Become a FINE participant
The Framework for Improving Nitrogen Efficiency (FINE) is an innovative collaboration between industry specialists, leading British farmers, AgAnalyst, and the University of Lincoln. Funded by Innovate UK, this groundbreaking project aims to optimise nitrogen management in winter wheat.
We have a wide distribution of FINE participants throughout England and Scotland but are always looking for more farms to join and be part of our trials.
If you want to measure and manage your NUE and become a FINE participant, please fill out the form below and we will contact you with more details.
Why join?
Increase Your Profits
Our trials have shown a higher margin over nitrogen of £17.80/ha on average compared to farm practice in the second year of trials (harvest 2024), and we’re expecting greater consistency in improved gross margins in the third and fourth trial years (harvests 2025 and 2026).
Access Cutting-Edge Technology
Get exclusive access to the FINE In-season dashboard on DataBaler, providing real-time insights into soil conditions, crop growth, remote sensing, and advanced weather predictions to support our advice. We will also integrate your yield and grain protein data from your combine to measure your Nitrogen Use Efficiency, providing you with valuable insights into the crop’s development.
Receive Expert Support
Our team provides personalized, in-season guidance on nitrogen application timing and quantities, helping you optimize your fertiliser use.
How it works
FINE trials are comparing the ‘farm practice’ nitrogen regime against a FINE recommendation bespoke to the field, calculating the most efficient nitrogen rates and timings based on regular assessment of the environmental and crop condition. These two treatments will be compared based on yield, quality, margin over nitrogen (gross margin) and C footprint.
FINE integrates previously siloed expertise into a single, user-friendly service via DataBaler, which can be accessed both on your computer and mobile:
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🌱 Soil science
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🌾 Crop growth
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📡 Internet of Things (IoT)
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🛰️ Earth Observation (EO)
This integration enables farmers to use the right amount of Nitrogen, in the right part of the field, at the right time, with the right product, optimising NUE, yield and protein in wheat.
Trial Requirements
Field & Equipment
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A field growing wheat (1st or 2nd wheats)
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Digital field boundaries
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N-Tester or other SPAD meter (we can help you source one)
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Nitrogen application rate and timing flexibility
- Yield mapping from the combine or measured weighbridge weights from the trial areas
Data Collection
Support for data collection will be provided throughout the project. We will need the following from you:
1. Field boundaries for each of the fields you wish to undertake the trial in you can provide us access either by:
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Sending us your SBI number
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Linking DataBaler to another farm software account (John Deere Operations Centre, Claas Connect, MyCaseIH) where you have field boundaries stored. Instructions can be found here.
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Drawing or uploading a shapefile/kml of the fields in DataBaler
2. Regular (weekly) monitoring of plant Nitrogen uptake to be collected using handheld crop spectral sensors (N-Tester or SPAD meter), starting from Growth stage 30, for the trial plot and farm practice plot.
3. Throughout the season we will need your support in collecting soil, tissue, crop and grain samples from both plots: the farm practice approach as standard compared to the FINE recommendations that we are testing.
Your commitment
To get the most out of the trials you will need to provide us with information about the field throughout the season. Please keep us updated with any fertiliser plans you have so we can try to align with your operations as closely as possible. With that said, we may ask you to apply to the trial plot on a separate date depending on what the data is telling us.
More detail on trial protocol and what’s required can be found in the FINE Protocol and in the FINE Commitment form.
Project Timeline
The four-year project began in 2023 and has already engaged 50 UK farmers. We're now expanding our network to include more farmers for current and future growing seasons.