Wales Farmer July 2012 NEWS 11
Farmers reap benefits of regularsoiltesting
FARMERS in Wales could cut their fertiliser bills and produce better crops if they tested farm soils fre-
quently. ADAS livestock adviser,David
Peers,said the majority of farm- ers fail to test soils regularly, leading to imbalances of lime, phosphate and potash. The results of soil analysis undertaken on farms signed up to
the Farming Connect
Advisory Service revealed that 60% of samples were deficient in lime.
“Lime is afundamental
requirement of utilising nutri- ents,’’MrPeers told farmers attending aFarming Connect Knowledge Transfer Event at Trewylan
Ganol Llansantffraidd,
Farm, Powys.
“Reserves aredepleted by rainfall and the application of fertiliser and this increases the acidity as time goes by.’’ Potash and phosphate levels
arealsoextremelyvariableacross Wales with potash often deficient on silage ground while grazing land has adeficiency of both minerals. Mr Peers warned farmers
against overusing phosphate because it could lead to the even-
By Farmer reporter
tual introduction of phosphate vulnerable zones,similar to the nitratevulnerable zones already in place. Trewylan Ganol is aFarming Connect demonstration farmand wascited an example of the ben- efits of soil testing. Edward Owen, whofarms the
dairy and sheep farminpartner- ship with his wife,Helen, was offered the opportunity to sam- ple his farmsoils and has since made significant savings on fer- tiliser inputs. “It wasthe first time we had
tested the whole farm. We were told thatwecould change our fertiliser type slightlyand this will reduce our fertiliser bill by £1,500 ayear,’’said Mr Owen. Soil testing plays an important
role in crop production and nutri- ent management. On farms wherecommercial fertiliser is the main nutrient source,itisregard- ed as the best waytoplan for profitablefertiliser applications. Forlivestock farms,knowing
howmuch nutrient is present in the soil is critical. Onlythen can a nutrient management plan be developed to properly manage both the nutrients thathavebeen generated on-farmand anynutri-
ents thatare being imported as bagged fertiliser. Mr Peers said progressive
farmers treated farm-produced manureasavaluableresource and this washelping them save money on bought-in fertiliser. “Farmers need to takeaccount
of the nutrients in manureand relate it to the crop requirement beforedeciding what fertiliser to buy.
“It might be quite different to
what has been done before,’’ said Mr Peers. He suggested testing soils then
taking steps to achieve target lev- els forlime,potash and phos- phate and retesting the soil after four years. Soil compaction is another
factor which can impact on both production and the environment. Plant root development will be
restricted in compacted soils,said ADAS farmconsultant formid Wales,
MarcJones.And thereisa greater risk of soil run-offinto watercourses. He said heavier modern farm machinery compounded the problem and he suggested ways of alleviating this,including using machinery fitted with lower inflation tyres and trailers with four sets of wheels instead of two to distribute weight moreevenly.
ANALYSIS: David Peers and Marc Jones look for signs of soil compaction at Trewylan Ganol Farm.
Farming Connect, which is
deliveredbyMenter aBusnes, is funded through the Rural Development Plan 2007-2013, which is financed by the European Agricultural Fund forRural Development and the Welsh Government.
Hope for rare butterfly’s survival
CONSERVATIONISTS arecel- ebrating after movestoreverse the dramatic decline of the small pearl-bordered fritillary
butterfly,which is alreadynearly extinct in large parts of England, plummeted from 2,400 in 2003 to just 1,200 in 2011. But ajoint effort to improve
the butterfly’s habitatby Forestry Commission Wales and Butterfly Conservation Wales is paying dividends and has result- ed in an increase in numbers. The steadydecline of the
small pearl-bordered fritillary (SPBF) in Clocaenogwas recorded over the past 11 years as foresters examined population dynamics of anumber of species,including redsquirrel and black grouse. The discovery prompted
Butterfly Conservation Wales and Forestry Commission Wales to put in place an urgent man- agement programme forthe but- terfly.
Contractors were brought in in
ClocaenogForest boosted its chances of survival. Clocaenog’spopulation of the
to clear scrub and conifer along- side five kilometres of rivers and streams in the forest, creating sheltered, open habitats with marsh violet (the caterpillar’s foodplant) which the butterfly could once again use forbreed- ing and feeding. MikeWhitley,Forestry Commission Wales manager for the area, said: “Clocaenog Forest is ahuge area with awide variety of habitats supporting manydifferent wildlife species. “It’sgreat to see this rolling
programme of conservation work benefiting manydifferent species,inparticular the small pearl-bordered fritillary.” Some six hectares of scrub –
about the sizeofeight rugby pitches –has alreadybeen cleared over the past twoyears and the work will continue so its futurecan be assured. ClareWilliams,conservation forButterfly
officer
Conservation Wales,said: “We arevery pleased to be working with Forestry Commission
Wales on this long-running research project. “It has helped to improveour understanding of howthe but- terfly responds to forest manage- ment at alandscape scale.
“It’sgreat nowtobeableto
use this research to guide suc- cessful management to help ensurethe continued survivalof this beautiful butterfly.”
Saucy Sally’s recipe forthe best crimpedfeeds
WING AND APRAYER: Numbers of the small pearl-bordered fritillary are on the increase again in Clocaenog Forest.
PICTURE: Sam Ellis/Butterfly Conservation.
Advice on exchange rate available
UK FARMERS electing to take their support payments in Sterling in their recentlycom- pleted SPS 2012 application formsare being advised to seek advice on the merits of fixing the exchange rate. LloydsTSB’sagricultural pol-
icy director Alick Jones says this should be done as apart of the farmbusiness’ essential risk management planning and is especiallyimportant as current uncertainty in the Eurozone has the potential to cause greater
volatility in the Sterling/Euro exchange rate. This could have apotentially
negative impact on the final value of the payment. In its newly-published guide,
Managing your Single Farm Payment,
LloydsTSB
Agricultureuses evidence from the last five years to highlight the potential disadvantages of tak- ing no action and simplyrelying on the default exchange rate on September 30th. Alick Jones said: “In our
guide we point out thatthe Sterling value of €1,000 has var- ied between £696.80 and £909.30 on September 30th from 2007 to 2011. “When extrapolated over an
entireSingle Farm Payment for an averagesizefarmbusiness this amounts to asignificant variation in income. “So forthe majority of farm
businesses,who have elected to taketheir Single Farm Payment in Sterling, simplyaccepting the rate set by the European Central
Bank on September 30th could be asignificant risk. “Fixing the exchange rate in
the coming months at alevelthat is acceptabletothe business will remove
this uncertainty
and allowbetter financial plan- ning.” The free guide Managing your
Single Farm Payment is available from LloydsTSB Agriculture branches and bank managers. Formoreinformation visit
www.lloydstsbbusiness.com/ agriculture.
For the latest Wales farming news:
walesfarmer.co.uk
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