26 October 2022

Reducing chemical fertiliser use on Steven Fitzgerald’s Farm

A Teagasc Tirlán Signpost Farm Walk, as part of Signpost Sustainability Week, took place on the farm of Steven Fitzgerald, in Co. Waterford on Thursday 20th October 2022.

Steven takes regular soil samples, every year and a fertiliser plan is put in place which he follows. This helps him identify the fields that need additional lime or P&K. On this farm 1/3 of the farm will get lime (1.5 tonnes of lime) this Autumn.

Slurry – Steven has tested his slurry and the results of this analysis has shown what the P & K content of his slurry is and from this he can decide where to spread the slurry. This allows him to reduce the level of chemical P & K that needs to be spread.

As regards nitrogen, there has always been clover on the farm and this has been encouraged through good grassland management practice and when reseeding (10% every year) he incorporates 1.5 kg of clover. He has also put in multispecies swards and significantly reduced his chemical N while still growing over 11 t / ha.

Find out more about Signpost Sustainability Week 2022

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