The benefits of liquid fertiliser: A cost-effective and high-performing crop nutrition strategy

Are you new to liquid fertiliser or considering it as part of your crop nutrition programme? Or have you been using it for a while but would like to really make the most of the advantages that it brings?

There are many reasons to consider liquid fertiliser; it can deliver a host of benefits ranging from more precise applications and greater flexibility to reduced use of plastics, and can support you to make the most of your labour, machinery and space.

With a greater focus than ever before on the resilience, efficiency and overall sustainability of nutrition programmes in agriculture, the industry is also seeing growing investment in product developments and the wider infrastructure that supports the incorporation of liquid, making it an increasingly viable option for many businesses that can deliver over the long-term.

Of course, as with anything, it's always important to think about your own business objectives and what you want to achieve from your nutrition strategy. In this blog, I'm taking a closer look at what liquid fertiliser can deliver on farm and why, as well as how Frontier is equipping growers with everything needed to make the switch or get the most from existing liquid programmes.

Precise applications 

Liquid fertiliser is precise and if product efficiency - especially nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) - is high on your agenda, you've likely already considered liquid because you'll know greater precision means more targeted applications that meet crop demand and therefore a more optimised approach that means less product wastage.

NUE is key to the yield, margin and environmental success of your farming business, all things that liquid can help positively influence.

It can be applied extremely accurately at all bout widths and you also have the opportunity to make targeted nutrient delivery through variable rate applications. This makes it much easier to apply the right product in the right place, ensuring you meet the specific needs of your crop while reducing over/under applications and any risks of exposure to the wider farm environment. 

Better use of labour, machinery and space

Applying liquid fertiliser is a single operator process that often requires no need for additional machinery. This can make it an ideal solution for farm businesses wanting to make the best use of their team's time and get the most from their machinery.

As liquid fertiliser is stored in a dedicated static storage tank, it frees up shed space for other important uses such as grain and straw storage or farm diversification. This makes liquid a strong choice for those who would benefit from additional space throughout the season. At Frontier, we supply our own tanks which also gives you the added benefit of using the product that's right for you rather than being fixed to one single supplier.

In scenarios where a farm may not be set up with the appropriate kit for liquid, contract spraying services can be a welcome alternative. Subject to regional operations availability, the Frontier contracting team can store and apply liquid fertiliser on your behalf, taking care of some of the logistical challenges that may otherwise prevent you from adopting a new approach. You can learn more about contracting here. 

Reducing plastic waste

The tanks which store liquid fertiliser product are reusable and as well as the aforementioned storage and space benefits, they also replace the need to have multiple fertiliser deliveries in plastic bags. As well as the logistical benefits offered, this can help you to meet your own sustainability and environmental business objectives and can also stand you in good stead ahead of any future environmental legislation or compliance guidelines around fertiliser storage, transfer and handling.

Greater window of flexibility

Unlike solid fertiliser, a liquid programme is less impacted by weather conditions which means you'll have greater flexibility when it comes to application timings (something which can be especially helpful in difficult seasons and in the face of increasingly challenging weather events). In addition, delivery periods are also much more flexible for liquid which is great if you require more time to make purchasing decisions or plan operations.

VIDEO: The benefits of liquid fertiliser

 You can hear more from me and my colleague, Charlotte Tomkins, on the benefits of liquid fertiliser in the video below:

Support from Frontier to adopt a liquid system

While the above benefits are a great demonstration of why liquid fertiliser is providing a great option for many farmers, we understand there are more practical aspects and long-term considerations to make too.

At Frontier, we want to make sure all of our customers using liquid fertiliser service are receiving the best support, with evidence-based insights driving our expertise, technical solutions and product portfolio, coupled with practical guidance and operational help across the season. We offer the following:

1. Free tank installation

If you buy liquid fertiliser with us, we'll install tanks free of charge as part of our service.

2. Free site inspection

Where required, we will perform a site inspection prior to installation to ensure that your farm is suited to adopting liquid, looking at health and safety, access requirements and ensuring compliance with any use guidelines.

3. Supporting trials data

All of our technical advice and product recommendations are supported by evidence-based results from our own trials, as well as those from our partners and suppliers to ensure we're always bringing the latest and high performing solutions to market.

4. Widest selection of products available in the UK

We are the only national liquid partner with access to more than one supplier, which means you're never aligned to single product options. Instead, you can access the widest selection of products available in the UK, giving you the flexibility and peace of mind to use the solutions best suited to you and your business.

5. Flexible payment terms

When moving to a liquid system, rather than working to a rigid, single payment schedule we can offer a range of bespoke payment options to suit specific cash flow requirements and grain marketing plans. In some scenarios we're also able to link customers to Oxbury bank for further credit options.

6. Unbiased crop nutrition advice

Because we supply both liquid and solid fertilisers, our advice will always remain farm-focused so we can support you to prioritise what's best for your business.

While there are plenty of long-term benefits associated with liquid, we understand that a full and complete liquid programme may not always be right for everyone. If more appropriate to your nutrition strategy, we can help you move into a hybrid programme, with a partial-adoption approach often considered a helpful way to slowly incorporate liquid at a pace that suits you and your broader crop production strategy.

7. Connected expertise

We can provide access to a nationwide team of agronomists and technical experts, as well as our specialist precision technology division, SOYL, to support with variable rate applications and ongoing nutrient management.

8. We have our own storage and haulage network in the UK

We have a dedicated UK-based logistics team who understand the complexities of delivering bulk liquid commodities. You'll always be able to talk to them about the status of your delivery. 

Still not sure if a liquid strategy is for you?

 If you're still undecided about whether liquid fertiliser is for you, the video below provides some helpful answers to common questions.

Summary

With so many long-term benefits that can support a move to more optimised nutrition strategies, liquid fertiliser can be a real game-changer for many farm businesses. We understand that the speed or extent of adopting it into a nutrition programme can be different from one farm to the next – the most important thing is having awareness of and access to a range of solutions so you can make informed decisions about what's truly best for your business. The breadth of expertise in our nutrition team and wide product range mean we can support you with all of your fertiliser decisions.

For now, if you want to learn more about how Frontier can support your liquid fertiliser requirements, visit our website, speak to your Frontier contact or get in touch with the nutrition team. 

Visit the Frontier website