Reef Trust Tender – Wet Tropics
Fact Sheet 2
Improving Nitrogen Use Efficiency and Developing a Tender
It’s your choice
Reef Trust Tender – Wet Tropics (the Programme) offers
you the choice and flexibility to choose which farming
practice changes you are prepared to make to improve your
nitrogen use efficiency, and how much you need to be paid
in order to carry these changes out.
Improving your nitrogen use
efficiency
Some possible practice changes for your consideration
include:

Please make sure you read all of the information available
and seek any professional advice you need before
submitting your Tender. This fact sheet and other
Programme information provides general guidance only.
further refinement of yield potential calculations based
on crop class and crop age at harvest, and the history
of individual blocks or management zones within
farms;

Neither Terrain NRM, the Department of the Environment
(the Department), or other project partners are able to
offer specific advice on the details of your own Tender or
advise on costing your Tender.
considering nitrogen potentially available from other
sources, e.g. legume fallow crops and mill mud
applications, soil mineralisation etc., in estimating the
required nitrogen fertiliser application rate;

using specialised equipment such as calibrated and
variable-rate fertiliser boxes to refine block or soil type
application rates;

using split fertiliser applications;

engineering works such as block realignment or raised
beds that would allow lower rates to deliver the same
yield; and/or

use of controlled release fertilisers or blends of
controlled release fertiliser with regular fertiliser (in
accordance with manufacturer’s recommendations) to
better match nutrient release to plant requirements
and reduce losses.
Some things to consider
When thinking about how to improve your nitrogen use
efficiency and develop your Tender, there are a range of
things you should consider. For example:



Work out what types of changes you need to make to
improve your nitrogen use efficiency and what steps
would be needed to implement them. For example, do
you need new equipment, professional advice or
training?
Work out how much it will cost to implement these
changes as well as the costs of implementing the
minimum standards of management practice defined
in the Guidelines. Remember to include the initial costs
of changing practices, plus any ongoing benefits or
costs, such as more or less labour, specialist advice etc.
Work out the change to your fertiliser requirements
from implementing these changes. Some hypothetical
examples are provided at Appendix 2 of the Guidelines.
Professional advice
You should develop a Tender that suits your farm
operation, considering issues such as any proposed
technology upgrade, crop requirements, soil type, historic
yields, fertiliser formulations, etc.

Estimate the change to your fertiliser costs as a result
of making these changes. For example, will there be
savings through applying a lower quantity?
To ensure your Tender best suits the unique circumstances
and needs of your farming system, we strongly encourage
you to seek independent professional agronomic and
financial advice, including obtaining quotes for your own
information, to ensure all relevant costs are accounted for.

Decide on a Tender Price. Remember that the price
you ask for should be enough to carry out the
activities.
Neither the Department nor Terrain NRM will be liable to
applicants for any damages or loss of profits under the
Programme or otherwise.
Reef Trust Fact Sheet 2 – Improving Nitrogen Use Efficiency and Developing a Tender
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Reef Trust Tender – Wet Tropics
The successful Tenders
Useful tools
The Successful Tenders will be the ones that offer the best
value for money. That is, the Successful Tenders will be
those that are most effective at improving nitrogen use
efficiency for the price requested.

An interactive nitrogen use efficiency calculator will be
available for your use when preparing your Tender:
www.environment.gov.au/reef-trust-tender. Please
take the opportunity to experiment with this tool to
see how your proposed improvements in nitrogen use
efficiency will be assessed.

Best-practice nutrient management information can be
found on the Smartcane BMP website
www.smartcane.com.au and at SRA
www.sugarresearch.com.au.

The SIX EASY STEPS program is an integrated nutrient
management tool that enables the adoption of
industry best practice nutrient management on-farm.
Fact sheets on SIX EASY STEPS and nutrient guidelines
for the Wet Tropics can be found using these links:
Remember, you decide the Tender Price. Your Tender Price
should reflect total costs and any changes to farm
production or risks you wish to include, as well as any other
benefits or costs. You should ensure that your Tender Price
covers costs to make the changes, so you are not out of
pocket. A price which is too high may reduce your chances
of success in the Competitive Tender.
In this Competitive Tender, any increases in yields through
improved management will be of benefit to you. We don’t
anticipate yields being reduced, but any change to yield risk
should also be taken into account. Cane farmers are
strongly encouraged to avoid practice changes that are
likely to reduce their production.
www.sugarresearch.com.au/icms_docs/164355_Bestpractice_nutrient_management_Six_Easy_Steps_IS130
16.pdf.
Learn more at a workshop!
It is highly recommended that you attend one of the
workshops being held throughout the Wet Tropics region to
find out more detail about how to submit a Tender
Application. Workshops are scheduled for:
Mossman
Monday 1 December 2014
Cairns
Tuesday 2 December 2014
Innisfail
Wednesday 3 December 2014
Tully
Thursday 4 December 2014
Ingham
Friday 5 December 2014
www.sugarresearch.com.au/icms_docs/194345_SIX_E
ASY_STEPS_Nutrient_Guidelines_for_WET_TROPICS.pd
f

During the workshops we will run through a practice tender
process and help illustrate some of the costs and benefits
of changing nitrogen management on a farm. We will also
provide guidance on how to apply for funding.
Contact Terrain NRM for further details and RSVP to:
reeftrust@terrain.org.au or 1800357755 by 5pm Monday
24 November 2014.
Nutricalc – is a web-based nutrient management
decision support system using the SIX EASY STEPS
approach. NutriCalc has been developed specifically for
sugarcane growers and it should simplify the on-farm
management of nutrients and fertilisers. It is designed
to assist growers and/or their advisors to:
o determine nutrient requirements.
o keep records of on-farm nutrient management.
o benchmark nutrient inputs and yields against
district and industry averages.
o view nutrient trend data to better understand
crop nutrient requirements and potential offfarm losses under a range of environmental and
climatic conditions.
NutriCalc will be accessible to all growers and/or their
advisors via a secure login page on the SRA website
www.sugarresearch.com.au
www.sugarresearch.com.au/icms_docs/164357_NutriCalc_
IS13020.pdf

Nutrient Management Plans are also a useful tool to
assist growers with developing strategies for nutrient
management. An example of the block-specific nutrient
planning templates that form the basis of a whole of
farm Nutrient Management Plan can be found using
this link:
www.sugarresearch.com.au/icms_docs/180952_Nutrie
nt_Management_Plan_BMP.pdf
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Reef Trust Tender – Wet Tropics
For more information
Email
For general information and all the critical links go to
www.terrain.org.au/Projects/Agriculture-andInnovation/Reef-Trust
reeftrust@terrain.org.au
For the online expression of interest form, full Tender
Guidelines and online Tender application, go to the
Department of Environment’s website
www.environment.gov.au/reef-trust-tender
Call
Terrain NRM on 1800 357 755
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