The financial value of your manure as a resource

Monday 02 November 2009

THINGS came full circle for former Reaseheath College student Andy Green when he hosted a demonstration event dealing with how to make the best use of farm manure.

Organised by the college for the Northwest Livestock Programme, the day also involved the Environment Agency, Promar International, and Cheshire FWAG.

RISING fertiliser costs are not a concern for Cheshire farmer, Andy Green. Simply he does not have any. Careful use of the muck from his calf rearing unit provides up to 250kg nitrogen per ha for his farm and helps him meet the requirements of his HLS environmental scheme agreement.

"We use soil analysis to monitor the nutrients in our soil and to decide application rates for the muck. By managing applications we have not used any artificial fertiliser on the farm for the past four years" - Andy Green

The farm system is based on making full use of the farm’s extensive buildings for calf rearing, both beef calves and dairy heifer replacements with the land grazed by the farm’s beef suckler herd.

Part of the Bostock Hall estate, Bostock Hall Farm, Bostock Green, Middlewich, has been farmed by the Green family since Andy’s grandfather took over the tenancy in 1958 and was run as a dairy farm until the early 1970s. The farm is now run by Andy, his father John, and stockman, Jack, who has worked on the farm for over 40 years.

The farm covers 103 ha (255 acres) with varied land dropping down to the banks of the River Dane. All the grass is permanent pasture, the last being sown in 1990. The farm came under a Countryside Stewardship agreement, then an ELS agreement and, with the help of Cheshire FWAG, has just moved up to the HLS higher level environmental scheme.

"I am passionate about conservation and wildlife on the farm, and the payments under the environmental schemes make a valuable contribution to the overall farm business. I believe that farmers should not be afraid of taking advantage of these schemes where they fit in with the farm business,” said Andy.

However the HLS scheme does mean constraints on stocking levels which are met by making full use of the farm’s extensive buildings.

Development of Bostock Hall and its grounds for residential use in 1997 brought rapid change for the adjoining Bostock Hall Farm taking in the existing farm buildings.

"This left the farm with just two buildings but then a new 2,700 sq.m. - 29,000 sq.ft. - building was put up very quickly. Then my father continued adding buildings putting up two 743 sq.m. buildings (8,000 sq.ft.). He also put up two silage pits and a 743 sq.m. (8,000 sq.ft.) straw shed.

"These buildings meant we could build our calf and contract dairy heifer rearing business without creating problems with stocking rates under the HLS and other environmental agreements. We now have about 300 of our own bought in beef calves which we rear to about 15-20 months of age and sell as stores from about February to April each year through Chelford, Beeston, and Market Drayton markets.

"During the winter we also rear dairy heifers on contract for local farmers. At peak time we will have up to 600 cattle in the sheds. We work on an all in, all out basis cleaning and resting pens between batches of cattle.

"In addition we have a herd of about 70, mostly Limousin cross, suckler cows which are put back to a Limousin bull to give us three-quarter Limousin beef calves. About 40 cows are spring calving, with the remaining 30, all heifers, calving in the autumn.

"The suckler cattle are normally housed from mid-October each year, though good conditions this year have meant heifers remaining out with a run back into housing until the end of the month.

"We do not breed our own suckler replacements, but select heifers from among our bought in calves. These are Limousin crosses bred out of dairy cattle.

"The suckler bred calves are also sold as stores – we simply do not have the facilities to finish cattle.

"Feeding of the housed cattle is mostly grass silage plus about 0.5kg per head of a 15 per cent protein blend. If the silage is excellent we will feed nothing else, but if the muck becomes loose we will add a little good barley straw or dry haylage to the diet.

Everything is kept as simple as possible. The system does mean buying in a large amount of straw, but this is subsidised by sales of hay and haylage,” he said.

"The pens are cleaned out about every four to six weeks and the muck mostly spread at the optimum time in January and February. We work our way across the farm, spreading on the drier land first leaving the wetter ground until it starts to dry out in spring.

"Sometimes this has meant spreading the last muck in the second week in April, but as long as the machine smashes it up into small pieces it has been OK.

"We spread the solid muck ourselves, but dirty water from the lagoon is spread by a contractor using an umbilical system. Simply the dirty water is taken whenever necessary.

"We use soil analysis to monitor the nutrients in our soil and to decide application rates for the muck. By managing applications we have not used any artificial fertiliser on the farm for the past four years.

"I went to New Zealand over many years ago and saw them using a spot sprayer to control weeds. The first thing I did on my return was to buy a quad bike and a sprayer. It does take time, but we have certainly reaped the rewards.

"The RSPB prefer grazing by cattle rather than sheep because cattle graze more unevenly leaving varied sward heights which suit wild life. They have also cut scrapes in land by the river to help attract lapwings and other wetland birds. These are fairly shallow, but hold enough water for the birds. The field is now drained, but in the past would have probably been prone to flooding,” said Andy.

What of the future?

"Prices for beef have been good. In March 2009 we were getting £2 per kg for three-quarter Limousin and Belgian Blue crosses making this a better year than the previous year. If the pound sterling remains weak and the export market strong, then, hopefully, beef prices will remain at these elvels until the start of next year. However there are a many other factors affecting prices.

On the farm we have had changes and our HLS scheme is in its infancy. Our present system works well and suits this farm, so there is no reason to change. I think we must concentrate on our core business producing good quality beef cattle and to build on this," said Andy.