Building Resilience in Your Business

Fertiliser and feed are other inputs that we have seen cost fluctuations in, due to international markets. Following the invasion of Ukraine, fertiliser prices increased by between 158% and 250% depending on the product. Feed prices also rose during this period by 38% to 50%. This can have a negative impact on farm finances particularly for the higher input dairies.  

Maintaining good soil health by ensuring pH’s are kept up at around 6.5 and managing soil structure and drainage , are all things farmers can do to increase  forage yields. It also helps to ensure that the fertiliser applied is fully utilised by the crop and not lost to leaching.  

Compaction and Drainage 

• Compacted soil can increase fertiliser run off by 60%,  

• Fixing compaction can increase yields by 15–35%.  

• Research at Crichton Royal Farm in Dumfries over a period of three years has shown a reduction in grass yield of over 14% from machinery trafficked fields and over 11% for cattle trampling. 

• Waterlogging has been shown to reduce yields by up to 33% 

Soil pH 

• Annual grass production can be increased by 1.0 to 1.5 tonnes of grass dry matter (DM)/ha where soil pH was increased from pH 5.5 to 6.3. 

• Research in Ireland has found that for every €1 invested in lime, farmers can expect a return of between €6 and €10 in boosted grass yield and increased nutritional quality of the grass. 

The above measures all help to boost grass yield and quality, reducing the need for purchased fertiliser and feed. Reducing your reliance on inorganic fertiliser and purchased feed reduces the effect of volatility in the prices of these commodities on your business.