AgNav is an online tool developed to calculate the carbon footprint of your farm and to measure its sustainability – so you can take action.
Why use AgNav?
AgNav is a free, nationwide, online sustainability platform accessible to farmers and advisers, created through a partnership between Teagasc, Bord Bia and ICBF. By leveraging the shared expertise, data, support tools and resources of these three organisations, AgNav helps farmers navigate the climate targets set for the agricultural sector. AgNav is also supported by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and forms part of Ireland’s Climate Action Plan 2024. The underlying methodology within AgNav is science-backed and certified, ensuring its reliability and accuracy.
Ag Nav
The Three A’s of AgNav
Assess: AgNav uses farm-specific data to establish baseline figures across key environmental indicators, such as greenhouse gas emissions, ammonia emissions, and nutrient balance. This platform aims to provide a single, consistent “source of truth” of environmental indicators for each farm.Analyse: AgNav offers a live decision-support forecasting function, enabling farmers to evaluate the environmental impact of various actions and practices on key sustainability indicators.Act: based on the analysis, farmers can create a customised AgNav sustainability action plan.
A multispecies sward on Seán Moher's farm.
How are farmers using AgNav currently?
Since AgNav launched in March 2023, it has seen over 10,000 farmers sign up to the platform. AgNav initially focused on greenhouse gas emissions and ammonia reduction. However, in August this year it expanded to include nutrient balance, an indicator for nutrient loss risk. Through this new feature, farmers can identify nutrient sources affecting their farm’s nutrient balance and utilise the forecasting tool to explore mitigation strategies.
Within the AgNav forecasting function, farmers can assess the environmental impact of implementing a range of actions on their farm, including nitrogen fertiliser application, slurry spreading, grazing season length, finishing age and Economic Breeding Index.
Using this information, farmers are working alongside their advisers to create and implement tailored sustainability action plans, taking practical steps toward reducing emissions and enhancing nutrient management on farms.
Farmer case study:
Seán Moher
“Teagasc climate adviser Liz Duffy visited my dairy farm earlier this year to review my AgNav figures for 2023, and to discuss additional climate mitigation actions I could implement. In 2023 I was using 68% protected urea, and one of the actions I put in my plan was to further increase the use of protected urea by 10%, instead of CAN.
This year I used 81% protected urea and, therefore, hit the target I had in my AgNav sustainability action plan. Over 70% of the grazing block now has clover, and a multispecies sward was sown for the first time this year, which included grass, clover, chicory and plantain. It is great to see the progress we are making on the farm through the AgNav figures and percentages. It gives me encouragement to keep going when we can see verifiable results. We are on the right path, but still have some work to do to improve further.”
IDF award logo to go into a box.
AgNav is internationally recognised
AgNav stood out from a diverse pool of entries to be selected as a finalist for the prestigious Innovation in Sustainable Farming Practices – Environment category at the International Dairy Federation Dairy Innovation Award, alongside Danone and Nestlé. On 18 October 2024 at the International Dairy Federation World Dairy Summit 2024 in Paris, AgNav was announced as the winner. This recognition highlights how AgNav and Ireland is leading the way internationally in sustainable innovation in agriculture.
Evolution of AgNav
AgNav is continuously evolving to enhance functionality and increase the diversity of farmers that can use it. Teagasc researchers are actively working on models to quantify carbon sequestration, which will soon be incorporated into AgNav. Additional features are also being developed for AgNav’s forecasting tool, including assessments of how concentrate feed and milk production impact environmental indicators. The next farming enterprise to be added to AgNav will be tillage, using a science-based model developed in Teagasc. Future expansion will include pigs, sheep, poultry, horticulture and forestry; enabling mixed farming systems to be modelled. These advancements will further strengthen AgNav’s ability to support sustainable practices across the agricultural sector.
Sign-up to AgNav
AgNav is currently running as a pilot for dairy and beef farmers through the Teagasc Signpost Advisory Programme, with plans to open it to all farmers in the future. This programme aims to support farmers in contributing to emission reduction targets for the agricultural industry, providing tailored advice to enhance sustainability practices. With 21 dedicated climate advisers across Ireland, the Signpost Advisory Programme helps farmers develop AgNav sustainability action plans focused on reducing emissions and minimising nutrient loss risks.
For more details and to sign-up for the Teagasc Signpost Advisory Programme and AgNav, please visit the Teagasc website, by scanning the QR code.
