Last year, Teagasc launched the Better Farm for Water Campaign with the objective of supporting farmers to improve water quality. The campaign consisted of ‘8-Actions for Change’, one of which was to improve nutrient balance on farms in relation to nitrogen and phosphorus.

Jonathan Herron, Natasha Brown, Siobhán Jordan, Laurence Shalloo and Donal O’Brien tell us more.

To support farmers to benchmark the status of the on-farm nutrient balance, additional functionality was added to AgNav – the digital sustainability tool developed through a collaborative partnership between Teagasc, Bord Bia, and the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation.

AgNav can be used to measure both farm-specific farm-gate nitrogen balance, along with a detailed breakdown of key sources. The availability of nutrient balance data will strengthen the delivery of farm-specific advisory services focused on improving water quality through better agricultural nutrient management practices.

This approach is already delivering impact, as demonstrated by the Dairygold Grassroots Programme, where over 1,000 farms have engaged in one-to-one nutrient balance consultations using AgNav. Adoption of AgNav is expected to achieve further growth through other water quality and sustainability programmes.

Read more from 2024 Research Impact Highlights

Contact: jonathan.herron@teagasc.ie
Other contributors: Bord Bia; Irish Cattle Breeding Federation
Funding: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Impact Pathway: Capacity Building