Greener fertiliser on grass: A win for livestock and the environment

Healthy, productive grass is the foundation of profitable livestock farming. Whether producing milk, beef or lamb, every tonne of quality grass grown reduces reliance on purchased feed and improves farm efficiency.

At the same time, farming is under increasing pressure to reduce its environmental footprint.

Fortunately, these goals do not have to compete. By choosing lower-carbon fertilisers and making every kilogram of nitrogen work harder, livestock farmers can maintain productive grassland while reducing emissions.

Balanced nutrition for productive grassland

Grass requires a balanced supply of nutrients throughout the growing season.

Nitrogen

Nitrogen is the single most important nutrient for grass growth, driving leaf production, chlorophyll formation and photosynthesis.

However, applying nitrogen is only part of the story. If conditions are not right, some nitrogen can be lost through volatilisation, leaching and denitrification before the plant can use it. This reduces fertiliser efficiency and can contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and poorer water quality.

This is where nitrogen use efficiency becomes important.The aim is not simply to apply more nitrogen, but to ensure more of what is applied ends up in the grass crop. Higher nitrogen use efficiency means more applied nitrogen is converted into grass growth, improving yield, forage quality and value while reducing nutrient losses and emissions.

Sulphur

Alongside nitrogen, sulphur has become increasingly important as atmospheric sulphur deposition has declined. Sulphur supports protein synthesis, helping plants convert absorbed nitrogen into growth more efficiently.

Applying nitrogen and sulphur together provides a balanced nutrient supply. This can support nitrogen utilisation, grass growth, forage quality and protein production, while reducing the risk of unused nitrogen remaining in the soil.

What are lower-carbon fertilisers?

Efficient nutrient use can reduce losses in the field, but farmers can also lower the environmental footprint of grass production by considering how their fertiliser is manufactured.

Lower-carbon fertilisers are produced using processes that generate fewer greenhouse gas emissions compared with conventional fertiliser production, while delivering the same trusted field performance.

OCI’s Nutramon Novo is one example. It has the same composition and properties as Nutramon, but with a lower CO₂ footprint. Its formulation contains 50% nitrate nitrogen and 50% ammonium nitrogen, providing both readily available and longer-lasting nutrition to support steady grass growth.

For livestock farmers, Nutramon Novo offers a practical way to reduce the embedded carbon footprint of grass production without making major changes to existing fertiliser programmes.

Small improvements add up

Improving grassland efficiency rarely comes from one major change. Instead, it comes from consistently making good management decisions, including:

• Applying fertiliser to actively growing grass
• Matching application rates to crop demand
• Using soil analysis to guide nutrient planning
• Including sulphur where appropriate
• Choosing fertilisers with a lower manufacturing carbon footprint

Together, these steps help improve nutrient use efficiency while supporting strong grass growth.

Productivity and sustainability can work together

Productive grassland depends on efficient nutrition.

As carbon reporting becomes increasingly important, farmers will need to consider not only how fertiliser performs in the field, but also the emissions associated with its production.

By combining lower-carbon fertilisers with good nutrient management and improved nitrogen use efficiency, livestock farmers can reduce emissions while maintaining the yield and quality needed to support livestock performance.