82% of signpost farmers using clover to reduce fertiliser
The biggest challenge for farmers can be to have the confidence to reduce the nitrogen input in the summer period, when there is good clover cover.
Agricultural greenhouse gas emissions in Ireland could be reduced by 11% by widespread use of protected urea instead of CAN, said Dr Siobhán Kavanagh, Teagasc, speaking to Catherine Egan on a recent episode of Teagasc’s Beef Edge podcast.
“The big motivation is, it’s an awful lot cheaper than CAN. At the moment, I think it could be about 20% cheaper than CAN, so on a cost basis, it’s significantly beneficial. It’s also been shown through our research projects, both on the dairy and the beef side, to deliver the same amount of grass. So it’s a win-win. And it can be used right throughout the year. I think that’s probably one of the simplest things that farmers can do".
