SHARING OPTIONS: A minimum width of 2m must be left uncultivated in tillage fields beside watercourses but this can be cultivated once grass is established immediately. We are now in the middle of the busy season for fertiliser spreading and spraying and protection of our waterways is essential when tackling these jobs. Adhering to buffer zones is a key part of these jobs, whether it’s a splash plate, trailing shoe, wagtail or a sprayer with low-drift nozzles. So what is a buffer zone? A buffer zone is an area of land beside a watercourse which does not receive any agricultural inputs. It is not cultivated and cannot be planted with a tillage crop. On farms with stocking rates over 170kg organic N/ha, a fence should be in place 1.5m from the watercourse so that stock cannot graze beside the watercourse.