How Farmers Can Reduce Nitrogen Losses and Leaching
How Farmers Can Reduce Nitrogen Losses and Leaching
New Zealand’s global image as a clean and green country is continuing to come under fire and with it comes pressure from local governments on the management of our farm lands. Nitrogen fertiliser inputs and how they affect the environment is a very topical story at the moment and with increasing pressures including N based fertiliser restrictions, costs, droughts and production requirements, the farmer has some important decisions to make.
What decision makers on both sides need to agree on is that we need to deliver the highest increase in dry matter and milk production per unit of nitrogen applied the soil. By using a microbial based inoculant like EM we can enhance the nutrient uptake of the pasture thus increasing the growth of dry matter. This enables the farmer to decrease their nitrogen application while maintaining and sometimes exceeding previous pasture levels.
How EM impacts the nitrogen cycle
EM promotes nitrogen fixation to stimulate pasture (and clover) growth and drive more effective use of traditional nitrogen based fertilisers such as urea. This application makes your fertiliser use more efficient due to the lower application on a kg/ha basis and the increase in nitrogen response, it makes every unit you put on more effective. By utilising more of the available nitrogen in the soil, less will be lost through leaching and therefore not having as bigger impact on the environment.
EM is a soil activator and improves soil structure, organic matter management, and nutrient cycling. It compliments efforts to reduce reliance on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Using EM on your farm will ultimately result in increased profitability and sustainability.
In the end EM will deliver the unique benefit of reducing the impact a farmer has on their immediate environment without compromising their potential pasture production.
About EMNZ
EMNZ is a company focused on developing products for sustainable living in New Zealand, selling products to the agriculture, viticulture, and waste industries. Our products are based on natural ingredients, and are certified organic. Our philosophy is to promote natural chemical free systems for growing food and processing waste. However, we can also work with existing chemical based systems, by substituting chemicals where possible, with our natural microbial solutions to enhance rather that negatively impact the environment.
For more please visit www.emnz.co.nz