The farm impact report option allows two analyses to be easily compared within OverseerFM. The report summarises the base year and describes proposed farm management practice changes and their potential impact.

Overseer Limited business development manager Alastair Taylor said the farm impact report makes it easier for farmers, growers and their consultants to create a tailored report.

“The report includes the physical aspects of the farm, including management as well as the nutrient budget,” said Mr Taylor. “The report provides an easy way for farmers to understand the impact of changes they have made – or are planning to make, on their nutrient losses and GHG emissions. We are conscious that there are many farm plan tools available and we want to complement what farmers are already doing – by providing the farm impact report we are helping them understand and demonstrate the nutrient management changes within their farm systems.”

OverseerFM also has a scenario tool which supports the use of the farm impact report. This provides a way to analyse the impact of a farm management change while ensuring that the farm system remains in equilibrium. It assists farmers and their consultants to model different scenarios to inform a plan. It also reduces manual data entry in developing scenario analysis and provides useful feedback on the relationship between inputs, energy need and production.

OverseerFM is the only tool that can model an individual farm using easily obtainable information. It uses science models to analyse the impact of farm management on the flow of nutrients through a farm system.

It then generates nutrient budgets which include estimates for the amount of Nitrogen leaching at the root zone and Phosphorus surface run-off. It also models the amount of methane, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide generated on-farm and the amount of carbon sequestered in trees. This provides a way to estimate how nutrients are cycled within a farm system and allows users to better understand average nutrient requirements and the likely impacts of changing management practices. The farm impact report can be downloaded or printed and is designed to be included in a farm plan – making it easier for farmers to share their improvement stories.