19 March 2025

Spring fertiliser plan delivering grass at Newford

A combination of making the best use of cattle slurry and applying protected urea only when the conditions were correct have formed the bedrock of Newford Farm’s spring fertiliser plan, Michael Fagan tells us more.

As our grazing year commenced on February 1 with the turnout of yearling heifers, along with the gradual return to grass for cow and calf pairs, a priority management task on the Newford Farm over the next couple of weeks is ensuring we have sufficient grass to start the second rotation on the first week of April.

A number of different elements feed into delivering this April grass. Along with carefully monitoring grass growth rates on a weekly basis, following our spring grazing plan and having completed a spring rotation planner, ensuring grass has the fuel or nitrogen to grow, while being conscious that we don’t oversupply nutrients, has been the basis of our fertiliser plan to date.

Our first application of nutrients was in the form of cattle slurry, applied using a trailing shoe in early February and only done when ground and weather conditions allowed. These applications were targeted at paddocks with medium covers, to get grass growing and to ensure covers were sufficient by the time it actually came to grazing. Overall, at an application rate of 2,000 gal/ac using a trailing shoe, this application provided the equivalent of 18 units/ac of N, and it has delivered in terms of a boost to grass growth.

Again, focusing on ground conditions before applying, our first application of chemical nitrogen occurred on February 27. Along with monitoring ground conditions and the weather forecast to ensure no heavy rain was forecast, we also measured soil temperature. At the time of spreading, ground temperatures had reached 8 degrees Celsius. In terms of the quantity spread, all paddocks – with the exception of those that received slurry in early February – received 23 units of protected urea per acre.

As evident in the video below, given the levels of regrowth witnessed, Newford’s 2025 fertiliser plan – which made the best use of organic and chemical manures – has delivering grass growth.

For more insights on Newford’s fertiliser plan for spring 2025, watch the below video: