The Fertilizer Association of Ireland promotes the efficient use of fertilizer to produce quality food in an economical and environmentally sustainable manner. The Association’s president Paddy Casey explains more.
Established in 1968 with Dr Tom Walsh as its first president, the Fertilizer Association of Ireland is run by a Council of 17 members, who are elected each year. There are additional 80-90 members drawn from the agricultural/agri-business, fertilizer, retail, co-operative, corporate and research sectors, as well as from the Department of Agriculture, Food & Marine and Teagasc.
The current president is Paddy Casey, who succeeded Dr. Stan Lalor at the AGM in February 2014. Paddy, who is sales manager for Target Fertilisers in the Midlands and North-East, works closely with vice-president PJ Browne, secretary Jeremiah Murphy, treasurer John Galavan and council members to promote the efficient use of fertilizer and to ensure farmers maximise the return on their investment in fertilizers.
“We’re essentially a voice for the technical side of the fertilizer industry. We’re here to help farmers with proper fertilizer use,” explains Paddy, who is nearing the end of his two-year presidential term.
“We see ourselves as being a vibrant organisation with a vibrant membership. We have good people serving on our Council who are prepared to put their shoulder to the wheel. The fact that the president can only serve for two years and a Council member can serve for a maximum of five years is good from the point of view that it leads to fresh faces and new ideas.
“The Association has been around since 1968 and we are already looking forward to our 50th anniversary in under three years’ time.”
Two years ago, Paddy was part of a delegation from the Fertilizer Association of Ireland which successfully lobbied the Government for an extension of the spreading season for chemical fertilizers from September 15 to 30 (it starts on February 1). The decision was warmly welcomed by farmers as it gave them a better chance of addressing fodder shortages during the winter.
“We had a situation in this country in the winter of 2012/2013 where we had a fodder crisis and animals were starving to death. We didn’t want to see a repeat of that the following winter so we lobbied for the artificial spreading season to be extended by a few weeks. And thankfully the Government listened to us,” the Moate, Co. Westmeath man says.
“We are always looking at legislation coming down the tracks and the implications it might have for our members. We are fortunate to have members from Teagasc, IFA and the Department of Agriculture to serve on our environmental committee.”
The Fertilizer Association held its annual Spring Scientific Meeting in the Horse & Jockey Hotel in Co. Tipperary on February 3 last. A presentation of the most recent statistics and trends in soil fertility indexes was given by Mark Plunkett from Teagasc. The 120-strong attendance heard how only 11 per cent of soils are currently at optimum soil pH, P and K fertility. This is a cause for concern for the grassland and crop production potential of the country.
Dr. Tim Shiel presented a paper summarising his recent studies of the relationship between soil pH, lime and phosphorous availability in grassland. The clear message from the paper was that improving soil P fertility should go hand-in-hand with soil pH improvement and lime application.
The Association’s IFA representative Harold Kingston presented an overview of the Smart farming programme. This programme is aimed at increasing awareness of cost savings that can rise from resource-use-efficiency on farms. It is led by the IFA and brings together the knowledge of a wide range of participants, including Teagasc, the Fertilizer Association of Ireland, EPA, UCD and others. Over 600 farmers have participated in the programme so far, and have identified average cost savings of €6,600 per farm.
The final presentation was by Sean O’Donnell, a dairy farmer from Co. Mayo, who gave a real-life account of his experience of the importance of soil fertility while expanding his dairy operation. His key messages were the importance of being “brilliant at the basics” when farming, and that “going hard and fast” was the right approach on his farm to build soil fertility as quickly as possible.
“We are working closely with Teagasc and the Department of Agriculture to improve the information available on soil. We are concerned that only 11 per cent of soils are at optimum levels of nutrition in terms of pH, P and K and lime. It is critical that we increase these levels to ensure farmers get the best return from their grass,” continues Paddy.
“Dairy farmers, in particular, need to get the most efficient use out of their grass to help offset the tightening margins they are suffering with the falling milk price.”
The Association is involved in three initiatives that recognise academic achievement in soil science and nutrient management, as well as honouring those who have made significant contributions to the Association and the industry over their careers. The initiatives are: UCD Soil Science Award; Fertilizer Association Special Merit Award; Crops Nutrition Management Course Award.
The most recent winner of the UCD Soil Science Award, which is awarded annually to the student who obtains the highest grade in the Module “Soil Science Basics” in Stage 2 of the B Agr Sc degree programme at UCD, was Niamh Garvey. The Award was presented to Niamh by Paddy Casey at the UCD Agriculture and Food Science Awards ceremony last November.
The Officers and Council of the Fertilizer Association of Ireland for 2015: president – Paddy Casey (Target Fertilisers); vice-president – PJ Browne (Grassland AGRO); secretary – Jeremiah Murphy (Target Fertilisers); treasurer – John Galavan (Nitrofert); past-president – Stan Lalor (Grassland AGRO); Council members – David Wall (Teagasc), Eoin O’Carroll (Ground Limestone Producers), Andrew Watson (K+S UK & Eire), Michael Tennyson (Agricultural Consultants Association), Liam Walsh (Grassland AGRO), Mark Plunkett (Teagasc) Peter Ging (Gouldings), Harold Kingston (IFA), John Carroll (Glanbia), Gerry Lohan (Department of Agriculture, Food & Marine), Evan Ross (Yara) and John McGrath (Gouldings).
The Fertilizer Association of Ireland
c/o Grassland AGRO,
Carrigohane Road,
Cork.
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.fertilizer-assoc.ie
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 3 No 9, October 2015
The Fertilizer Association of Ireland
