New fertiliser helps beef farmer to sustain forage production

Cows that rear as many as three calves at a time need sustained quantities of quality feed, and that is precisely what Julian Courtier is aiming for with his grassland at Whiddon Down near Okehampton.

The 150 acres he devotes to the cattle is a mix of leys, which rotate with 350 acres of arable crops, and 50 acres of permanent pasture. Having previously used ordinary urea to address the specific nitrogen requirements of his cereals, rape and silage crops, in 2012 he switched to Koch Advanced Nitrogen® fertiliser to overcome the disadvantages of volatilisation.

In what turned out to be a very difficult year because of the weather, he was pleased with the performance of his silage crops.

“Despite the lack of sunshine, the Koch Advanced Nitrogen® fertiliser worked very well and was a nice, easy product to use,” said Julian. “The cost per unit of nitrogen for Koch Advanced Nitrogen® fertiliser is very favourable compared with ammonium nitrate, and its higher nitrogen content helps us to get more ‘acres’ in the spreader and cover the ground faster.”

The change proved sound and this year the product is being used over the entire holding. An initial forty units was applied to all the grassland in March, followed by the equivalent of one unit per day at four to six weeks on the grazing land. The leys for silaging will get 70-80 units to take them to the first cut.

“Once again we have had extraordinary weather this spring. After so much rain we had an extended dry period coupled with bitter cold, so until the third week of March the grass hadn’t moved. Then the sun came out and everything changed dramatically.”

The herd is out to grass well into November, supplemented by 2 – 2.5 kilos of dry feed a day, while calves are creep fed.

“We try to get as much from the grass as possible, but with the arable cropping we always have a nice bit of grain to give them as needed. We mill-and-mix on the farm and supplement it with molasses and proteins.”

First cut silage is 60 – 70 acres and second cut 40 – 50 acres. Occasionally Julian takes a third cut, but not to the detriment of the grazing. “A full clamp is fine – but I prefer them to feed in the field.”

In addition, he grows 40 acres of maize for silage, which depending upon his requirements may go to a neighbouring dairy farmer. Routinely the crop has sewage sludge and FYM, but this year will receive 70 or 80 units of Koch Advanced Nitrogen® fertiliser as one application in the seedbed.

“We did well with the product on the feed crops last year, which was a very difficult year indeed, so it will be interesting to see how it performs in 2013,” says Julian.

Koch Advanced Nitrogen® fertiliser provides a significant advantage of a 46% nitrogen content, one-third more than 34.5% Ammonium Nitrate, generating savings in cost, logistics, spreading downtime and waste. The new product also reduces the paperwork and administration associated with movement and storage. Key to its success is AGROTAIN® nitrogen stabilizer. The proven treatment helps to protect nitrogen so it can remain in the soil and nourish crops whatever the weather.

Graham Carter, regional manager for Agricultural Central Trading Ltd, is also enthusiastic about the product.

“Koch Advanced Nitrogen® fertiliser is a very exciting product. Without exception, everyone who purchased it last year has done so again this season,” said Graham. “We have supplied double the tonnage compared to last year. With many large-scale customers now taking an interest in the product we are confident that growth will continue.”