Calendar farming - Spreading slurry

lifelover2006

Once again, as exactly per last year, the weather has broken just when the calendar allows us to spread our slurry. I believe there is wind and rain forecast for the week ahead. So now we are left in a position whereby we have no choice but to put out the slurry but will end up ploughing up the fields in the process due to the weather. It is soul destroying to be doing this after all the weather that has passed. Surely it is the lesser of two evils to be spreading slurry on frozen land than on wet land where you can barely travel.

Is it not time for farmers to stand up to this dept nonsense (IFA so called representatives are you alive?).

Sam Kade

It's a joke, what happened to when the land is fit to travel it's fit to spread slurry.

scaniaman

Might as well pipe it straight to the river now.Weather brutal here today.
How much more proof is needed that this farming by date is madness. Something needs to change but knowing the dept it would be replaced by something far worse.I just read in the farming indo that some co councils used 600 tons of urea for gritting some roads I wonder what the farming police think of that one.:rolleyes:

roadtripman

If it was left up to farmers to decide themselves when to spread slurry the MAJORITY of them would spread when conditions were good but like most elements of society its a small minority that spoil it for everyone hense the need for rules, dates and inspection.

Pacoa

Here Here to everything said above. We had a few good weeks there before christmas which was perfect for spreading, I spread some "soiled water" myself and it didn't go anywhere only into the ground cause it got no rain till now. Thats much better as far as im concerned than puting it out now when your preety certain it'll get washed away.

roadtripman

I can understand if someone's tank is full the need to spread a few loads in the winter but i cant understand lads completely emptying tanks in bad weather apart from the environmental risks they are throwing away valuable fertilizer, Teagasc have proven that when slurry is spread early in the growing season the nitrogen is best utilised, saving money over chemical fertilizer

Pacoa

The point is that we have bad weather now when were supposed to be spreading but we had better weather in december. It would be better if we could just spread when the land can take the traffic. No one will spread in wet weather if they can avoid it but the current system makes it unavoidable in a year like this.