AgNav is an online tool developed to calculate the carbon footprint of your farm and to measure its sustainability – so you can take action.
Why use AgNav?
AgNav is a free, nationwide, online sustainability platform accessible to farmers and advisers, created through a partnership between Teagasc, Bord Bia and ICBF. By leveraging the shared expertise, data, support tools and resources of these three organisations, AgNav helps farmers navigate the climate targets set for the agricultural sector. AgNav is also supported by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and forms part of Ireland’s Climate Action Plan 2024. The underlying methodology within AgNav is science-backed and certified, ensuring its reliability and accuracy.
Ag Nav
The Three A’s of AgNav
Assess: AgNav uses farm-specific data to establish baseline figures across key environmental indicators, such as greenhouse gas emissions, ammonia emissions, and nutrient balance. This platform aims to provide a single, consistent “source of truth” of environmental indicators for each farm.Analyse: AgNav offers a live decision-support forecasting function, enabling farmers to evaluate the environmental impact of various actions and practices on key sustainability indicators.Act: based on the analysis, farmers can create a customised AgNav sustainability action plan.
A multispecies sward on Seán Moher's farm.
How are farmers using AgNav currently?
Since AgNav launched in March 2023, it has seen over 10,000 farmers sign up to the platform. AgNav initially focused on greenhouse gas emissions and ammonia reduction. However, in August this year it expanded to include nutrient balance, an indicator for nutrient loss risk. Through this new feature, farmers can identify nutrient sources affecting their farm’s nutrient balance and utilise the forecasting tool to explore mitigation strategies.
Within the AgNav forecasting function, farmers can assess the environmental impact of implementing a range of actions on their farm, including nitrogen fertiliser application, slurry spreading, grazing season length, finishing age and Economic Breeding Index.
Using this information, farmers are working alongside their advisers to create and implement tailored sustainability action plans, taking practical steps toward reducing emissions and enhancing nutrient management on farms.
Farmer case study:
Seán Moher
“Teagasc climate adviser Liz Duffy visited my dairy farm earlier this year to review my AgNav figures for 2023, and to discuss additional climate mitigation actions I could implement. In 2023 I was using 68% protected urea, and one of the actions I put in my plan was to further increase the use of protected urea by 10%, instead of CAN.
This year I used 81% protected urea and, therefore, hit the target I had in my AgNav sustainability action plan. Over 70% of the grazing block now has clover, and a multispecies sward was sown for the first time this year, which included grass, clover, chicory and plantain. It is great to see the progress we are making on the farm through the AgNav figures and percentages. It gives me encouragement to keep going when we can see verifiable results. We are on the right path, but still have some work to do to improve further.”
IDF award logo to go into a box.
AgNav is internationally recognised
AgNav stood out from a diverse pool of entries to be selected as a finalist for the prestigious Innovation in Sustainable Farming Practices – Environment category at the International Dairy Federation Dairy Innovation Award, alongside Danone and Nestlé. On 18 October 2024 at the International Dairy Federation World Dairy Summit 2024 in Paris, AgNav was announced as the winner. This recognition highlights how AgNav and Ireland is leading the way internationally in sustainable innovation in agriculture.
Evolution of AgNav
AgNav is continuously evolving to enhance functionality and increase the diversity of farmers that can use it. Teagasc researchers are actively working on models to quantify carbon sequestration, which will soon be incorporated into AgNav. Additional features are also being developed for AgNav’s forecasting tool, including assessments of how concentrate feed and milk production impact environmental indicators. The next farming enterprise to be added to AgNav will be tillage, using a science-based model developed in Teagasc. Future expansion will include pigs, sheep, poultry, horticulture and forestry; enabling mixed farming systems to be modelled. These advancements will further strengthen AgNav’s ability to support sustainable practices across the agricultural sector.
Sign-up to AgNav
AgNav is currently running as a pilot for dairy and beef farmers through the Teagasc Signpost Advisory Programme, with plans to open it to all farmers in the future. This programme aims to support farmers in contributing to emission reduction targets for the agricultural industry, providing tailored advice to enhance sustainability practices. With 21 dedicated climate advisers across Ireland, the Signpost Advisory Programme helps farmers develop AgNav sustainability action plans focused on reducing emissions and minimising nutrient loss risks.
For more details and to sign-up for the Teagasc Signpost Advisory Programme and AgNav, please visit the Teagasc website, by scanning the QR code.
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