Services
Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ) compliance report: £150
See below for further information.
Farming Rules for Water (FRW) compliance report: £150
Includes a basic Nutrient Management Plan (and free Phosphorus Management Plan, if needed).
NVZ & FRW compliance reports package: £199
(Buy one, get one less than half price.)
Soil sampling: £15 per field/block (lab testing not included)
Nitrate Vulnerable Zone Compliance Report
The standard NVZ report includes:
1. Slurry storage calculations (if needed)
2. Farm risk map
3. Slope analysis
4. Farm limit calculations (the ‘Livestock Load’)
5. Field limit calculations (showing the previous year’s compliance)
6. N-Max map (showing the previous year’s compliance)
7. Spreading timeline (for records and to show compliance with NVZ closed periods)
8. Maps for the ‘4-Step Nitrogen Plan’, including:
a) ‘Soil Nitrogen Supply’
b) Crop N requirement (including manure equivalents)
c) Crop available N from planned/potential spreading (incorporating Field Limits)
d) Any additional manufactured fertiliser required, according to RB209 recommendations
9. Farm spreading map for the year ahead, indicating high/low risk
In addition to the required records (above), we include some maps that aren’t necessary but we think are helpful:
10. ‘Field Limits’ map
– This shows the NVZ field limits in terms of the total amount of nitrogen from organic manure that you are permitted to spread on any particular field. This can be more useful, in practice, than a notional average.
This total can be presented using any equivalent measure, such as ‘tonnes of FYM’ or ‘loads of spreader’.
This is particularly useful for anyone in a ‘low input’ scheme, such as some Countryside Stewardship, where the limits are significantly lower than the NVZ limits.
11. ‘Previous Year’s Activity’ map
– A map showing (you guessed it) the previous year’s activity, in terms of grazing, cutting, and spreading. This is a useful management tool/reminder, particularly if you stack them year on year: it might help to explain any surprising soil test results or low yield.
12. ‘N by Source’ map
– A map detailing the distribution of the various sources of nitrogen on your farm (manures, fertilisers, and grazing) and the relative quantities and proportions of each in terms of crop available nitrogen. Ordinarily this reveals the otherwise hidden fertilisation contribution of grazing activity.
As the method is still in development, we’re adding features as we go. We welcome any suggestions for any additions and we’re happy to work towards whatever you might want or find useful.
Farming Rules for Water Compliance Report
The FRW report requires that you have up-to-date soil test results for pH, P, K, and Mg.
The standard FRW report includes:
1. Farm risk map
2. Soil type map
3. Slope analysis
4. Soil risk assessment
5. Spreading map (indicating high/low risk)
6. Previous year’s activity
7. Spreading timeline
8. ‘Soil Nitrogen Supply’ assessment
9. Crop N requirement (including manure equivalents)
10. Soil testing results
11. Soil pH
12. Crop P requirement (including manure equivalents)
13. Crop K requirement (including manure equivalents)
14. Crop Mg requirement (including manure equivalents)
Phosphorus Management Plan
Additionally, if any fields from the FRW report show a high P index, we provide a free Phosphorus Management Plan, which includes:
1. Information about phosphorous management
2. Spreading map (indicating high P fields)
3. Soil P index map
4. Manure field limits (including calculations to show whether/where you have enough area to spread your farm’s manures at current rates of production while avoiding high P index fields)
5. Estimated reduction times (based on the latest research)
6. Soil pH (as relevant to phosphorus management)
7. Soil type (as relevant to phosphorus management)
Soil Sampling
We provide soil sampling at a rate of £15 per field/block.
This does not include lab costs, which will vary depending on the lab. Current representative lab prices for the standard battery of tests (pH, P, K, Mg) are approximately £21 (ex VAT) per sample. Meaning each field/block will cost around £40 to be sampled and tested.
If multiple adjacent fields are small and/or similarly managed, parcels can be blocked together to keep sampling and lab costs down.
For sampling, I walk the land and do it by hand: no buggies or machines. This ensures minimal disruption to both land and livestock.
I can provide additional tests on request, such as earthworm counts, VESS, bulk density, or soil type analysis.