Research finds that farmers are using 25% more N fertiliser than required

Research work by James Humphreys and colleagues in the late nineties indicate that 200 to 220 units of N per acre are sufficient to support 1 cow per acre without clover.

Many farmers were using 25% more than what was required, but with the rapid rise in the price of fertiliser and the Nitrate Directive restrictions there has been a huge cut back in N fertiliser without loss of production.

With good clover swards, such as in the Teagasc Solohead farm, 70 units of fertilizer N (including N for silage) are sufficient to support a stocking rate of at least 2 cows per hectare (1.25 acres per cow). This is the stocking rate that exists on most dairy farms with fertiliser N.