Slurry extension.

Stan27

The farm here is saturated and looks like it's the same across the country. Any chance of a second extension i wonder. Tanks must be full across the country.

older by the day

https://www.corkbeo.ie/sport/gaa/watch-cork-farmer-spreads-slurry-27777846

Rain gun on Saturday evenings from now on

Anto_Meath

It just proves the stupidity of the whole thing, Iads will be horsing out slurry over the next few days & the ground saturated then if we have a mild dry November there wouldn't be able to. There has to be a better way of ensuring slurry is spread in suitable conditions.

Say my name

Don't panic. There's high pressure on the way.

Just get tomorrow out of the way and it looks to be clearing up.

Weather chart reading should be compulsory in the green cert.

mr.stonewall

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121166640#Comment_121166640

Should be a compulsory 1/2 day course with every biss application

cjpm

Did you not see tonight’s forecast. (Replying to @Say my name )Band of rain passing across country tomorrow. Dry Friday and bad again for sat and Sunday…….

Jeez we are fair sick of the rain at this stage.

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121166175#Comment_121166175

we had 8 months of an open season to spread slurry and lads have tp spread it when its about to close

alps

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121166175#Comment_121166175

Spread it in Spring/Summer

SodiumCooled

I’d fully agree with the last posts, what are people doing having full tanks of slurry in almost October - why wasn’t it spread months ago. Our tank is empty since May after first cut silage.

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121167168#Comment_121167168

It doesn't need to be a full tank. You might have a different breed of animals but our cows tend to sh1t year round.

SodiumCooled

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121167176#Comment_121167176

The first post mentioned full tanks, that’s why I referenced it. As for producing manure year round - ours obviously do also but not in a shed between March/April and November.

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121167176#Comment_121167176

Then you keep emptying them. You definitely should not have substantial amounts left in tanks in August/September.

There is just too many lads making too many excuses

TinyMuffin

2 sheds to empty for lads. 8 spans and I’m not looking forward to it. It’ll be put out the splash plate this year.

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121167201#Comment_121167201

Well if you are milking cows twice a day then you are going to be collecting it up over the Summer and Autumn. A few bad weeks and you find you have the cows back in, or being fed on concrete and you're collecting even more. Now add in that those yards might not be covered and you are collecting all that lovely rainwater runoff as well. At the exact same time that you can't travel ground without making muck of it. You could easily find yourself with an additional average month's worth in the tank before the Winter really starts. Then you are left praying that you don't have a washout of a winter and that you can get it out in Jan - which you might not

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121167218#Comment_121167218

Depends on how much of your own work you do yourself. If you are getting contractors in and/or buying things in then an intermittent half-dry two weeks will get a lot done for you. Your slurry man can come on the same day as your man baling and wrapping your silage as well as the man delivering and stacking those bales of straw for you.

Finty Lemon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121166175#Comment_121166175

Mild and dry November days are irrelevant. Its the lack of growth (due to daylength and temperature) that means little to no grass growth so large nutrient loss as a result. There are plenty of stupid farm regs but the closed period for slurry isn't one of them.

Stupid is having tanks still full heading into October.

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121167236#Comment_121167236

Well then maybe lads need to make decisions like that. A young farmer nearby after second cut did just that. His father was in hospital. He rang a contractor. He had the tanks agitated, himself and the contractor emptied the tanks between them in a day otherwise it might not have got done otherwise.

Reggie.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121167253#Comment_121167253

Not always the case. I've often seen grass grow better here in Nov and Dec than the following Feb or March

Silverdream

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121167484#Comment_121167484

But in general the facts are less daylight hours, it's colder and Wetter at that time of year. There is solid Science behind the dates, and in reality the closing dates are well beyond the optimal time to spread slurry. The closing date has already been extended to Oct 8th but from what I see if the closing date was November you'd have the same ones with full tanks complaining about it.

alps

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121167484#Comment_121167484

And you could predict those days beforehand?

