The Nutrient Management module includes three NVZ (Nitrate Vulnerable Zone) compliance checks that sit alongside your Crop Requirements plan: N-Max, Livestock Loading, and Slurry Storage. Each check has its own tab within your Nutrient Management Plan and generates a dedicated compliance report.
💡 Regional availability
N-Max is available for England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It is not currently available for Scotland.
Livestock Loading and Slurry Storage are available for England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
NMP Module Overview
The Nutrient Management Plan module is designed to help you comply with various regulations and calculate nutrient requirements for your farm. The module is broken down into the following key components, with much of the data entry presented in an easy-to-follow, accordion-style flow:
Crop Requirements (Nutrient Management): This area calculates your crop's nutrient needs. It uses data from organisations like the AHDB (for England, Wales and Northern Ireland) to provide default, average calculations for an "express nutrient management" approach. Existing farm data, such as soil texture and previous crops, is pulled through automatically where possible.
NVZ NMAX Audit: This is a part of the Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ) rules that calculates the maximum nitrogen amount allowed per crop.
NVZ Livestock Loading: This NVZ rule assesses the total amount of nitrogen (N) excreted by livestock on your farm, relative to the land area.
NVZ Slurry Storage: This NVZ rule determines if your farm has sufficient storage capacity for slurry during the closed spreading period.
How to Create a Nutrient Management Plan
A Nutrient Management Plan is linked to a specific holding on your farm. It is generally recommended to name the plan after your entire farm or business, as fields cannot be included in more than one plan at a time in a single season. Multiple crops can be included within a single plan.
To create a Nutrient Management Plan
Select the Nutrient Management Module:
Click Create Nutrient Management Plan
Type the name of the new plan e.g. Farm Name
Select the appropriate Holding
Select the Advisor
Click the tick to save and close
The planning process flows through four main areas, though you can skip sections that do not apply to your business (e.g., if you do not have livestock):
Crop Requirements
This is the default starting point for every new plan.
The optional Expanded Options toggle unlocks additional agronomic adjustments to refine nutrient recommendations should you require, click here to read the full article.
You must ensure that your business setup includes your postcode, as this information is essential for the system to calculate rainfall data needed for crop nutrient requirements.
You must start by selecting the fields you wish to include within the plan, followed by answering all mandatory (highlighted with red asterisks) questions. It will not allow you to move onto the next step unless complete.
Note. Fields already included in another plan for the same season are not selectable. At least one field must be selected before proceeding.
Only crops with valid RB209 recommendations are eligible (65+ crop types); fallow and failed cropping records are excluded.
The system uses defaults (such as average target yield) to simplify the calculation.
Existing data, such as soil texture, past cropping history, crop end use etc., will be automatically populated if already recorded for the field.
Note. You must apply the crop's end use tag individually to each crop before moving to the next, as different crops may have different end uses. For example, if a barley field is tagged for 'malting' end use, the following 'winter rape' field cannot also be tagged as 'malting' because the crop type is different.
It will calculate the nutrient requirements for all macro nutrients (you can remove displayed nutrients by selecting select nutrients), broken down per crop. It will show the RB209 recommendation, give you the ability to enter a manual adjustment, and take into account the supply of nutrient entered against the field to provide a balance to apply.
Column | Description |
RB209 Recommendation | The calculated recommendation (kg/ha) |
Manual Adjustments | Editable field (valid range: −999 to +999 kg/ha) for agronomist overrides |
Manure Supply | Organic manure nutrient supply already recorded |
Fertiliser Applied | Fertiliser already applied against the field |
Balance to Apply | RB209 Recommendation + Adjustments − Manure Supply − Fertiliser Applied |
For more information regarding grassland fields click here to read the full article.
NMAX Audit
What is N-Max?
N-Max (Nitrogen Maximum) is an NVZ compliance check that calculates whether the total nitrogen applied to each of your crop fields, from manufactured fertilisers and organic manures, stays within the legally permitted maximum for that crop type. It covers both the total nitrogen applied across the season and, for winter oilseed rape, a separate autumn application limit of 30 kg N/ha.
N-Max limits are set by regulation and vary by crop. The table below shows the standard limits for England and Wales:
Crop | N-Max limit (kg N/ha) |
Autumn/early winter-sown wheat | 220 |
Spring-sown wheat | 180 |
Winter barley | 180 |
Spring barley | 150 |
Winter oilseed rape | 250 |
Sugar beet | 120 |
Potatoes | 270 |
Forage maize | 150 |
Field beans / Peas | 0 |
Grass | 300 |
💡 Adjustments to your permitted limit
Your permitted N-Max limit may be higher than the standard figure above if any of the following apply:
Expected yield is above the standard yield for that crop: +20 kg N/ha for each tonne above standard (wheat and barley)
Winter oilseed rape expected yield is above standard: +30 kg N/ha for each 0.5 tonne above standard
Milling wheat end use: +40 kg N/ha
Shallow soils (winter/spring wheat or winter barley): +20 kg N/ha
Paper sludge or straw applied to the previous or current crop: +80 kg N/ha
Grassland cut three or more times per year: +40 kg N/ha
How N-Max is calculated
For each field in your plan, TELUS Crop Management adds together:
Crop-available nitrogen from organic manures — the nitrogen content of any organic manure applications, adjusted for how much of that nitrogen is available to the crop. The availability factor varies by manure type, application season, soil type, and application method.
