Why it’s time to soil sample

Teagasc Advisor, Christy Watson, joins Ciarán Lynch on this week’s OviCast to discuss the importance of tacking soil fertility. Christy starts by explaining why now is the ideal time to take soil samples on farms to determine the fertility status and identify areas that need attention. Christy takes us through the soil sampling process from how many samples per hectare to the correct collection method and he discusses the importance of acting on the result with Christy highlighting potential savings that can be made by reducing compound usage on high indexed grazing ground this year. However, Christy also highlights the need to make best use of slurry and farmyard manure on silage ground, highlighting the P and K offtake that occurs on an annual basis and the impact this has on yields. Finally, he explains the importance of liming and why this is the first port of call when addressing soil fertility issues. For more episodes from the OviCast podcast, visit the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/sheep/ovicast-sheep-podcast