Top Tips - BASIS FACTS - its relevance to anyone with responsibility for nutritional inputs

In a documentary aired recently on BBC2, Comedian turned angling supremo Paul Whitehouse boldy stated; "Whether it is the actions of industry, water companies, agriculture or us as citizens, our rivers are taking a battering."

Our Troubled Rivers aired in March. It turned the spotlight on nitrate and phosphate leaching into our waters and this issue is mainstream in the public eye and firmly in the focus of legislators.

The comparative scale of inputs by amenity vs agriculture are small, but there is no escaping that our sector must, and will be forced to play our part in improving our environmental footprint when it comes to nutritional inputs.

So, what can we do as an industry to play our part and get ahead of the curve?

As a recent gradate of the BASIS FACTS course, passionately and charismatically delivered at the STRI by Dr Christian Spring, undoubtedly some of the answers sit with stewardship and education on fertiliser use. Traditionally considered a course for perhaps 'the more responsible amenity trade manufacturers and distributors', it was encouraging to see a practising Golf Course Manager and School Grounds and Estates Manager undertake the same qualification.

With 55% of England's land classified as Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ), can undertaking a BASIS FACTS really help you and your organisation in procurement, nutritional decision making and safeguarding nutritional inputs in the future?

I asked Daniel Ratling Grounds and Estate Manager at Whitgift School and Andrew Kerr MG of Surbiton Golf Course to share their experience with an 'end user perspective'.

Daniel Hughes, Head of Commercial, Agrovista Amenity - BASIS

DANIEL RATLING - Grounds and Estate Manager at Whitgift School

I undertook the BASIS FACTS training and assessment in 2022. I am responsible for agronomic assessments and writing our nutritional programmes. I wanted to ensure my CPD was up to date and that I was compliant with industry best practice.

The course delivery was excellent. Dr Christian Spring was engaging throughout the three days and the follow up sessions were well delivered. My colleagues on the course were knowledgeable and it was valuable mixing with people from other sections of the industry. The assessment process felt robust, I revised hard and happily passed.

Much of the technical course content I had covered previously throughout my studies, but it was still useful to refresh and bring up to date. We touched on agricultural regulations (NVZ's) and post-Brexit legislation which was useful. I think the focus on minimising environmental impact is the main theme I took away. This is something we all need to consider and act appropriately now before legislation/restrictions are imposed.

I would encourage anyone with responsibility for nutritional inputs to undertake this course. It has real relevance across the industry including for practitioners.

ANDREW KERR MG - Surbiton Golf Course

Your motivation for doing BASIS FACTS as a Course Manager

• To ensure that I have all the facts and knowledge about fertilisers - including the theory, manufacturing process and the pros and cons of all products available
• To improve my understanding of the limitations of fertilisers and ensure cost effectiveness of applications and prevent budget wastage
• To understand the current environmental impact of fertilisers.

Your experience of the course

The course itself was very well run - despite the pace making my brain ache a little at times! It went through all aspects of fertiliser uses to ensure we had a background of both theory and practical knowledge.

Christian is very knowledgeable, and therefore any questions were answered concisely and were easy to understand.

Doing the course as a group was very beneficial to share knowledge and experiences. Coming from different backgrounds allowed us to help each other look at the information from different perspectives which also helped greatly.

How do you feel it has benefitted you as an end user and buyer of fertiliser?

I now have a better understanding of fertiliser and how this can affect the environment, especially reaching water courses. Plus an understanding of the impact on different soil types and the science behind the uptake of the nutrients and how they are used.

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for those who wish to pass the FACTS examination leading to the Certificate of Competence in Fertiliser Advice. It will also be of interest to those who have qualified for the BASIS Professional Register and want to gain Continuing Professional Development points.

The course assumes a basic prior level of agronomic knowledge with regard to production of cereals, oilseed rape, sugar beet, potatoes and grassland. The course then builds on this with regard to principles and practice of crop nutrition, fertiliser recommendations and nutrient planning. It is essential that delegates are familiar with a range of farming systems and nutrient issues, and have sufficient supervised field experience before attempting the exam. It is highly unlikely that the course alone will raise knowledge to the level needed to pass the exam. It is therefore a pre-requisite that candidates have at least one year's experience of fertiliser and nutrient management planning in the UK under the supervised guidance of another suitably qualified person.

Course content

• The soil in relation to plant nutrition.
• The nature and properties of fertilisers.
• Organic fertilisers.
• Crop nutrients and the basis for calculating the amount of fertiliser required.
• Use of fertilisers on the main crop groups in the UK.
• Transport, storage, handling and labelling requirements necessary to protect the environment.
• Codes of good agricultural practice, legal and safety requirements to protect the environment

For more detailed information about the syllabus please refer to the BASIS website.