Measure grain nutrient levels to improve crop nutrition plans
Data from the 2025 ADAS Yield Enhancement Network (YEN) has revealed that around 90% of UK wheat crops are still nutritionally limited, despite evidence that wheat yields of 15 t/a are achievable across the UK.
So, what’s holding crops back? And what’s preventing them from reaching their yield potential?
Ultimately, farmers are facing challenges outside of their control: unpredictable or extreme conditions, hiked fertiliser costs, and lack of water in recent months has led to considerable crop stress.
What’s in our control? Giving crops the best opportunity to thrive.
By understanding the baseline of our soils for year-on-year improvement, and by determining true nutrient levels so inputs can be tailored for crop requirements, we can set up the best foundations for crops to weather unpredictable climate challenges. This is where analysis services like GrainCheck, NRM’s innovative grain analysis package for cereals, come into play.
Grain analysis isn’t just a final step in a farmer’s annual nutrient management programme. There are often specific factors or risks that need to be taken into consideration to protect margins and manage operational risks effectively.
With GrainCheck, you can:
- Validate this season’s nutrient management decisions
- Identify hidden nutrient deficiencies
- Evaluate the on-farm performance of new varieties
- Fine-tune soil health and input management for next season.
Assessing crops after harvest will help you determine what worked and what didn’t throughout the previous season. Learning from the past and incorporating resilience strategies in the face of unpredictable and extreme weather conditions will save you money on expensive corrective actions in the future, leading to improved crop nutrition and yield.
Watch our videos to learn more about GrainCheck, how to interpret your results, and how one farm analysed throughout the year to improve crop production.
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What crops can GrainCheck be used for?
GrainCheck is suitable for cereals. It includes a range of analyses, including nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, N:S ratio and micronutrients. GrainCheck Plus also includes molybdenum analysis.
Why should I use GrainCheck?
GrainCheck is an innovative grain analysis package that gives you value-added insight into your data. Our service identifies which nutrient is limiting yield, confirming how effectively a crop converts nutrients into yield under stress. Testing not only reveals how crops performed during challenging weather conditions, but also how farming systems can adapt nutrient strategies and build resilience to better handle future extremes.
What do I get with GrainCheck?
GrainCheck results are presented in an easy-to-understand format, showing the dry matter nutrient content of the grain sample against the target nutrient content defined. We recommend reviewing your results alongside soil and plant tissue analysis results with a FACTS qualified advisor. You can convert your GrainCheck results into nutrient offtake in kg per hectare by inputting your figures into our online calculator.
How do I order GrainCheck?
We provide you with a sample kit which contains everything you will need to place an order for GrainCheck analysis, including sample bags, analysis request forms and postage boxes/bags. You can order your kit through your agronomist, or you can contact us by filling in the form at the top of this page.
Frequently asked questions
Why is GrainCheck better than standard grain analysis?
NRM’s GrainCheck service was launched in 2020 following several years of work with ADAS on the Yield Enhancement Network (YEN) project, and to coincide with the RB209 recommendation for routine grain analysis.
Our easy-to-use nutrient offtake calculator makes GrainCheck the most innovative grain analysis service out there, giving you a good indication on how well you are managing nutrients. The calculator allows you to convert your GrainCheck results into nutrient offtake in kg per hectare.
Comparing your results to the typical average gives you a good indication of how well you are managing nutrients, prompting further action if grain concentrations and offtake levels are smaller or larger than expected.
To see how one farmer reaped the rewards of the value-added insight gained from GrainCheck, read our case study here.
What does GrainCheck help me do?
Grain analysis isn’t just a final step in a farmer’s annual nutrient management programme. There are often specific factors or risks that need to be taken into consideration to protect margins and manage operational risks effectively.
With our grain analysis service, GrainCheck, you can:
- Validate this season’s nutrient management decisions
- Identify hidden nutrient deficiencies
- Evaluate the on-farm performance of new varieties
- Fine-tune soil health and input management for next season.
Why should I measure grain nutrient levels?
Many growers use soil analysis to predict nutrient availability, and tissue analysis during the season to measure uptake. Grain analysis completes the picture, allowing you to assess crop nutrition performance and benchmark your results against critical values.
GrainCheck allows you to:
- Identify any nutrient shortfalls
- Compare crop performance across your farm
- Assess the success of crop nutrition programmes
- Interpret results alongside soil and plant tissue results to improve input efficiency for future seasons
- Benchmark results against previous seasons
- Assess the suitability and fertility of home-saved seed.
For a comprehensive look into why you should invest in grain analysis, including 5 agronomic reasons, read our expert blog here.
How can GrainCheck data help me improve crop nutrition plans?
Knowing how well a crop has recovered nutrients at a specific yield is important to optimise the soil nutrient supply. This helps to support the future needs of the next crop and maintain the soil index.
Removal rates of major nutrients can be estimated through RB209 figures on typical values contained per tonne of fresh crop material. Even though this approach is accurate on average, knowing exactly what the crop has removed at the season’s end is valuable as it enables a site-specific approach to managing soil indices.
Using our nutrient offtake calculator to calculate the phosphate and potash offtake removed by the grain provides a more accurate barometer of how well the soil:plant system is functioning, allowing you to make adjustments for optimal crop performance and yield for the following season.
To learn more about GrainCheck and using the data, read our expert blog.
How do I take grain samples?
Take grain samples at harvest, ideally several sub-samples per field or zone. The more sub-samples you take from each field or zone, the more representative your results will be. If you plan to compare your grain analysis with your soil and crop analysis, then sample your grain in the same zones as you sampled your soils.
Take two samples from each trailer before the grain is tipped, making sure to add all the samples from the same field or zone to a labelled bucket and mix thoroughly. Then, take a representative sample from the bucket, put it into the NRM sample bag you get with your GrainCheck sample kit, and label it with the field or zone name/number and date. You can use our postal or courier services to send your samples to NRM with the relevant paperwork.
To learn more about taking your samples, read our expert blog.