SCHOOL EDITION 22 MARCH 2023 - Flipbook - Page 19
NEWS
FARMWEEK
JANUARY 28 2021
19
Improve soil health and performance
by managing drainage systems
W
INTER and spring is a good time
to spend some time evaluating the
condition of eld drainage systems
when problems can be most
apparent.
Often when a eld produces a crop which
fails to meet expectations during the growing
season, or requires livestock to be moved off
earlier than planned due to risk of poaching
or compaction, we can blame a number of
problems such as poor nutrient uptake, wet
weather or heavy soils.
However, many improved and unimproved
grasslands in Northern Ireland could benet
from better management of existing eld
drainage systems, which are designed to
reduce the amount of time soils stay in a
waterlogged or anaerobic state during or
after prolonged rainfall.
Phelim Connolly, Agri-Environment adviser
with the College of Agriculture, Food and
Rural Enterprise (CAFRE), commented:
“Open sheughs are a common farmland
feature and can act as a eld boundary
or wildlife habitat. However, the sheughs
primary purpose is to transport water
draining off the land to a nearby river or lake.
“Vegetation growth in slow owing sheughs
can lead to a build-up of silt over a number of
years, resulting in blockages or silt backing
up into eld drainage pipes.
Cleaning of the sheugh base and one side
of the bank will improve channel capacity
and continue to manage the water table of
the surrounding elds. By leaving vegetation
undisturbed on one side of the sheugh
bank, some habitat can be retained and
the vegetation roots will also continue to
stabilise and hold the bank.”
Exposed drainage outfalls are very
susceptible to damage when cleaning
drains. Outfalls should be conspicuous and
protected with a sturdy headwall. These can
be precast, brick or block built, but should
always be easily located for inspection and
maintenance.
It is commonplace to see livestock with
access to open sheughs for drinking water.
However, trampling of the sheugh and
associated bank can lead to increased
sedimentation and pollution of our
watercourses as well as more erosion of the
bank resulting in decreased sheugh capacity.
LEFT: Drainage outlet with running water.
ABOVE: Phelim Connolly,
Agri-Environment adviser,
CAFRE, Enniskillen.
ABOVE: Remove build up within inspection chambers.
Fencing off these sheughs and providing
alternative drinking sources for livestock will
keep channels open for longer and improve
water quality.
The function of the inspection chamber
(manhole) is to collect and remove silt from
the system. If the level of silt in the chamber
is approaching the outlet pipe then the silt
should be removed.
Silt and iron ochre can build up in drainage
pipes. Regular roding of these pipes can
clear blockages or in other cases the use of
a drain jetter can ush water through the
closed pipe system, clearing silt and ochre
from its internal walls, perforations and
adjacent stone ll.
It is estimated that it costs between
£7,500 to £12,500 per hectare to construct a
conventional eld drainage system. However,
annual inspection and maintenance of
existing drainage systems will cost just a
fraction of this amount.
A drainage system functioning properly
will improve soil biology as the soil will
spend less time in an anaerobic state,
aiding nutrient uptake, root growth and
greater ability of soil to retain structure and
withstand compression. Ultimately effective
drainage systems lead to increased yields
and reduced nutrient run off resulting in
improved nancial and environmental
sustainability on the farm.
Samaritans receives Spreading slurry in spring – are you ready?
NFU Mutual support
N
EW research from
leading rural insurer
NFU Mutual has revealed
that the ongoing coronavirus
lockdown measures are taking
their toll on the mental health
of communities across the UK.
The insurer’s customer survey
shows that more people are
feeling stressed (+7 per cent),
anxious (+3 per cent) and
lonely (+2 per cent) than in
June.
Recognising the challenges
communities are facing, NFU
Mutual has launched its winter
campaign, working with
the Samaritans to share the
charity’s tools and resources
By ANDREW THOMPSON,
Sustainable Land Management Branch, CAFRE
to help anyone who is nding
things difcult.
In 2020, the NFU Mutual
Charitable Trust donated over
£1m to 20 UK charities. The
increased donations were
made possible by an additional
pledge of £750,000 from
insurer NFU Mutual to help
support charities through the
coronavirus crisis.
Samaritans is one of the
charities to have benetted
from these donations.
This year, the NFU Mutual
Charitable Trust is supporting
the Samaritans’ response to
the pandemic and its work in
rural communities.
W
ITH the closed season for spreading
organic manures coming to an end
at midnight on January 31, it is
important to be aware of the rules relating
to slurry spreading.
Slurries and manures are a valuable source
of nutrients for plant growth and if used
efciently can reduce the need for articial
fertilisers.
However, it is important that farmers
remember they have a responsibility to
protect water quality when spreading slurry
or manure and should avoid spreading
slurry in sub-optimal ground conditions.
From February 1 it will be possible to
spread slurry and manure on land as long
as ground conditions allow. Avoid spreading
slurry if the ground is frozen, water-logged
or heavy rain is forecast.
Farmers and contractors should
also be aware of the rules for
spreading slurry during February
when there is an increase in the
width of buffer zones required
along waterways and a reduction
in the maximum application rates
allowed.
Leave a buffer zone:
n 15m from a waterway
(increased from 10m) and
n 30m from a lake (increased
from 20m).
n 5m from a waterway (increased
from 3m) if low emission slurry
spreading equipment (LESSE)
is used.
The maximum volume of slurry
which can be spread per hectare
in one application is reduced
from 50m3 (4,500 gallons) to
30m3 (2,750 gallons).
Buffer zone and maximum
application rate requirements
will revert back to the original
distances and volumes from
March 1 onwards until October
1. The increased buffer zones will
then apply again until October
15.
n Take care when spreading on
sloping ground.