Nitrogen losses from grass ley after slurry application – surface broadcasting vs. injection

While many small dairy farms have shut down milk production, the livestock density and number of livestock farms have increased in certain regions in western and central Finland during recent decades. At present, most dairy farms prefer almost continuous grass cultivation to crop rotation with cereals and grasses. Consequently, slurry is spread onto fields of silage grass instead of using earlier methods where slurry was applied to cereal fields before autumn ploughing or before spring tillage. Due to the soil wetness and risk of soil compacNitrogen losses from grass ley after slurry application – surface broadcasting vs. injection