Contract Period : 01/09/2024 - 31/12/2026
Main Funder : Esmee Fairbairn, Nineveh Charitable Trust, Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) all funded via The Progressive Farming Trust.
ORC Staff Contact : Dr Julia Cooper
The GreenGrass project will work with conventional dairy farmers who are striving to minimise their carbon footprint and improve efficiency through reduced use of N fertilisers. We will collaborate directly with dairy farmers to co-create solutions and trial innovations on their farms.
For decades fertiliser has been used to help meet growing food demands because it is simple and effective, but the environmental damage it causes are becoming all too apparent. One of the crops that uses the most N fertiliser in the UK is intensively managed grass in the dairy sector. This project targets this crop and will trial a variety of strategies to reduce N fertiliser use in the dairy sector. We will use a living lab approach to work with dairy farmers to co-create integrated solutions that improve N efficiency on the farm and reduce the need for purchased N fertiliser. Some strategies we are exploring are precision application of N fertiliser based on in-field variability in soils and foliar N applications. We’ll also be looking at some of the novel biostimulants on the market and testing their efficacy in combination with reduced rates of N fertiliser.
ORC is the lead research organisation in this project.
At the Royal Welsh Grassland Event , Nigel Akehurst (Indie Farmer) was filming for an upcoming documentary exploring one of the biggest challenges facing UK livestock farmers: how to reduce reliance on bagged nitrogen fertiliser without compromising productivity.
“Over the coming months I’ll be following Dr Julia Cooper and the team behind the Green Grass Project as they work with farmers across the UK to explore practical solutions—from clover-rich leys and diverse swards to improved slurry management and grazing strategies.
“With fertiliser prices remaining volatile and pressure growing to farm more sustainably, many farmers are asking the same question: how can we produce grass efficiently while relying less on synthetic inputs?
“Looking forward to sharing the finished film later this year.”
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZnR8E5oumQ/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet
On 4th June 2025 Julia Cooper attended the Open Farm Evening at Newcastle University talking about the project. See blog.
In this webinar to launch the GreenGrass project we hear from James Standen, Newcastle University Farms Director, about his carbon footprint and how he is reducing use of N fertiliser on their mixed dairy and arable farm. Elaine Jewkes shares her expertise on how to minimise losses to the environment from nitrogen sources (both fertilisers and manure). Paul Muto presents his practical experience from research and industry on the best strategies to improve legume contents in pastures and leys. Finally Alma Joensen, from Car Y Mor talks about their successful trials with seaweed biostimulants on grasslands and being involved with the GreenGrass Project.
Sustainable Organic and Low Input Dairying
