Carrs Fertilisers have a comprehensive range of analytical and advisory services, which further differentiate, add value to and complement our broad product range.

With ever increasing economic and environmental pressures, it is vital that farmers apply the principles of 'best practice' to the management of fertilisers, soil fertility and organic manures.

The objectives of Carrs Fertilisers Technical Services package are:

• to help farmers ensure they are using the right product,
• in the right amount and
• at the right time to suit their specific circumstances.

Such an approach will optimise the financial return on fertilisers and benefits the environment at the same time.
Analytical services include soil, plant tissue and organic manure analysis.
Advisory services range from one-off fertiliser recommendations to farm scale Nutrient Management Planning.

Analytical Services

Carrs Fertilisers analytical services are contracted to NRM (Natural Resource Management) Ltd. in Bracknell. Details on supplies of request forms and sample kits are available from your local Carrs Fertilisers contact.

Soil analysis

• Routine soil analysis includes P, K, Mg and pH and is available under both the ADAS index system and Modified Morgan's (as used by the SAC for Scottish soils).
  
  
• Calcium: soil calcium levels have halved in the past 30 years and are generally below optimum (1600 ppm). Given the importance of calcium to the soil (pH and structure) and as a plant nutrient, Carrs Fertilisers strongly recommend that all soils should be analysed for calcium routinely.
  
  
• Soil organic matter (SOM): SOM plays a vital role in soil health and fertility, the ability of soils to retain moisture and nutrients and is also a source of nutrients such as nitrogen in organic forms.
  
  
• Soil nitrogen: soil nitrogen reserves can make a significant contribution to crops and must be taken into account in nutrient planning, either by estimation (as per Soil Nitrogen Supply assessment in RB209) or by analytical determination. Soil samples for N must be taken at 30, 60 and 90 cm depths through the soil profile (as per RB209 p. 162)
  
  
• Arable suite: includes routine soil analysis plus - calcium, manganese, copper, boron, zinc, sulphate and SOM.
  
  
• Grass suite: includes routine soil analysis plus - calcium, manganese, copper, cobalt, zinc, sulphate and SOM.

Organic Manure analysis:

Farm yard manures and slurries can be analysed to determine:
a) total N, P, K, S content;
b) pH;
c) Mg, Cu and Zn;
d) DM in the case of farm yard manures, and
e) % solids in the case of slurries.

Plant tissue analysis:

• Nitrogen: grass and cereal crops can be analysed to determine the % nitrogen in the plant tissue as a basis for deciding on N fertiliser inputs.
  
  
• Nitrogen : sulphur ratio - the N:S ratio is a useful test for determining whether sulphur is required and, if so, at what level for silage.
  
  
• Potassium : magnesium : sodium - test herbage in May to check the balance between K, Mg and Na. The ratios between these minerals are vital in terms of growth, nutritional value and the risk of staggers.
  
  
• Foliar analysis: test the needles of coniferous trees to determine their N, P, K, Ca, and Mg status as a means of predicting and preventing nutrient deficiencies.

Advisory Services

Carrs Fertilisers sales managers are FACTS (Fertiliser Advisors Certificate Training Scheme) qualified and can offer advice on fertiliser recommendations, interpretation of analytical data and provide Nutrient Management Planning.

Advice offered by Carrs Fertilisers is based on a combination of personal experience, information from analytical data, current research and recognised sources of relevant information, including RB209 ('Fertiliser Recommendations'), DEFRA's Codes of Good Agricultural Practice and the ADAS MANNER programme for organic manures.

Fertiliser Recommendations:

Carrs Fertilisers can offer fertiliser recommendations ranging from one-off situations to whole farm programmes. Our objective is to recommend the most appropriate product, application rate and timing relative to the circumstances presented for optimum return.

Nutrient Management Planning (NMP):

NMP is a whole farm nutrient management budget which takes account of all variable factors, including soil analysis, soil N status, crop requirements, crop removals and nutrients supplied by organic manures and crop residues.

NMP aims to match nutrient inputs to requirements using an input/output budget approach and is the most effective method of ensuring optimum utilisation of fertilisers and organic manures.

NMP will be an essential requirement for farmers in NVZ's and, as 'best farm practice' should be employed on all farms. A further advantage of NMP is the build up of records detailing fertiliser and organic manure inputs, stocking levels and analytical data that will increasingly be required to demonstrate compliance with environmental legislation and Codes of Good Practice.

Ideally, NMP should be based on recently obtained analytical data for soil and organic manures but, where this information is not available, it is possible to make estimations based on DEFRA's RB209 'Fertiliser Recommendations' booklet.

For further information on our NMP services contact Carrs Fertilisers.

An example of the pro forma spreadsheets used for NMP is shown at the end of this section.

Forestry advice:

Carrs Fertilisers offer their forestry customers a unique, comprehensive and professional Nutrient Management Planning service, which encompasses field crop assessments, soil and foliar analysis and fertiliser prescriptions.

For further information on any aspect of Carrs Fertiliser Technical Services package, contact your local sales manager who will be happy to help.

For specific information regarding sampling techniques for organic manures and soil nitrogen contact Carrs Fertilisers or refer to RB209.

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