05/04/2026
Fabio Arsego can help you with point #3. Make every kg count by sowing it in the right zone.
🌱 6 top tips for fertiliser decisions ahead of seeding 🌱
Global conflict and supply chain disruption are increasing the risk of fuel and fertiliser shortages and adding uncertainty to input logistics.
This has flow-on effects for transport and application, as well as the cost and timing of operations. In this environment, efficiency becomes even more important.
As you head into seeding, plan ahead, measure where you can, question assumptions and use practical paddock-scale evidence to guide fertiliser decisions.
1️⃣ Pressure test your current fertiliser rate
Before you lock anything in, ask a simple question: is the rate you’re planning paying its way? Most fertiliser programs are rolled over from previous years with adjustments made for crop choice, prices and seasonal outlook. This season, with high prices and limited supply, consider whether that rate is still justified.
2️⃣ Focus on profit, not maximum yield
More fertiliser can still lift yield, but that doesn’t mean it lifts profit. The most profitable rate is usually lower than the rate that produces maximum yield. With fertiliser and fuel costs high, prioritise the rate that delivers the best return per dollar spent, not the biggest crop.
3️⃣ Use your own paddock data
Your paddocks are already running fertiliser experiments every season. Yield maps, rate changes, protein levels and even visual crop differences are useful evidence. Information generated on farm, in your soil and under your management, is more valuable than generic recommendations.
4️⃣ Talk to your farm adviser
If you’re unsure how to interpret what you’re seeing, bring an adviser into the conversation. Do some basic scenario analysis using grain price, fertiliser cost and yield differences to work out what fertiliser will return in dollars, not just tonnes. Even a rough calculation is better than relying on assumptions alone.
5️⃣ Consider pulse or legume crops
Legumes such as chickpeas, lentils, faba beans and field peas fix their own nitrogen, reducing the need for applied nitrogen fertiliser and contributing nitrogen benefits to following cereal crops. Crop choice still needs to stack up agronomically and financially, but research shows legumes can reduce nitrogen input costs and exposure to fertiliser supply risk, when they fit the system.
6️⃣ Set yourself up for next season’s fertiliser decisions
The only way to know if a fertiliser program is profitable is to measure it. That means applying different fertiliser rates, measuring crop responses and putting dollar values on the results. A strip trial contrasting a nil or nutrient rich strip with the paddock rate can show whether fertiliser is influencing yield in a meaningful way. From this starting point, comparisons can progress to two or more fertiliser rates. Adding extra rates reveals the shape of the yield response and helps identify where acceptable financial returns are achieved.
Webinar: https://bit.ly/4dmSviZ
Publication: https://bit.ly/3QcVpx5
📷 Evan Collis/GRDC
