Nitrogen management tools – free of charge

A free nutrient calculator is being made available for growers and agronomists this coming season – thanks to fertiliser manufacturer Yara.

Making the Atfarm nutrient management platform completely free of charge will encourage more farmers to take full advantage of Yara UK’s nitrogen fertiliser portfolio, says managing director Jari Pentinmaki.

The Atfarm digital platform helps farmers apply nitrogen more precisely. It uses satellite images to monitor crop growth, enabling farmers and agronomists to create variable rate application maps in just minutes.

Spring growth

Farms are also able to use Yara’s Nitrogen Tester BT to get field specific nitrogen recommendations for their cereal crops, as well as monitoring the leaves nitrogen status as spring growth progress.

Making Atfarm free follows feedback from farmers using the technology – and the improvements they’ve seen in nitrogen-use efficiency as they strive to get better value for money in the face of high fertiliser prices.

“By making use of the digital tools, farmers can save on fertiliser costs without compromising yield and quality, while at the same time benefitting the environment,” explains Mr Pentinmaki.

“We want to do everything we can to support UK farmers. We hope that by encouraging farmers to explore the smart tools available to them, it will bring both financial and environmental benefits.”

NFU combinable crops board chairman Matt Culley welcomed the news. Raising nitrogen use efficiency on farms was a win-win for farmers who needed to buy less fertiliser – and for the environment too.

Crops perform better and it is a relatively simple step to take, said Mr Culley. “The fact that it also contributes to a lower carbon footprint is something that will inevitably gain in importance as carbon markets and supply chains adjust.”