EASY Experiences

James Brown, EASY N pastures, TAS

EASY N saves a pass on new pastures

When James Brown had to spray out redlegged earth mites on newly established pastures in March last year, the last thing he wanted to do was go back over them again to apply nitrogen.

Fortunately, with EASY N fertiliser, he didn’t have to.

James manages two farms near Bridport, where he grows a variety of irrigated horticultural crops including potatoes and poppies, as well as pasture to feed the 700 beef cattle and 16,000 sheep that are run on the properties.

After discovering the mites in newly-sown permanent pastures, James began looking at ways to reduce time and labour spent on the paddocks.

“We usually use granular urea to supply our nitrogen, but we wanted to be able to combine our pesticide spraying and nitrogen application in one pass,” James said.

“EASY N turned out to be the best option.”

EASY N was applied with 100 mL/ha of Dominex® (alpha-cypermethrin) insecticide via a boomspray at 80 L/ha.

As well as saving time and labour with one pass, James said EASY N provided an excellent source of nitrogen for the new pastures.

“EASY N generally provides a nitrogen response for up to 12 weeks,” he said.

“The nitrate component of EASY N also means that the pasture has an immediate nitrate source, which is important when the soils start to cool down.”

EASY N and pasture protection

Lester Rainbow, Area Sales Manager, Incitec Pivot Fertilisers, said while EASY N was compatible with a number of other fertilisers and crop protection chemicals, farmers needed to check with the chemical manufacturer before applying the two products together.

“The compatibility of EASY N with other fertilisers and chemicals depends on a number of factors including rates, water quality if diluted, application equipment and time and method of application,” Lester said.

“We also advise farmers to check the compatibility on-farm even if the chemical manufacturer has recommended the proposed mix.”

Lester suggested preparing a small amount of the proposed mix, allowing it to stand in a jar overnight and observing for signs of incompatibility, such as the mix becoming cloudy or gluey.

A small quantity of the test mix should be applied to a small area of the target crop or pasture and observed for 3 to 4 days for any phytotoxic effects.

For more information about EASY N and its compatibility, please speak to your local Incitec Pivot Fertilisers’ Area Sales Manager.

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