Another game breaker for driving out manure

What initially seemed to be a very early grain harvest season is now postponed due to the rain. Not that the end of July is already a very late season, but many harvesters are ready to get going. The first winter barley plots were harvested around the longest day and quite a few winter wheat plots have already been harvested across the country. However, the further completion of the grain harvest is plagued by showers, which means that there is not much land available for the application of manure.

Intermediaries estimate that there is still sufficient manure space available at the arable farmer to be able to apply a reasonable volume of manure in the autumn. Due to the short spring, the space that was desired and planned was not used. The supply of manure is growing, which means that only the weather is a spoilsport for the spread of manure to gain momentum.

Growing supply of cattle slurry
The range of cattle slurry on offer is striking. While the supply seemed to be rationed a few weeks ago, the supply is growing again in a number of regions. It remains a matter of guessing the cause. Dairy farmers may have kept a larger stock than necessary when sales went smoothly in the spring. In order not to be saddled with too little fertilizer for their own farm, the brakes may have been applied too early.

Keep an eye on phosphate levels
It is also noticeable that the phosphate content in cattle slurry is increasing. And with all the recycling and track agreements, that is remarkable to say the least. While cattle slurry generally has a phosphate content of 1,8-2,0 kilos of P, levels of greater than 2 kilos per tonne appear to occur very regularly. This is important for arable farmers to keep an eye on. The causes are anyone's guess.

The collection contributions for all types of fertilizer remain unchanged this week.

The 2017 collection contributions in euros per tonne.