Winter cereal crops are starting to feel hungry. It’s a long time since many of them were planted out last September and October.

Ground is drying out and with day length increasing, barley, wheat and oat crops are crying out for fertiliser.

But here’s the question - must all the nutrition these cereals need come from a bag of chemical fertiliser? The very obvious answer to this question is ‘no’.

The reality is that an umbilical operation with a low emission spreading system (LESS) attached can precisely deliver slurry to all winter cereal crops at this time of the year.

The precision ration goes up a further notch if separated slurry is spread.

Umbilical systems cause very little compaction if used on drying ground. And this is exactly what farmers can look forward to over the coming days.

The regular analysis of the slurry being spread provides an accurate record of the nitrogen (N) phosphate (P) and potash (K) levels applied to the growing crop.

This then allows farmers to top-up precisely with whatever chemical fertiliser is required.

It all adds up to a win-win scenario, both for the crops that are grown and the eventual margins generated by tillage farmers.

Vast volumes of slurry are produced on Irish dairy and other livestock farms every year, a high proportion of which could be used effectively on tillage land.

And, in truth, this is not a high cost option for tillage farmers. Finding a contractor with an umbilical system should not prove challenging.

The biggest hurdle to overcome is that of reticence on the part of those farmers, who have not applied slurry to crops before.

The reality is that the days of plastering slurry onto ground using a splash plate are long gone.

The technology is available that makes the accurate application of slurry on to growing cereal crops a more than feasible option. It is not rocket science.

But, of course, like all other farm management options, a degree of common sense is required.

Putting a fully laden tanker on to ground that is sticky is not an option. However, umbilical systems can make the opportunity of getting slurry on to crops in the early spring more than feasible.

The dry weather that characterised December 2024 has allowed most winter cereals to establish deep rooting systems.

Or to put it another way, these crops are well capable of standing up to any conceivable management system.  

So, for those tillage farmers who have never spread slurry on to a growing cereal crop, this opportunity now beckons.