Switching to liquid fertiliser may at first appear a daunting task, best left to the supersized farms that command the resources and equipment to do so without financial pain, but according to one dealer that need not be the case at all.

Deeside Agri Services of Dunleer, Co. Louth, would argue that the transition need not be a traumatic event and as a dealer for Omex products, they set out to make it as easy as possible.

The company has been selling Omex Liquid fertilisers for seven years now and claims that any customer who has switched has not gone back to solids, a situation helped by the facilities Deeside provides to help with the application.

There are two main thresholds to overcome with liquid, the first being application and the second the logistics.

To overcome the objection of new equipment being needed to apply the nutrients, Deeside provides a set of nozzles for an existing sprayer on a sale or return basis, and, so far, none have been returned.

If a farm does not posses a sprayer there are spraying contractors available who are happy to provide an application service as it is an extra income stream for them and spreads the cost of their equipment.

There are also a good number of used sprayers available which just need the the correct set of nozzles to be fitted, although it must be noted that the product is 1.3 times heavier than plain water so older machines that have been stored among the nettles for years are best avoided.

The second major objection usually encountered from potential users is that of transport and storage, and Deeside provides a solution of its own as well as accommodating farmers' own methods.

The company has four mobile 10,000L bunded tanks which can be be strapped to a trailer and filled at the depot and then be taken back to the farm for transfer to the sprayer.

The tanks are free to borrow for this use and are a popular solution to the problem, although, as noted above, 10,000L will weigh 13t, something to be borne in mind when choosing a tractor to tow it back to the yard.

Farmers may also bring their own IBC tanks to be filled or transfer the fertiliser into a sprayer directly with the weighbridge measuring the amount collected.

All of these options are available and in regular use at Deeside Agri which is enthusiastically promoting the Omex brand with a good deal of success.

The company, which has built itself on the trading of grain and supply of farm requisites, considers liquid fertiliser a natural extension to its operations, especially the agronomic and agrichemical area.

The granular fertiliser market is a mature one and there is some concern within the trade generally about the consistency of the product with two bags of the same analysis, from the same supplier, very often being quite different in material characteristics and therefore adversely affecting the spreading pattern.

Liquid fertiliser does away with this ongoing complaint and for a company that prides itself on being at the leading edge of developments in its business area, that is a major factor in the desire to see the product more widely used.