Urea price spike prompts alternative thinking

KROWERA dairy farmer Andy Thomas labelled urea prices “out of control” following a massive spike in the fertiliser’s cost since the start of the current Middle East conflict.

“We’re looking at all avenues as to how we can grow grass during winter,” he said.

Stony Creek dairy farmer Fay Sinclair is in the same situation.

“We’re having to look at what else we can use instead of urea, so it will probably be liquid fertiliser because at this moment, it’s a fraction cheaper,” she said, not having any urea stores on hand.

That liquid fertiliser will need to have a high nitrogen content to promote grass growth.

“We need something to boost the pastures,” Ms Sinclair said of the impending winter and lack of warming sunshine.

Without that fertiliser boost, insufficient grass growth would force farmers to buy in costly feed.

Mr Thomas spoke of plans to try liquid nitrogen, the price of which has also skyrocketed, as well as Gibberellic acid.

“We just don’t know what’s ahead of us; all of a sudden, things could get worse, or it could get a little bit better, and it could be that some of the options that we’re selecting now, every farmer might jump on the bandwagon, and then the price will go through the roof,” he said.

As well as applying alternative fertilisers, different methods of application are being considered, particularly in light of the current fuel price spike.

“We were thinking about whether or not we apply the (fertiliser) with drones, because drones run on a small amount of petrol and they might be better than running your tractor on diesel,” Mr Thomas said.

“There are so many things that we have to pull out of our kitbag and hope that they make sense in the long run.”

The business has previously used drone contractors to spray weeds and caterpillars on crops.  

Mr Thomas said the price of urea has jumped from $800 to $1,800 a tonne.  

Stock & Land recently reported that a Timboon West dairy farmer is using ‘Green Lightning’ machines imported from America to produce liquid nitrogen, using water and electricity to achieve that, inspired by the knowledge that nitrogen is produced during a lightning storm.

Green Lightning technology mimics lightning strikes and pulls atmospheric nitrogen from the air to create liquid fertiliser.

Along with the investment in the Green Lightning technology, the process uses about $20 worth of electricity per 1,000 litres of liquid nitrogen produced.

Once produced, liquid nitrogen is stored in a holding tank, ready for boom spraying when required.