“We know there’s no silver bullet which can address all the challenges facing Irish farmers between now and 2030,” said Walter Furlong Jnr, General Manager of Target Fertilisers.
“And while Target Fertilisers has a range of protected urea products, we believe that our farmers need more than one available implement in their toolbox at any given time, particularly given how different times of the year pose different challenges in terms of grass and crop growth. And that’s where Terra, the award-winning sustainable fertiliser solution we’ve developed in collaboration with Brandon Bioscience (based in County Kerry), comes into play.”
Walter Furlong Jnr, General Manager of Target Fertilisers.
Containing the PSI®362 biostimulant, extracted from Ascophyllum nodosum – a brown seaweed – Terra provides improved Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE), stimulating both Nitrogen uptake and utilisation within the plant.
PSI®362 Precision Technology stimulates both Nitrogen (N) uptake and assimilation mechanisms in the plant when applied at the same time as N fertiliser, taking up more of the available N in the soil. This means that similar biomass levels are being produced with up to 25% less N, in addition to higher dry matter levels in the crop.
Said Walter Furlong Jnr: “Terra has been tailored for CAN-based products and for farmers who have been using 27% CAN or SulCAN for the last few years. By using Terra, farmers can reduce their level of Nitrogen from 27% to 22% while still achieving the same results. Terra is a two-way mix and it’s a very easily spread product. The raw materials used in the blend are both the same weight so there’s no issue in terms of spreading distances; it can fire up to between 30 and 36 metres with little difficulty and, just as significantly, it’s a clean product.”
Expertly coated onto fertiliser granules and with no harmful residues, PSI®362 also increases the assimilation of additional protein and yield in the crop, as successfully demonstrated through grazing trials conducted by Target Fertilisers in 2020 and 2021.
This trial, which involved the use of two Target products on five farms – the PSI®362-treated TerraN + S and the untreated SuperCAN CCF, revealed a 24.5% reduction in Nitrogen application while using TerraN + S.
With similar growth rates achieved via both products, the trial’s findings indicated that by using TerraN + S, Nitrogen applications can be reduced by up to 25% without compromising yield.
“Terra is a proven product that we remain committed to making even better.”
During the two-year-long grass silage trials on all five farms, fertiliser application averaged 3.2 bags per acre with the grass DM yield on each year proving similar despite the lower application of N when using the PSI®362-treated TerraN + S product.
According to Target Fertilisers’ analysis: “Using both straight Nitrogen and high Nitrogen compounds, our results with Terra have shown similar yields of grass when reducing Nitrogen with Terra by 20%. This presents a wonderful opportunity to meet climate targets in lowering Nitrogen application using Terra, thus benefiting from improved Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE) and the additional environmental benefits.”
“Our goal is to offer an environmentally friendly urea product along with an environmentally friendly CAN product,” said Walter Furlong Jnr.
“Thanks to Terra, Target Fertilisers is enhancing the farmer’s versatility levels when it comes to their fertiliser plans by providing a practical and more sustainable solution. The feedback we’ve received so far from farmers using Terra has been incredibly positive; we’re delighted with the product and we believe it’s providing farmers with a practical tool when it comes to meeting their environmental goals for both 2025 and beyond.
“Terra is a great product. It’s a proven product and it’s a product that we remain committed to making even better as we move forward.”
For further information on Terra, visit Terra Range | Sustainable Fertiliser | Target Fertilisers or contact a member of the Target Fertilisers team here.