Cumbria: Improve soil function to reduce fertiliser inputs

Join us for an on-farm event at Ninezergh Farm to find out how strategic dairy farm host, Adrian Bland, is hoping to reduce his use of fertiliser by improving soil health.

With the latest quoted prices for fertiliser topping the £600/tonne mark, triple the figures quoted just a year ago, many farmers will be thinking about their nitrogen application strategies.

You will hear from Soil Enthusiast James Bretherton from AgScope, who will discuss how we can maximise efficiency from soils by harnessing what is already present in the soil, and the most recent analysis from soil and slurry samples taken from Ninezergh Farm.

The event will cover:

• The importance of comprehensive soil analysis to make sure nutrients are usable by plants
• Why pH balance is important
• Concepts to help reduce the reliance on bought in fertiliser
• Spreading techniques and key times to spread

Registration and coffee will begin at 10:30am for a prompt 11:00am start. Lunch will be provided – please contact us as soon as possible with any dietary requirements.

About Ninezergh Farm

The Bland family has been tenants at Ninezergh Farm since the 1960s. The farm is now being managed by Adrian Bland in partnership with his wife and father. 

The herd is currently made up of 120 autumn calving crossbred cows achieving 8,000 litres of milk per cow per year milking twice per day.

Their journey has seen them concentrate on reducing cases of Neospora in their herd, a major focus on improving fertility rates with investment in LED daylight lights for cows and bulling heifers and a drive to improve many small contributing factors that lead to major change overall.

Generating a healthy return on tenant capital whilst maintaining a good working environment are other key aims of the farm.

Find out more about Ninezergh Farm's story

About Strategic Dairy Farms

Strategic dairy farms help farmers learn from each other through regular on-farm meetings where we will share key performance data and showcase what the best farmers are doing. 

They form part of the Optimal Dairy Systems programme which aims to help dairy farmers lower costs and increase efficiency by focusing on either a block or all-year-round calving system. 

The growing network of strategic dairy farms have calculated key performance indicators (KPIs) for their enterprises which are shared at meetings and published online. These are physical and financial performance measures that are critical to success. Farmers can benchmark their businesses against these KPIs and identify areas for improvement. 

Follow the programme and find other local SDFs