As the rainfall increases, temperatures decrease, and grass growth slows, cows will be soon heading indoors. Keeping cows’ udders clean is of vital importance to reducing the risk of infection, so it is critical to have your cubicles winter ready and disinfected. Implications of unhygienic cubicles Scraping and liming cubicles daily can reduce the [...]
Correcting soil pH is the first step to improving soil productivity and exploiting our competitive advantage of maximising the level of grazed grass in animal diets. Trials have shown that by increasing soil pH from 5.5 to 6.3, increased grass production of at least 1.5t DM/ha/year can be achieved, which represents a 7:1 return on [...]
Lime is a critical element of Irish agriculture, as a sustainable means of nourishing soil and improving the productivity of crops and grassland. There has been a consistent increase in the volume of Agri Lime being applied on Irish soils over the last number of years, which is partly due to the latest Nitrates Directive, [...]
When is the right time to apply lime, what type of ground limestone should I use and what is best practice when it comes to grazing, reseeding, slurry and Urea application? We’ll answer those and other lime application questions below. The benefits of getting your soil pH right through an effective liming programme [...]
We regularly receive queries from customers regarding best practices for lime application. To assist with this, we have put together a list of our most frequently asked questions and answers. Check them out below! How do I use cubicle lime? The self-weight of lime causes it to compact over time. This product should be [...]
The importance of cow hygiene and comfort cannot be stressed enough when it comes to the winter housing period. During this time, the group most at risk of contracting mastitis are milking cows, as their teat canals are open for two-to-three hours per day in comparison to dry cows. Cows close to calving are also [...]
Although there has never been as much about the benefits of agri lime, reports of up to 80% of Irish soils are still regarded as suboptimal pH. Lime is a forgotten fertiliser, and too often, liming plans can fall off the priority list for many farmers. The primary purpose of lime application is to correct [...]
Take the opportunity to spread agri lime while conditions are favourable. As we saw last year, waiting until October to spread agri lime is risky due to poor weather and un-trafficable soil conditions. Agri lime plays a major role in improving the 3 fundamentals of soil health namely: Soil chemistry - fertiliser use efficiency Soil [...]
In line with direction from Government and following best available guidance, Bennettsbridge Limestone is open to the public. The health and safety of our employees and customers is a priority for us. Where possible, please telephone our office on 056 7727317 to see how we can we deal with your enquiry remotely. We ask all [...]
The fertiliser application period reopens in the south east on January 12th and while farmers will be eager to begin spreading chemical fertiliser, it is important to remember that agricultural lime can be applied year-round, as long as conditions are favourable. Agricultural lime is an essential piece of any farmer’s fertiliser plan as regular lime [...]