Free tool estimates whole-farm nitrate leaching
© Tim Scrivener Farmers can identify fields at higher risk of nitrate losses and prevent pollution by using a free spreadsheet tool to estimate annual nitrate loss at field and farm level.
The Nitrate Leaching Tool (NLT) is an Excel spreadsheet launched this summer by the Environment Agency (EA) to help lower environmental pollution from farmland.
The EA said very few nutrient management tools provide a means of estimating field-scale nitrate losses. By using the NLT, farmers can now calculate and be aware of the risks of their land management actions.
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All the tool’s calculations are benchmarked against Defra’s FarmScoper tool – an assessment system for diffuse agricultural pollution – and has been developed by working with more than 60 farms on varying soil types.
The professional nutrient management group Tried and Tested said: “The Nitrate Leaching Tool models N losses that could occur as a direct result of individual farm practices, and evaluates a range of leaching measures farmers can put in place.
“The NLT helps farmers, their advisers, environmental regulators and water companies to discuss these issues and promotes a collaborative approach for identifying solutions.”