Zero Cooperation with SFI until Autumn Spreading Ban Lifted.

[Will Blackburn]

By the time it’s dry enough in the spring to take a loaded muckspreader onto a growing crop without incurring soil and crop damage then I’d say it’s going to be too dry for that muck to get to root zone before the following autumn.
I hope the public are ready for this shift to spring spreading and non incorporation. Going to be a fair old stink as it warms up in the spring with the poultry, pig and sewerage works lads leaving it on the surface on growing crops.

I’ve applied bio solids to grass after cutting and after the next cut the roots have very visibly come out of the soil into the particles of bio solids. I’m sure it’s the same with manure, it’s just very visible against the black bio solids.

 

[Raider112]

By the time it’s dry enough in the spring to take a loaded muckspreader onto a growing crop without incurring soil and crop damage then I’d say it’s going to be too dry for that muck to get to root zone before the following autumn.
I hope the public are ready for this shift to spring spreading and non incorporation. Going to be a fair old stink as it warms up in the spring with the poultry, pig and sewerage works lads leaving it on the surface on growing crops.

By the time it's dry enough in the North West the crop will be far too long to spread muck onto.

 

[snarling bee]

I have almost doubled my soil OM by applying, FYM, compost and digested sewage 'cake'. That will all be stopping now thanks to the EA.
I certainly wont be signing up to the SFI.

 

[jerseycowsman]

How about no cooperation until privatised water companies syphoning off profits to the Caymans / Canadian pension companies, are made to invest in sewerage capacity and stop dumping into watercourses?

Or how about no cooperation till the environment agency stop acting like school bullies picking on the little farmers whilst letting the giant water companies do as they please!

 

[Wombat]

These threads always make me smile in a sad kind of way as how quick and easy we are as an industry to push each other under the bus.

Does anyone think the water companies go to the Gov or EA and say look at X water company we are way better than them you should punish them first. Nope they go as one employ the best solicitors, admit to nothing and say this is what we need as an industry and if there any fines no worry we will just pass them on to consumers.

I am not saying we shouldn;t clean our acts up we all try and there are certainly some parts of our industry i have issues with but ag really will never have a united voice.........

 

[Grass And Grain]

"The Farm Yard Manure becomes ready for use in 4 to 6 months and on an average it contains 0.5%N, 0.2% P2O5 and 0.5% K2O. Application of 10 tons FYM to the soil gives 50Kg N, 20Kg P2O5 and 50 Kg K2O. Out of this 30% of N, 60-70% of P2O5 and 75% of K2O is available to the crop in the first year of application and the rest of the nutrient is available in the subsequent years.Considerable amount of N in FYM is lost during preparation and storage mainly as NH3 volatilisation and or NO3 leaching. The values normally reported as dry equivalent values and there was only superficial moisture removed."

So for each 10 tons of FYM spread;
15kg of nitrogen,
13 kg of phosphate,
37.5kg of potash
is available to the crop in the first year.

I guess that means it would be the equivalent to spreading an artificial NPK of 0.15/0.13/0.375.


While a "Considerable amount of N in FYM is lost during preparation and storage mainly as NH3 volatilisation and or NO3 leaching".

I always thought autumn spreading was very effective here.

So 35kg of N are not available in year 1, presumably becoming available in subsequent years. A nice lump of that presumably comes available after harvest, say August to October.

If we've applied FYM annually for several years, does that mean there will be a fair amount of N available at beginning of Winter?

By the time it’s dry enough in the spring to take a loaded muckspreader onto a growing crop without incurring soil and crop damage then I’d say it’s going to be too dry for that muck to get to root zone before the following autumn.
I hope the public are ready for this shift to spring spreading and non incorporation. Going to be a fair old stink as it warms up in the spring with the poultry, pig and sewerage works lads leaving it on the surface on growing crops.

Stem extension well kicked in before dry enough on low lying soils,.so don't want to he driving about on the crop.

 

[Hindsight]

I was thinking that . We certainly get paid a bonus by Severn Trent because the water is tested below the metaldyhde level. I’m sure if it was that bad with other pollutants, they’d be on to us with more carrot schemes

Are they going to carry on paying you not to use Metaldehyde when there is no Metaldehyde to use? Approval goes next March. Here I get the weekly pesticide levels from North Lincolnshire abstraction points. Quite fascinating to see how individual pesticides peak a day or so after heavy rain. The email recievd today showed propyzamide significantly exceeding the Drinking water amount - but it can be scrubbed out over carbon filters.

 

[DRC]

Are they going to carry on paying you not to use Metaldehyde when there is no Metaldehyde to use? Approval goes next March. Here I get the weekly pesticide levels from North Lincolnshire abstraction points. Quite fascinating to see how individual pesticides peak a day or so after heavy rain. The email recievd today showed propyzamide significantly exceeding the Drinking water amount - but it can be scrubbed out over carbon filters.

Not after this year , but I believe they will move onto pesticides

 

[DrWazzock]

Well, if there’s no shift in policy on the autumn spreading ban then I still maintain there will be no cooperation from me with DEFRA or the EA other than to meet compulsory legal requirements.
It’s quite clear though that solidarity as a industry is something we will never achieve with too many people only too willing to cut “I’m alright Jack” deals in cosy love ins.
I will continue to farm under my own management, not remote management from London, monitored by a satellite. I don’t need or want that. I find it patronising that some think we do need that kind of close supervision.
All I can say is if our industry gets walked over yet again, and I fear that could result from the latest initiatives, then don’t say some of us didn’t warn you.

 

[Anymulewilldo]

That’s my view of it. Sell yourselves for £10 per acre if you like but until they come to their senses over autumn manure, they’ll get no cooperation on voluntary matters from me.

For £10/acre it doesn’t matter what they think. They can go jump as far as I’m concerned

 

[DrWazzock]

By giving away our OM data all we are doing is helping them build the machine that will eventually be used against us.
We have seen it so many times, with RT, Vi, NRoSO etc. It starts with a foot in the door. Enough folk get sucked in to give it credibility and critical mass and before we know it we can’t sell our produce without being fully paid up members subject to the say so of some inspector.
I will never again be any part of facilitating such a process. We have absolutely no idea what SFI will lead to.

 

[Pan mixer]

Presumably everyone has given their evidence in writing to Efra or defra, consultation closes tomorrow.