N-Boost and nitrogen use calculator

The information below shows an example of an average Canterbury dairy farm that was using 240kg of N/ha, followed by the financial impact of reducing nitrogen fertiliser use to fit within the N cap regulations, as well as examples of partially and fully using N-Boost.

To see the impact this would have on your own farming system just enter your farms information into the marked fields.

Farmer Inputs
No. of Hectares
Solid application (spreading) cost ($ / hectare)
N-Boost application (spraying) cost ($ / hectare)
Urea price ($ / tonne)
N Boost cost ($ / Litre)
Revenue ($ / KG milk solids)

Fertiliser/ N-Boost Assumptions	Current situation (Pre N cap)	1. Reducing spread urea to get under the 190 cap	2. Partial use of N-Boost	3. Full use of N-Boost
Spread urea rate per round (kg/ha)				0
No. of solid (spread) urea applications				0
Urea rate per round with N-Boost spray system (kg/ha)	0	0
No. of N-Boost system (spray) applications (rounds)	0	0
N Boost rate (Litres / hectare)	3	3	3	3
Nitrogen applied per ha p.a. from spread urea	258	184	110.4	0
Nitrogen applied per ha p.a. from N-Boost system	0	0	73.6	129
Total KG Nitrogen applied per ha p.a.	258	184	184	129

From Donaghys scientific pasture trials
Pasture N Response to solid N (KG DM / KG Nitrogen)	12	12	12	12
Pasture N Response to N-Boost	24	24	24	24
Milk solids response (KG DM / 1 KG milk solids)	12.8	12.8	12.8	12.8

CALCULATED RESULTS	per ha	Total farm	per ha	Total farm	per ha	Total farm	per ha	Total farm
Total Dry Matter grown due to nitrogen application	3091	720250	2208	514464	3091	720250	3091	720250
Total milksolids produced	242	56270	173	40193	242	56270	242	56270
Total milk solids revenue earned	1932	450156	1380	321540	1932	450156	1932	450156

Cost of solid N	472	109995	337	78568	337	78568	236	54997
Cost of solid N application	94.50	22019	67.50	15728	40.50	9437	$0.00	$0
Cost of N-Boost	$0.00	$0	$0.00	$0	71.40	16636	124.95	29113
Cost of N-Boost application	$0.00	$0	$0.00	$0	84.00	19572	147.00	34251
Total costs including application p.a.	567.00	132013	404.70	94295	533.00	124212	507.99	118362
Total costs including application per ha, per round	80.94		80.94		n/a (2 systems)		72.57

Contribution to profit from nitrogen use	1365	318143	975	227245	1399	325944	1424	331794
Difference in calculated profit from current situation			90898		98699		104549

* The above tables are examples only using the average nitrogen responses obtained from independent and in-house scientific fully replicated pasture trials.
The average pasture response of 24KG of dry matter per KG of Nitrogen applied was obtained from using 40KG of dissolved urea (18.4KG N) in Donaghys N-Boost system. Using less or more nitrogen from dissolved urea or other sources in conjunction with Donaghys N-Boost may also affect the pasture response. Due to temperatures, weather, soil conditions including available nutrients and other factors, pasture response from using Donaghys N-Boost may vary.