Credit: kh1234567890
Managing nutrients is one of the most important jobs on a farm. If done effectively, it can reduce input costs, maximise crop performance and reduce the impact of farming on the environment.
It can be difficult to know how much nitrogen, phosphate and potash is being applied through manures and other organic materials.
The Nutrient Management Planning Tool (NMPT-GB) is a free online tool, produced by Defra, that helps farmers evaluate, plan and manage nutrients as per crop and soil needs. This helps farmers reduce costs and keep records that support compliance with environmental regulations.
A new update to NMPT-GB makes it easier for farmers and advisers to understand the nutrient and financial value of organic manures to support decision-making.
The updateThe NMPT-GB tool now includes an accessible and user-friendly organic manure nutrient calculator which replaces the now outdated MANNER-NPK (Manure Nitrogen Evaluation Routine - Nitrogen, Phosphate, and Potash) tool.
You can access the new update on the NMPT-GB webpage.
MANNER-NPK was a Defra-funded software tool that estimated plant-available nutrients and financial value from organic manures like slurry or farmyard manure.
Historically, MANNER-NPK was available as a standalone download, or accessed through PLANET / Planet4Farmers.
Its calculations are now integrated into NMPT-GB, enabling users to quickly estimate the crop-available nutrients supplied by organic material, and their financial value.
Like the rest of the tool, the new functionality is free to use and can be accessed without completing a full nutrient management plan - as is required for the full NMPT-GB.
At a time where artificial fertiliser prices remain high, the tool supports farmers to reduce reliance on artificial fertilisers and plan nutrient use to be more resilient to global shocks to the fertiliser market.
Testing of the tool over several months helped to shape how it works in practice. Feedback from farmers during testing was positive. A sheep farmer using the tool said:
"With organic fertiliser, you haven't got a clue how much you're putting on and whether you should put more or less on. So that is really, really useful information."
The financial values were highlighted by other participants, with one arable farmer commenting:
“Our prices have gone through the roof. And so manure has become vastly more attractive […]. Spreading manure is not cheap but you want to know how much I am getting to offset that cost.”
Only farmers and their appointed users will have access to personal and farm data from the tool. Regulators don’t have any access to farm-specific data and will not be able to use the information in the tool to monitor compliance.
NMPT-GB is now live for England and Wales on GOV.UK, with a Scotland release planned for later this year. The MANNER-NPK standalone feature is already available across the three nations.
Defra developed this update alongside ADAS and RSK Business Solutions Ltd with the support of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB).
Watch our webinarFor more information about the tool and how it can help your farming business, watch our recent webinar:
Get involvedFarmers and advisers tested the tool on real farms over several months, sharing feedback to make sure it works well in practice.
We want to keep improving and developing the tool. Your feedback helps us do that.
Please share your thoughts. You can:
Leave a comment below, or email us at NMPT@defra.gov.ukIf you’d be happy to keep sharing feedback as the Nutrient Management Planning Tool develops, the best way is to join the Defra Farming Panel. This is completely optional, but it helps us make sure we’re testing improvements with the right people.
You can register your interest by emailing the panel manager, Sophie Werkshagen, at sophie.werkshagen@defra.gov.uk
seen at 11:37, 15 September in Farming.