Massive rises in fertiliser prices and encouragement from the government are making many farmers think about urea-based fertilisers.

This year's LAMMA will see Origin Fertilisers delve into the details of navigating DEFRA’s OPTION 4 for spreading urea-based fertilisers, as new requirements take effect in England come April 2024. The stand at LAMMA 24 will centre on protected urea options and the financial and environmental benefits compared to applying straight urea.

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English farmers using OPTION 4 mandates that growers wishing to spread urea fertilisers beyond 1 April 2024 must use urea products coated with urease inhibitors to mitigate ammonia emissions. The primary goal of OPTION 4 is to maintain access to urea for market competition while minimising ammonia losses from volatilisation. Mandy McAulay, Marketing Manager at Origin Fertilisers, emphasises the importance of understanding the requirements before making purchases for nutrition plans.

“Although the change may be seen by some as further red tape, growers should view it as an opportunity to explore different fertiliser options. Applying protected urea, treated with a urease inhibitor, can enhance fertiliser efficiency over urea, spread accurately to 32m, and offer comparable returns to ammonium nitrate (AN).”

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Origin’s team of six in-house nutrition agronomists will be on the stand, providing expert advice on Origin Enhanced Nitrogen treated with Nutrisphere, a dual-acting inhibitor distinct from other urease inhibitors on the market. It is a highly water-soluble compound primarily derived from the fermentation of maize. Aside from reducing volatilisation, Nutrisphere also serves as a nitrification inhibitor, reducing the risk of nitrates leaching into the water. Mandy notes, “Adopting this type of nutrient technology will enable growers to maximise the benefits from any fertiliser they choose to apply.”

Another aspect of the display will focus on enhancing the quality of grassland using Origin’s Sweetgrass fertiliser, incorporating sodium to boost palatability. It has demonstrated increases in meat and milk production from home-grown forage compared to a typical AN grassland application. Furthermore, a two-year trial resulted in a 15% reduction in nitrogen input while still registering a 26% increase in total weight gain for lambs.