Dyson Farming Research is a key partner in a new project that will improve farm sustainability and profitability by helping wheat farmers to use nitrogen judiciously and in an environmentally-friendly manner. 

From nitrogen use efficiency to farm profitability, the project called ‘The Framework for Improving Nitrogen Efficiency’ (FINE) will make the use of nitrogen as efficient as possible for farms by equipping farmers with a management system which will use data from in-field sensors and weather stations to provide advice on the most optimal application of nitrogen. 

The platform will lead to significant improvements in nitrogen and nutrient management, but also present the opportunity to secure secondary income streams for farms, facilitate farm integration into environmental land management schemes and enhance food security by reducing dependency on nitrogen input costs.  

The Dyson Farming Research team will work with the project partners to provide affordable technology for in-field measurements, validating it within field experiments and assuring knowledge exchange with the stakeholders. As nitrogen use and emissions are reduced, the partnership will explore new income opportunities for farmers on the back of reduced carbon emissions. The aim is to make nitrogen use measurements a new benchmark for farmers to utilise nitrogen effectively to provide more profit whilst improving sustainability in farming.  

Nitrogen use efficiency is a way of understanding the relationships between the total nitrogen input compared to the nitrogen output and how this is translated to grain yield and quality. It is an important trait in crop breeding programs, which aims to improve crop yield while reducing input costs, such as fertilisers, and at the same time keeping nitrogen out of the environment. Reducing fertiliser inputs would lead to fewer greenhouse gas emissions and less nitrate leaching into the groundwater and surface water. 

The NUE-Profits project, funded by Innovate UK, is a partnership led by AgAnalyst, with partners Agreed Earth, Assimila, Dales Land Net, European Food and Farming Partnerships (EFFP), Hill Court Farm Research, Navigate Eco Solutions, N Blacker & Sons, University of Lincoln and Velcourt. 

The outcomes of this project will be shared with all Dyson Farming Research members. For more information on how to become a member, contact Richard Meredith at Richard.meredith@dysonfarming.com or 07717493015.