50% of runoff occurs during the closed period. Someone obviously is misjudging these "often" days.

cjpm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121167546#Comment_121167546

The coldest time of the year in Ireland is 3-4 weeks after the shortest day of the year. Due to heat retained in the oceans. It’s very rare to get a cold spell in November. A frequent occurrence in Feb.

Therefore soil temps also tend to be lower in Jan and Feb. Worth keeping in mine before heading out with Slurry and Urea…

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121167484#Comment_121167484

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121167699#Comment_121167699

I agree that there is more growth in November and December, however the reason for closing is to prevent run off. October to December is usually the wettest months in Ireland. As well you want growth to use up residual N in the ground in November and December.

Before the closed season many lads are spreading 30-50 units N/ acre between slurry and urea. All the N in that needs to be used up.

I never spread N in springtime unless ground Temp is above 6C. Slurry is spread in late March and June before 1st &2nd cut.

There is no justification for having full tanks of slurry in September......to be honest all slurry produced during the winter should be spread by mid June most years.

It is the same with the hedge cutting rules, lads know they are there but rainy until the end of February to get them.done it ring the contractor to do them

K.G.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121167218#Comment_121167218

Talking to a pig man last week and he said there was no go for pig slurry this year.it was too wet,too dry,and then stayed wet again so it was a case of opportunity s to spread were scarce.we have had our tanks emptied twice more or less this year but we still have about 40 loads to spread mostly dairy washing and rainwater that have gone in since 2 nd cut.third cut has been cut nearly 3 weeks and we have only got about 25% of it spread

Sheep breeder

Have a tank to spread yet, our contractor gave up nearly two years ago now which has put serious pressure on the other contractors in the area which are constantly under pressure to get through work with shortages of staff and the big thing money to keep gear running and a lot not up grading machines. When in the last 3 weeks to agitate slurry and rain and wet ground to get spreading, we usually spread in early September on ground for sheep in the spring. There is so may differences with land, types of farming etc one doesn’t fit all and add in have an operation and 8 weeks recovery and not allowed to drive. Easy to come here and say lads should’ve spread at such a time and which is better when ground is right or the 16 January in the spilling rain and them directly into the river.

893bet

A lot of assumptions on this thread but the general tone of some is that “if you have a tank not spread you are a terrible farmer”.

There are a million reasons tanks could be partially full due to variances on farms.

1) wet land (none of my farm could be traveled in the last month since the weather broke). Window might aswell have shut for me first week of September.

2) when it could be travelled there were heavy grass covers perhaps on the parts that were “dry” (and very little of my farm has been dry concert June). Lots of late silage cuts and hay cuts around so limited chance to get the slurry on the fields that need it rather than applying on ground that is bare but doesn’t need it.

3) lot of lads have been forced to house cattle at various times since July adding to tanks that wouldnt normally be added to.

4) floods of rain which may have seen water entering slurry storage due to the pure volume falling in a short time periods.

5) Being beholden to contractors who are busy. I got most of my last bit out barely after chasing the contractor for 2 weeks. Just spread before weather broke again early September. Very few other options that that contractor so it’s very frustrating.

No doubt many more reasons to still have tabks with volume.

Lots of lads in ivory towers. Keep kicking ourselves to help everyone else kicking us.

893bet

Just to add I don’t agree with a further extension. Can’t see places drying up but I would t be kicking lads who are caught a bit. Been a bastard of a summer unless you land is powder dry.

Havenowt

would the use of the umbilical systems not get the slurry out on wet land without ploughing it up?

893bet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121169256#Comment_121169256

On some farms would def help but there is no one size…..

ain’t no tractor or any sort going to travel my land in the next 3 weeks unless an Indian summer arrives, umbilical or not.

not every Contractor has that system

and a lot of people farms are fragmented so again it may not suit.

Grueller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121169421#Comment_121169421

Nor small fields

Wildsurfer

Seems to be a shortage of contractors in some areas. Maybe because dairy area around me but there's 6 contractors who do slurry within 4 miles of me, one who is slurry only, 2 of them do umbilical.

farisfat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121167770#Comment_121167770

Why would you spread all your by mid june.....little and often here.