Nitrogen - do we need it?

There is no doubt that nitrogen application is very important and can generate huge responses in pastures, especially on hill country sheep and beef farms. It is also recognised that a nutrient deficient environment is undesirable.

The real issue is the acceptable level of nitrogen use. Should we be feeding our pastures enough nitrogen to be 'comfortably well off' or does this cause problems?


Tectra's Lynne Moore

According to Lynne over using nitrogen can cause a number of issues.

Lynne says that a problem is that 'comfortably well off' pastures tend to get lazy.

"The clovers use the supplied nitrogen rather than fixing their own and this can cause profuse and sometimes uncontrollable grass growth which can affect pasture quality and nutrient balance which in turn affects the animals."

"Another problem is that well-off pasture tends to leak nutrients in drainage or run off water".

Environment Waikato has put together a user friendly nutrient budget to help farmers calculate acceptable nitrogen levels which may help to avoid these pitfalls.

By using nitrogen strategically, responsibly, thoughtfully and only when needed, sheep and beef farmers stand an excellent chance of maintaining long term sustainability while still maximising the profitability of their farms.

For more information and a detailed explanation of how to calculate your own nitrogen requirements please click here