b'Field Trip Option 2: Ballycanew Catchment Visit: Agronomyand knowledge transferThe Ballycanew catchment is located just north of the village of Ballycanew, near Gorey in Co. Wexford. It is 1,191ha in area and grassland makes up approximately 78% of the land-use with 20% in tillage and the balance in woodland and other uses. The main grassland-based farmenterprises are beef production and dairying with some sheep production and sport horses.Spring barley is the main tillage crop with small areas of other cereals. The dominant soils in the lowland of this catchment are surface water gleys, mostly belonging to the Kilrush andMacamore soil series. These soils are derived from endmorainic and marine deposits of heavy muds giving them poor drainage characteristics. The drainage in this area has been improved somewhat by the owners through tile and mole drainage. The soils on the elevated land to the southern catchment boundary are non-calcarious brown earths over slate and shale geology. Tillage in the catchment is limited to this area. With good management the heavy soils in the catchment are well suited to grassland farming and dairying is expanding in the area. Based on the type of soil and subsoil in this catchment phosphorus would be considered to be the main nutrient at risk of loss to water in the heavy lowland soils. The main pathway for loss is through overland flow during heavy rain events.1Beef Farm Visit2P Response Trial Site86'