Fertiliser cost per hectare for winter wheat

The formula

Cost per hectare equals nitrogen rate (kg N per hectare) divided by the product's kg of N per tonne, multiplied by the price per tonne. AN carries 345 kg N per tonne (34.5%), granular urea 460 kg (46%). A typical feed winter wheat nitrogen programme is in the region of 180 to 220 kg N per hectare (soil, yield potential and previous cropping move it; RB209 is the reference for your own number).

Worked example: AN at £350 per tonne

Take 200 kg N per hectare from AN at £350 per tonne. Product needed: 200 divided by 345 is 0.58 tonnes per hectare. Cost: 0.58 times 350 is roughly £203 per hectare. The same nitrogen from urea at £400 per tonne needs 200 divided by 460, or 0.43 tonnes, costing about £174 per hectare before any inhibitor or application-loss adjustment (see the urea vs AN guide).

Every £10 per tonne the AN price moves changes that 200 kg N programme by about £5.80 per hectare. That single sensitivity is the most useful number in this guide: it converts any index move you see into budget terms instantly.

Do not forget P, K and sulphur

Nitrogen is the volatile line, but a full programme also carries phosphate, potash and increasingly sulphur. Maintenance dressings priced from DAP, muriate of potash or polysulphate typically add a further meaningful share of the bill, and their prices move on their own drivers. Each grade has its own live page on the index.

Keeping the budget current

The worked examples above freeze a price to show the method; your budget should not. Check the current estimate for your grade, rerun the two-line calculation, and set a price alert so a market move updates your plan rather than surprising it.