Precision N application test costs 'outweigh returns'
Precision application of nitrogen can improve yields, but the costs of testing currently outweigh improved returns, according to new research from Plant and Food Research, MPI and Ravensdown.
The High Intensity Grass-fed Herds (HIGH) project identifies positive outcomes for pasture-based dairy farms by reducing synthetic nitrogen fertiliser use and improving milk production efficiency from low-cost grazed pasture systems.
Other elements of the project are focused on adding economic value for non-replacement dairy cows, as well as the enhancement and development of people and skills.
The project has seen the construction of a purpose-built dairy at the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture's Dairy Research Facility at Elliott in north west Tasmania and the establishment of four new farmlets (or mini farms), to research strategies for reducing reliance on synthetic fertiliser and its impacts under real farm conditions.
