Manure management facilities on farms and their relevance to efficient nutrient use Bernard Hyde & Owen, T. Carton Teagasc, Johnstown Castle The Fertilizer Association of Ireland Winter Scientific Meeting 25 th November 2005 Faculty of Agriculture, University College Dublin

Manure million animals = 37 million tonnes Slurry = 29.3 million tonnes Solid = 7.7 million tonnes Dairy cows ~ 28% of slurry & ~ 7% of solid manure

Topic – facilities & utilisation Manure management facilities  Storage  Spreading date  Spreading method Nutrient efficiency  Manure type  N, P & K Cost vs. nutrient value

Requirements for efficient nutrient use NMP Changing slurry spreading date Changing slurry spreading method Storage vs. spreading date? Cost benefit?

Efficient manure nutrient use

NMP Soil Manure Crop demand Code of Practice  Rate  Date  Method

Current utilisation? Indicators? FUS (2002 & 2005)  Indications of N, P & K overuse Fert. input = Fert. required Slurry? Farm Facilities Survey (2003) – crop & timing of application

Topic – facilities & utilisation Manure management facilities  Storage  Spreading date  Spreading method

Timing of slurry application & % of total SpringSummerAutumnWinterTotal Conservation land Grazing land Maize Tillage Total

Timing of slurry application & % of total SpringSummerAutumnWinterTotal Conservation land Grazing land Maize Tillage Total

Timing of slurry application & % of total SpringSummerAutumnWinterTotal Conservation land Grazing land Maize Tillage Total

Timing of slurry application SpringSummerAutumnWinter Conservation land Utilisation efficiency N25500 P100 K ?

Timing of slurry application SpringSummerAutumnWinter Conservation land Utilisation efficiency N25500 P100 K ? WHY ?

Efficient manure nutrient use

Storage Spreading date – 4% in winter Estimated storage deficits – national basis  21% for 16 week storage  31% for 22 week storage Action Programme  Ban on winter spreading  Required minimum slurry storage Reconcile deficit and date?

Landspreading - N efficiency N efficiency – key issue Spreading date & rate  Soil/weather conditions Contamination  Spreading date Spreader availability  Farmer owned  Contractor

Slurry spreading opportunities Distribution of the number of days on which soils have a soil moisture deficit in excess of 10 mm. (Schulte et al., in press)

Silage contamination ? End March/early April Crop – too far advanced Risk of poor fermentation

Spreader availability C.S.O. – Census of Ag , 108 livestock farms ( = 100 ha) 72, 368 livestock farms (20 to >= 100 ha) 31, 046 farms own or share slurry tankers 35, 281 farms hire or borrow slurry tankers Farm Facilities Survey

27% consist of 1 holding 31% have 4 + fragments Farm Fragmentation

Fragment Distance Farm Fragmentation – distance (km)

Topic – facilities & utilisation Nutrient efficiency

Nutrient availability Type of manure Dry matter(%) * N (kg/t) Total Spring Summer P (kg/t)K (kg/t) Cattle slurry * Dry matter content varies widely and this determines the nutrient contents

N availability in slurry Organic - N (Ammonium – N) Inorganic - N

Ammonium - N Spring NH 3 Crop available Summer NH 3

Fertiliser N for silage compared to slurry N

?

Current utilisation vs. available N Spreading method Spreading date Soil/weather conditions

=

= =

= = NH 3

= =

Efficient manure nutrient use

Advantages of trailing shoe application NH 3 emission reduced Recovery of total N ~ % Slurry can be applied to taller crops Slurry applied to soil surface – contamination ? Increased opportunity for spring application Heavier soils in wetter areas Teagasc research

Fertiliser N for silage compared to slurry N ?

Organic N Inorganic/organic = 50/50 Organic material/solid fraction Currently not considered as a reliable N source Mineralization 60 kg N/ha (33t/ha) for slurry Teagasc research

Topic – facilities & utilisation Cost vs. nutrient value

Economic value of slurry N (€ million)

6% 22% 44% 88%

Economic value of slurry N (€ million) € 67.2

Economic value of slurry N (€ million) € 67.2 € 3.8

Economic value of slurry N (€ million) € 67.2 € 3.8 € 14.8

Economic value of slurry N (€ million) € 67.2 € 3.8 € 14.8 € 29.5

Economic value of slurry N (€ million) € 67.2 € 3.8 € 14.8 € 29.5 € 59.1

Economic value (million €) of slurry

€ 83.9 million

Economic value (million €) of slurry € 98.7 million

Economic value (million €) of slurry € million

Summary 29.3 million tonnes slurry Current utilisation Key issues - storage & landspreading Nutrient availability – N efficiency Spreading methodology – conventional vs ts Economic value of slurry - €128 million

Conclusions Manure/slurry is a valuable resource Short-term  Change application timing from summer/autumn to spring  Change spreading method  Available N in slurry a/c’s ~ 45% of purchased fert. N Long-term  Increase nutrient efficiency  Organic N Research

Efficient manure nutrient use