As costs of fertiliser continue to increase, a survey has been launched in order to determine the amount of fertiliser available in the tillage sector. The initiative introduced by Teagasc aims to determine how much fertiliser farmers in the tillage sector currently have available and whether it is sufficient to grow crops that are in the ground.
According to Teagasc head of crops knowledge transfer department, Michael Hennessy the background of the survey is rising fertiliser costs. Speaking on the government’s calls to grow more tillage crops, Hennessey says “if we can’t grow what we normally grow because we have no fertiliser for it, then there is no point looking for more crops.”
The survey consists of 10 questions which consider potential differences based on:
- Region
- Winter or spring growers, or a combination of both
- Or whether farmers are mixed tillage and livestock growers
Added to the above listed differences the survey additionally questions phosphorus (P), nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) requirements. The tillage area is also part of the survey as farmers are asked whether they would increase the area should more land become available, and whether they are considering to reduce their usage of chemical fertiliser on their crops.
For more information regarding the survey see here.
LSL News.