual consequences.

 

[Danieljack1991]

VR manures are required but it’s ambiguous which nutrient you vary the rate with. I’ve been in discussion too vary rate the highest P or K value but do you then need some straights to top up the lower value? How does it effect N rate required?
FYM application is variable rate anyway, the problem is not knowing which bit you are varying. That’s why historically you look a soil sampling trends not specifics. I think DEFRA still don’t understand the issues with soil sampling and continuity.
I’m sure a system will be able to meet the SFI requirements, however there will be some unusual consequences.

There should be an additional payment for proof of sampling too using GPS coordinates IMO.

 

[Salopian_Will]

I have confirmation that manures do not need to be variable. Your n,p,k out of a bag should be though.

 

[Wombat]

I have confirmation that manures do not need to be variable. Your n,p,k out of a bag should be though.

That in writing anywhere?

 

[Salopian_Will]

That in writing anywhere?

I’ve got it in an email somewhere. The chaps who sold me my N sensor circulated it

 

[Danieljack1991]

What if you don’t need to apply P&K

 

[Spencer]

What if you don’t need to apply P&K

You'll be fine to just vari rate N then.

 

[yellow belly]

What if you don’t need to apply P&K

If you don’t aply it then no need to variable rate it

As long as you use one nutrient variably and can prove it you can claim

 

[Dave488]

I have confirmation that manures do not need to be variable. Your n,p,k out of a bag should be though.

Does this apply to Digestate as that is organic manure?

As I spread bagged P & K variably, also a top dressing of N for milling wheat, but the vast majority of N, P & K comes from Digestate which is spread with umbilical and therefore can’t be spread variably and that’s why I didn’t think I could claim for variable nutrient option.

 

[PeterPrestbury]

An issue with sfi is that the option prescriptions can be updated by rpa, so the prescription that your neighbours 12 month old sfi has and is working to, may not be the same as your sfi if starting now.

The current prf1 guidance states:
You must make sure the VRA equipment automatically varies the application rate of the major nutrients in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim.

For the purposes of this action, major nutrients include nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and magnesium (Mg), as relevant, contained in:

manufactured fertilisers – solid or liquid
solid manures – such as farmyard manure, poultry litter, sewage sludge or biosolids
slurry or digestate, including separated liquid

PRF1: Variable rate application of nutrients

What you must do to get paid for this action and advice on how to do it.

www.gov.uk

 

[curlietailz]

We have just had the farm SOYL tested and have ordered a veritable rate spreader
I expect that all bagged NPand K will be spread using variable rate

 

[Salopian_Will]

Does this apply to Digestate as that is organic manure?

As I spread bagged P & K variably, also a top dressing of N for milling wheat, but the vast majority of N, P & K comes from Digestate which is spread with umbilical and therefore can’t be spread variably and that’s why I didn’t think I could claim for variable nutrient option.

In theory yes. I think if you are within the spirit of the rules you are ok, but if it is only a small percentage variable then probably not worth it. That is a personal view and so don’t rely on it!

 

[Dave488]

An issue with sfi is that the option prescriptions can be updated by rpa, so the prescription that your neighbours 12 month old sfi has and is working to, may not be the same as your sfi if starting now.

The current prf1 guidance states:
You must make sure the VRA equipment automatically varies the application rate of the major nutrients in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim.

For the purposes of this action, major nutrients include nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and magnesium (Mg), as relevant, contained in:

manufactured fertilisers – solid or liquid
solid manures – such as farmyard manure, poultry litter, sewage sludge or biosolids
slurry or digestate, including separated liquid

PRF1: Variable rate application of nutrients

What you must do to get paid for this action and advice on how to do it.

www.gov.uk

So it basically says farmyard manure and Digestate have to be spread variably as I understood it and that’s why I didn’t include it in SFI24 application. I did look at spreading manure variably as the contractor that spreads the Digestate has spreaders that can do it, can do the Digestate too if spread with tanker, but the extra traffic and cost for the manure basically meant you would spend what you got from the £23/Ha or whatever it is now.

 

[Farma Parma]

We have just had the farm SOYL tested and have ordered a veritable rate spreader
I expect that all bagged NPand K will be spread using variable rate

Applying MOP/TSP & LIME is all quite easy VARI Rate but anything Nitrogen based is far more expensive & such a shame that has to be part of this grant claim.
Ive been doing the first three for 10years now & have no intention of starting the Nitrogen side of this.

 

[Dave488]

Applying MOP/TSP & LIME is all quite easy VARI Rate but anything Nitrogen based is far more expensive & such a shame that has to be part of this grant claim.
Ive been doing the first three for 10years now & have no intention of starting the Nitrogen side of this.

Variable rate nitrogen isn’t too expensive if you use satellite imagery, obviously the N sensor is a much bigger outlay

 

[Farma Parma]

Variable rate nitrogen isn’t too expensive if you use satellite imagery, obviously the N sensor is a much bigger outlay

The more i read into this i think we can still make a plan up with NVDI imagery & tick the boxes for the grant weither you just vari the N rate by 25kg in the diff zones is another story

 

[Dave488]

The more i read into this i think we can still make a plan up with NVDI imagery & tick the boxes for the grant weither you just vari the N rate by 25kg in the diff zones is another story

I thought you had to keep the variable rate plans as evidence.
I just looked I paid £3/Ha plus £150 registration fee for my variable rate nitrogen plans.

 

[yellow belly]

Currently waiting to be offered sfi 24 so not doing anything till I see the colour of the money