More than 14,000 Tried & Tested booklets have been handed out to farmers the length and breadth of the country. This news comes as the voluntary nutrient management plan celebrates its first birthday today.
Tried & Tested is designed to help farmers and growers plan their fertiliser and manure use, meet increasing regulatory demands and reduce environmental risks. The plan is part of a project set up by AIC, CLA, FWAG, LEAF and the NFU in partnership with England Catchment Sensitive Farming Initiative (ECSFDI) to improve nutrient management in crops and grassland. This means crop nutrition needs are more easily met and, by optimising fertiliser use, farmers will potentially save money, as well as reducing the risk of nutrients polluting water.
Stephen Gibson, a mixed arable and sheep farmer from Yorkshire, said: “When my farm was included in the last round of Nitrate Vulnerable Zone designations I found myself worried about how to get to grips with the regulations.
“I found Tried & Tested a straightforward way to do my nutrient management planning as well as helping me comply with the NVZ regulations. I also believe that Tried & Tested, in the long run, will help me reduce my fertiliser costs.”
Included in the Tried & Tested Nutrient Management Plan publication are:
• Season-by-season planning notes for the whole farm including arable and grassland crops
• A series of worksheets covering crop management planning as well as recording field applications of both manufactured fertilisers and manures
• Useful contacts for more information creating a more comprehensive guide to good practice in nutrient management.
Phone the Tried & Tested team on 02476 858 896 to request your copy of Tried & Tested or one of the new field record sheet pads that accompany the plan.
For more information about nutrient management click
www.nutrientmanagement.org
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