It’s widely known that the ‘4Rs’ of good fertiliser management – applying the right fertiliser product in the right place, at the right time and rate – can help to increase fertiliser use efficiency.
When it comes to applying fertiliser in the ‘right place’, precise aerial application fertiliser has long been supported by tools such as SpreadSmart from SuperAir, so that nutrients are applied only where needed. But this hasn’t typically been the case for groundspread fertiliser application.
Now, thanks to SpreadWise, a powerful new digital mapping tool from Ballance Agri-Nutrients, groundspread fertiliser can be applied exactly where it’s needed. This means reduced nutrient use, improved efficiency, less waste, and a lower environmental impact.
SpreadWise identifies specific areas within paddocks that require fewer nutrients, as stock movements have transferred nutrients to them. So, in effect, these areas, such as gates and troughs and other hotspots where stock congregate, are naturally enriched by urine and dung.
By identifying such areas, SpreadWise ensures nutrients are precisely applied where most needed, reducing unnecessary inputs and overapplication. This enhances nutrient use efficiency and supports compliance with regulatory requirements. It can also provide savings of up to 10% on nutrient costs on spreadable areas, boosting nutrient return on investment.
Applying less nitrogen (N) fertiliser to areas that receive inputs from animal transfer, such as gateways, for example, can help to optimise nutrient application and result in reduced N fertiliser inputs overall. The reduction in fertiliser use can increase profitability, with the savings potentially invested elsewhere, such as on farm infrastructure or to achieve sustainability targets. Any reduced N use could also result in a lower emission footprint from nitrous oxide emissions from the use of N fertiliser.
SpreadWise uses an accurate farm map (loaded into the Ballance customer platform MyBallance) along with farmer input, geospatial mapping and artificial intelligence to identify areas that require fewer nutrients, such as around gateways and troughs. An enhanced version of the map, with buffered exclusion zones, is created. When a spread request is placed via MyBallance, the information flows through to the spreader, and the job is displayed on the GPS of the truck to automate the spreading.
At this stage, SpreadWise is only available for dairy farms and focuses on identifying gates, troughs and waterways. Farmer feedback will help guide other key farm features to be identified and expansion into other farming sectors in future development.
Talk to your local Technical Sales Representative or drop into a Farm Source store to find out how SpreadWise can optimise your farm’s nutrient application.
Article supplied by Ballance