How can you improve your farm's nitrogen fertiliser efficiency?

Improving nitrogen fertiliser efficiency is one way your farm can become more productive, profitable and sustainable. Try our quiz to find out how you can improve your farm's nitrogen fertiliser efficiency.

Begin by answering five questions to find out how you can improve

1. Nitrogen

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Great, you are already using the most efficient form of nitrogen with ammonia losses of only 3% compared to urea which could be over 25%.

Check out our Nitrate vs Urea calculator tool to see how much better off you using nitrates and how much cheaper Urea would need to be to just break even.

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That's not the best choice, you could be losing up to 26% of your nitrogen as ammonia compared to only 3% if you used a nitrate-based fertiliser.

Check out our Nitrate vs Urea calculator tool to see how much you could be losing and how much cheaper Urea would need to be to just break even.

2. Sulphur

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That's not good, you could be losing upto 2t/ha of yield because your crop is unable to use nitrogen efficiently.
Read more about the importance of sulphur

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It's good that you are applying sulphur but adding this 'all at once' is not the most efficient way. It is likely some of this will leach before the plant is able to use it and then later in the season the crop may suffer sulphur deficiency.
Read more about sulphur timing

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Great, this is the most efficient way of applying sulphur.
Read more about sulphur timing

3. Micronutrients

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Crops suffering micronutrient deficiencies are unable to use other applied nutrients efficiently resulting in lost yield and wasted spending on fertiliser.
Read more about the benefits of micronutrients

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Applying individual micronutrients is ok if you can be sure you have covered all the essential micronutrients for each crop, but even if you have missed a single deficiency this can still have an effect on fertiliser use efficiency.
Read more about crop specific micronutrients

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Applying crop specific micronutrient mixtures is good practice as this ensures no single deficiency is missed that can still have an effect on fertiliser use efficiency.
Read more about crop specific micronutrients

4. Phosphate and Potash

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That could be a bad decision. Phosphate and potash should be applied every year unless your soil indices are above target. You might think you are saving money on P&K in the short term but yields will suffer.
Read more about the benefits of spring P and K

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That's not the best practice. If you apply P&K in the autumn then less will still be available in the spring when crop really needs it. This means you are losing yield or wasting your money.
Read more about the benefits of spring P and K

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Great, this is the most efficient time to apply phosphate and potash so nutrients are more available to the crop when needed and other nutrients are used more efficiently.
Read more about the benefits of spring P and K

5. Nitrogen management tools

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Nitrogen management tools help ensure crops recieve the optimum rate of nitrogen, avoiding either giving them too much which wastes money and is bad for the environment or too little which results in lost yield and profit. 
Read more about Yara's nitrogen management tools

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Great. Using Yara's nitrogen management tools will help to optimise your nitrogen rate and so increase fertiliser use efficiency.
Read more about Yara's nutrient management tools

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Hopefully you found this useful and picked up a few tips.

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Agronomy advice to improve fertiliser efficiency

Check out these links to find out more about different aspects of efficient fertiliser use.

Making sense of nitrogen
Making sense of nitrogen
There are many different types of nitrogen fertilisers available and it is important to make sure you are using the most efficient type of fertiliser. This article will help you to decide which nitrogen fertiliser is best for you.
Don't forget about sulphur
Don't forget about sulphur
Sulphur was often overlooked in the past but today it is recognised as an essential nutrient and considered just as important as nitrogen, so not to be forgotten.
When is the best time to apply sulphur ?
When is the best time to apply sulphur ?
It is generally accepted that sulphur is an essential nutrient for all crops but there is still some confusion over the best time to apply sulphur.
Spring fertiliser increases yield
Eight reasons why spring fertiliser increases yield
Spring applications of some fertilisers have been shown to produce increases in cereal yields. Here are eight agronomic reasons why you should apply phosphate and potash in the spring rather than in the autumn
Micronutrients - deficiency prevention is better than cure
Micronutrients - deficiency prevention is better than cure
When it comes to micronutrients, prevention of a deficiency before crop losses occur is always better than correction after the damage has been done.

Read about improving nutrient efficiency

Grow the future | Kickstart early spring grass | Farmer inspecting grass
Kickstart early spring grass with a nitrate based fertiliser
Applying early nitrogen as nitrate will get grass off to the best start, but if you combine this with urea you will get more flexibility without having to worry about the weather.
Grow the future | Grassland sulphur management | Farmer inspecting grass
Managing grassland sulphur delivers impressive results
Managing grassland sulphur doesn’t need to mean big changes. Simply switching fertilisers can deliver impressive results.
Grow the future | Silage fertiliser | Farmer inspecting grass
Avoid compromising your silage with poor nutrition
Don't risk compromising the yield or quality of your silage by cutting corners with your fertiliser programme
Grow the future | Grassland selenium fertilisers | Farmer inspecting grass
Preventing selenium deficiency avoids reduced productivity
Grazing animals have a requirement for selenium so it is important sufficient is present in the grass to meet the animals' needs to prevent selenium deficiency problems.
Grow the future | Forage maize foliar nutrition | Farmers watching maize harvest
Paying more attention to forage maize nutrition pays off
Paying more attention to forage maize foliar nutrition, particularly phosphate and zinc will improve crop establishment and early growth resulting in higher yield and better quality forage.
Grow the future | Nitrogen and sulphur fertiliser| Agronomists in wheat field
Applying nitrogen and sulphur together just makes sense
Combining nitrogen and sulphur together increases nitrogen use efficiency so means more for your money with less wastage
Grow the future | Compound CCF fertiliser | Agronomists in wheat field
A compound fertiliser is so much better than a blend
When you apply nutrients using a complex compound fertiliser (CCF) you avoid the risk of segregation and uneven distribution that you get when using a blended fertiliser.
Grow the future | Phosphate and potssium | Agronomists in wheat field
When it comes to P and K doing nothing is not an option
When it comes to P and K doing nothing is not an option. Potassium and phosphate are two essential plant nutrients with the plant requiring a consistent supply from the soil during the critical spring growth period.
Grow the future | Spring arable nutrition |
Spring nutrition must keep crop momentum moving
When winter cereals begin spring growth keeping that momentum going should be the main focus of the spring nutrition strategy
Grow the future | Cereal micronutrients | Agronomists in wheat field
Cereal micronutrients can prevent yield losses
If you supply your cereal crops with exactly the right micronutrients where and when they are needed this will prevent yield losses or quality reduction due to deficiencies.
Grow the future | Potato nutrition
Better nutrition improves potato yield and quality
Making sure your potatoes are fully supplied with all the nutrients they require is the best way to improve crop yield and tuber quality
Grow the future | Soil testing and tissue analysis
Soil and leaf testing avoids wasting money on fertilisers
The best way to avoid wasting money on fertiliser is through soil testing and tissue analysis and then understanding what the results mean.

Future-proof your farm

Find out how your farm can become more productive, profitable and sustainable by future proofing your resources, your profit and our planet.

Future-proof your resources
Future-proof your resources
EFFICIENT FARMING: Each growing cycle brings the challenge of producing healthy, profitable crops while also preserving natural resources for the future.
Future-proof your profit
Future-proof your profit
PROFITABLE FARMING: Investing in nitrate-based solutions could generate higher profits both now, and in the long term.  
Future-proof our planet
Future-proof our planet
SUSTAINABLE FARMING: Reduce your farms' impact on climate change through efficient and sustainable agriculture practices and be profitable.