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.