Autumn fertiliser — manufactured nitrogen applied between 1 August and 31 October
Regular fertiliser — all other manufactured nitrogen applications
This total is compared against the permitted N-Max limit for that crop (including any applicable adjustments). If the field total exceeds the permitted limit, it is flagged as a failure.
💡 When to use N-Max: The N-Max tab becomes available once you have added crop records to your Crop Requirements plan. Results are only shown after you have calculated and saved your Crop Requirements plan.
N-Max report
The NMax Audit Report is available from the Create Reports dropdown in the Nutrient Management module. It is a detailed PDF report designed for NVZ inspection purposes. For each field it shows:
Crop name and field area
Permitted N-Max limit (total and, for winter oilseed rape, the autumn sub-limit)
Nitrogen from organic manures applied (crop-available)
Autumn fertiliser applied
Regular fertiliser applied
Field total
Any adjustments applied (milling wheat, shallow soils, straw/paper sludge, etc.)
The report also includes your business name, holding name, CPH number, and your adviser's name and FACTS number.
💡 To generate the report, go to Create Reports in the main Nutrient Management window. The report will only be selectable once N-Max results have been calculated and saved.
Livestock Loading
What is Livestock Loading?
Livestock Loading is an NVZ compliance check that calculates the total nitrogen produced by your farm's livestock, from your own animals, plus any manure imported onto the farm, minus any manure exported, and checks whether this stays within the Manure N Farm Limit of 170 kg of nitrogen per hectare per year. This limit applies as an average across your whole holding.
💡 The Manure N Farm Limit is a separate regulatory requirement from the N-Max field limit. N-Max applies to individual fields; the Manure N Farm Limit applies to the whole farm.
How to complete a Livestock Loading plan
The Livestock Loading tab uses a step-by-step accordion. Work through each section in order:
Holding — confirm your holding details
Farm Area — enter the total agricultural area of your farm in hectares. This is used to calculate the kg N/ha figure
Cattle — enter the number of each cattle type on your farm
Sheep — enter the number of each sheep type
Pigs — enter the number of each pig type
Poultry — enter the number of each poultry type
Goats, Deer & Horses — enter numbers for any of these livestock types
Manure Imports — record any organic manure brought onto the farm from elsewhere
Manure Exports — record any organic manure sent off the farm
Results — click Calculate and save to generate your results
Understanding your results
The results section shows:
Total farm area (ha)
Total nitrogen produced by your farm's livestock
Nitrogen from imported manure
Nitrogen from exported manure
Net nitrogen loading (farm livestock + imports − exports)
Total livestock loading (kg N/ha) — compared against the 170 kg N/ha Manure N Farm Limit
The system will show your farm as Compliant or Non-Compliant against the limit.
Livestock Loading report
The Livestock Manure N Farm Limit report is available from the Create Reports dropdown once you have calculated and saved your results. The PDF report shows:
All livestock loading results
The animal quantities you entered (for any animal type with a quantity greater than zero)
Details of any manure imports and exports, including product name, manure type, quantity, and the supplier or recipient trading company
Slurry Storage
What is Slurry Storage?
The Slurry Storage check calculates whether your farm has sufficient storage capacity to hold the volume of slurry and manure produced by your livestock during the closed spreading period — the time of year when spreading is not permitted. It checks both liquid slurry storage (for cattle, pigs, and other non-poultry livestock) and solid manure storage (for poultry), where applicable.
💡 Important: The Slurry Storage tab uses the animal numbers you entered in the Livestock Loading tab. You must complete and save your Livestock Loading plan before starting the Slurry Storage check.
How to complete a Slurry Storage plan
The sections shown in the Slurry Storage accordion depend on the livestock types you entered in the Livestock Loading tab. Work through each section that appears:
Slurry Produced — for each non-poultry animal type, enter how much of their excretion is collected as slurry
Poultry Manure Produced (shown if you have poultry) — enter how much poultry manure is collected
Slurry Store Capacity — enter details of each slurry storage structure on your farm: store name, type, capacity, surface area, and whether it is covered or uncovered
Manure Store Capacity (shown if you have poultry) — enter details of your solid manure stores
Rainfall Volume — enter whether rainfall drains into your slurry store, your yard and concrete drainage areas, and monthly rainfall quantities
Wash Water Volume (shown if you have dairy cows or pigs) — enter wash water volumes per animal category
Slurry Exports & Adjustments — record any slurry exported off-farm, reductions in slurry quantity, or slurry applied to land
Manure Exports & Adjustments (shown if you have poultry) — record any poultry manure exported or applied to land
Results — click Calculate and save to generate your results
Understanding your results
The results show the total volume of slurry (and manure, if applicable) that needs to be stored, compared against your total storage capacity:
A positive available capacity means your storage is adequate for the closed period
A negative available capacity means you do not have sufficient storage
💡Note: In each section, any information entered can be edited and the results recalculated.
Slurry Storage Capacity report
The Slurry Storage Capacity report is available from the Create Reports dropdown once you have calculated and saved your results. The PDF report is structured to match what you entered, it includes sections for slurry storage, poultry manure storage (if applicable), excreta details by animal type, store details, rainfall volumes, wash water volumes, and any exports or adjustments. Sections that are not applicable to your farm, for example, poultry manure storage if you have no poultry, are not shown in the report.
Reporting
The main window of the NMP module provides reporting capabilities. You can generate reports for each section of the chosen Nutrient Management Plan (if you have multiple) and view important dates specific to your region (England, Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland).