Here’s a snapshot of some smart thinking to support your productivity and sustainability goals for spring.

Arable

• Cluster sampling within individual arable paddocks to develop differing zones of soil fertility and inform a variable rate application strategy of lime and/or nutrients. 
• Utilise the new potentially mineralisable nitrogen (PMN) test and calculator to better match soil N supply to supplemental N fertiliser applications. 

Dairy 

• Whole farm testing – every paddock tested to develop a paddock by paddock (blocked into manageable areas) prescription for lime and/or nutrients, including sub maintenance or withholding nutrients where they are above the biological optima. 
• Checking maintenance nutrient requirements by renewing the farm nutrient budget using OVERSEER. 
• Targeting N applications mostly to the shoulders of the season and using less while employing the other strategies available to match feed supply with demand. 
• Use N Protect instead of urea between spring and autumn reducing the rate ay at least 10% (keeping under the 190N cap). 

Sheep/beef/deer farms 

• Rather than blanket applications, divide the farm up into land management units (LMUs) representing differing farming intensity (and potentially profitability of the livestock class) and determine differing maintenance requirements accordingly (a Ravensdown nutrient budget will assist with this).
• Once you have completed a nutrient budget it is relatively simple for your Ravensdown agri manager to run the econometric model to determine the best strategy in terms of variable rates between LMUs. 
• Unbundle maintenance P and S requirements from N application.
• If using N fertiliser to provide lactating stock with feed, then we can prepare a variable rate N plan, based on timing of application and responsiveness of different areas of the farm. 

We’re part of your team, so if you’d like to know more, call our Customer Centre on 0800 100 123, or talk to your agri manager.