A new LANTRA-accredited course is helping farmers to improve their nutrient management to save money and the environment.
With increasing focus on protecting the environment – both through legislation and voluntary schemes – farmers are under immense pressure to make more efficient use of these resources.
However, until recently there have been no training schemes to help farmers and contractors to meet these demands.
“Regulations dictate that all operators applying pesticides must hold a certificate in their safe use,” said Charlotte Boole, partner at Greenway Training.
There was no equivalent accredited training available for the application of fertilisers and manures.
Over the past year, Greenway Training has worked with Wessex Water and LANTRA to fill this gap, with the first courses held earlier this month.
“Initially we are focusing on the Poole Harbour and Brinkworth Brook catchment areas, but as a LANTRA-accredited course it can be rolled out nationwide,” she said.
“We hope that training providers in other regions will take up the baton to benefit farmers and the environment alike.”
Nuffield scholar and Herefordshire farmer Chris Padfield, who delivered the first courses explained about 60% of nitrates and 25% of phosphates in the waters of England and Wales originate from agricultural activities.
“And around 90% of the EU’s ammonia emissions come from agriculture, leading to new air pollution targets being introduced,” he said.
As farmers we are going to have to worry more about ammonia emissions and pollution.
Diffuse pollution is the result of small amounts of nutrients leaching into the surface and groundwater from multiple sources, so it is difficult to manage, he added.
“But if you can make better use of your manures and fertilisers it will improve efficiencies and yields – and reduce nutrient losses, which in turn affects both profits and the environment.”
APPT
Land managers are ultimately responsible for anything taking place on their land. However, if they provide a contractor with clear instructions and maps and a pollution incident occurs, the EA may consider action against the contractor.
Although there is a whole raft of legislation to study, Mr Padfield prefers to keep advice simple with an acronym: APPT.
Apply the right Amount, using the right Product, in the right Place and at the right Time.
This means carrying out regular soil analyses and creating a nutrient management plan, to work out how much fertiliser or manure should be applied to meet the crop’s needs. As well as calibrating machinery correctly to ensure it’s delivering the right amount.
When it comes to the right product, farmers should be aware of varying nutrient contents and speed of release. “Urea is slower release than ammonium nitrate,” said Padfield. In addition, poultry manure has much higher levels of available nitrogen than solid cattle muck, for example.
Spreading in the right place means creating a risk map of your farm, identifying water sources and slopes, and using grass buffer strips as well as cover crops to lock up nutrients.
It’s important to consider the accuracy of machinery, as some methods of application can cause ammonia losses of up to 80%.
Finally, the right time: Don’t spread when the ground is saturated or frozen, on hot or windy days, or during closed periods in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones.
