Padraic and David Cummins are a father-and-son dairy farming duo in Co. Galway participating in the initial grazing trials of Target Fertilisers’ Terra Range.
Since the initial grazing trials in 2020, Padraic has continued to use the Terra Range and in 2022 increased his usage due to the previous year’s success.
“Grass is the most important asset we have on this farm and the concentrates fed are secondary to it in the cows’ diet,” he said.
“Last season we used 167 units/ac of Terra CAN + S across the farm,” explained Padraic.
“To achieve the same results using regular CAN + S it would have taken 200 units/ac.”
Padraic is extremely happy with how the Terra Range is performing, saying “it does exactly what it says on the tin by facilitating 25% less nitrogen (N) application”.
“In 2023 we will be looking at using some of the other products from the Terra Range and not just the Terra CAN + S,” Padraic said.
“It’s amazing how well it works, I can definitely see visual improvements in sward quality, density and colour when I am out doing grass walks on treated vs. non-treated areas.
“I can tell when all the N has been used up by the growth rate and the colour; not so obvious to us when applying other N fertilisers,” Padraic explained.
“The Terra Range fits into our system very well. While it may seem expensive, when you breakdown the performance it costs the same as regular CAN but with the added benefit of reducing our chemical N while maintaining grass production use and improving water quality in the area, so it’s an obvious choice.
“Using the Terra Range from Target Fertilisers is a simple solution to help farmers achieve climate change targets set out by the EU for Ireland.”
What is the Terra Range?
Terra is a sustainable fertilisers solution that facilitates a 25% reduction in N application on-farm. It is a granular product from Target Fertilisers that includes a bio-stimulant called PSI 362.
PSI 362 stimulates the nitrate transponders in the plant to take up more of the free N in the soil, therefore facilitating a reduction in N application.
The physical characteristics of the Terra Range are the same as any other of the Target Fertiliser products. It has the same density, spreading ability and high quality.
So, implementing the Terra Range is as straight forward as a simple swap.
For example, Terra CAN + S can be swapped directly for CAN or CAN + S. The Terra Range can be used for the duration of the fertiliser spreading season.
Instead of spreading the Teagasc recommended 100 units of N, you can now achieve the same results by applying 80 units of N using the Terra product range.
Economic and environmental advantage
The Terra Range of fertilisers is an on-farm cost neutral solution. The cost of the addition of the bio-stimulant to the Terra Range is offset by the reduction in the level of N added to the product.
When compared to straight N and high N compounds, the Terra products, with 25% less N, have shown similar yields.
This presents a wonderful opportunity to meet climate change targets by lowering N application while maintaining high output by using the Terra Range from Target Fertilisers.
For further information on the Terra Range from Target Fertilisers, click here.
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