Fertiliser planning report published

In the past 12 months, fertiliser prices have increased dramatically and continue to do so, exceeding many predictions. The report details the outputs of the desk-top review commissioned by AgriSearch, and undertaken by AFBI, to investigate the impact of price increases on the economics of fertiliser application for grass production.

The report found that given the high cost of alternative feeds, good quality grass remains the cheapest feedstuff available to NI. farmers. Having explored a number of scenarios the report concludes that the ratio of grass feed value to fertiliser costs is still positive in most cases. It is, however, essential that winter forage planning is undertaken now to allow for effective decisions to be made with regards fertiliser application.