Nitrogen is one of the most essential elements in food production, playing a fundamental role in feeding a hungry world. It is essential for human survival as a building block of amino acids and proteins and critical to photosynthesis in plants. Its use in agriculture is both necessary and challenging, as synthetic fertiliser must be imported and applied annually to sustain crop yields and grain protein, complementing the nitrogen that is available in the soil. Australia is recognised for its responsible and targeted application of fertilisers, resulting in grain production with some of the lowest emissions intensity levels worldwide. However, nitrogen fertilisers represent the highest variable cost for Australian grain growers, squeezing already tight profit margins. With most of Australia’s nitrogen fertiliser imported, growers are exposed to supply chain vulnerabilities, price fluctuations and long-term price increases as the cost of fossil-fuels used to make nitrogen fertilisers continues to rise, making this an ever-increasing challenge for Australian grain growers.
Get your extension right, stay on key message and stop fractured messaging of research results from confusing farmers. Ensure there are nitrogen focussed grains research projects rebuilding expertise and retrain agronomists so they have the confidence to recommend applications.
localise demonstrations for nitrogen banking, give people the confidence to invest in crops knowing there is a more than 1 year return.
Work with private industry to develop local nitrogen production technology.
Do local research on the use of foliar nitrogen application, to increase plant uptake, reduce N Losses and wider application window.
Helping to support business' provide transparency in the nitrogen fertiliser markets so growers can make more informed and timely purchasing decisions.
Look at more stable nitrogen fixation technology and bolstering break crop potential to fix N through novel genetics and GM.
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