The Tree
T h e U W D i s c ove r y Fa r m s N e w s l e t t e r
Fall 2014
DETERMINING NITROGEN UPTAKE USING EXAMPLES FROM THIS YEAR’S CROP Kevan Klingberg, Amber Radatz, & Callie Herron
E
fficient use of nitrogen is essential for crop production whether the source is commercial fertilizer, manure, legumes, or some combination. One component of nitrogen use efficiency that every farmer can calculate is a partial nutrient budget (PNB), a simplified calculation which measures the amount of N removed in grain or biomass divided by the amount of N applied. There is great worth in better understanding NUE, whether through the use of a PNB or more complex methods, because it can offer great insight into how nitrogen management can be altered in order to achieve economically optimum yields while reducing nutrient losses to the environment. An optimal value results continued on page 3
INSIDE
Determining Nitrogen Uptake Using Examples From This Year’s Crop..................................................................... 1 Is It Time To Consider Precision Conservation?........................ 1 Co-director’s Column........................................................... 2 Multi-State Discovery Farms Meeting................................ 2 Information Available: Fall And Winter Manure Spreading Considerations................................................... 5 New Discovery Farms Team Member!................................ 5 Join Us for Our Annual Winter Conference On December 9th!........................................................................ 6
IS IT TIME TO CONSIDER PRECISION CONSERVATION? Todd Prill
Y
ou’ve probably heard someone make the comment “My roof only leaks when it rains.” The meaning of the saying is that people will often find reasons to delay completing important work. Let’s not allow this to be the theme of maintaining conservation on Wisconsin cropland. Over the last decade, a lack of intense rainfall in the spring and fall allowed farmers to put off needed conservation practices without consequences. However, intense rainfalls on unprotected soils the past two years have been a rude awakening to what can happen continued on page 6
Currently, we are finalizing graduation reports for our remaining core farms for publication this year. Once these are completed, we will begin combining data from multiple farms to publish topic specific informational fact sheets. Many of you have likely seen the press release announcing the hiring of Callie Herron, our new outreach specialist, who started this July. Callie is a great addition to our team and will help us develop and distribute more usable documents based on our many years of research.
Co-director’s Column Although the summer has come and gone in a flash, it has been a productive year for Wisconsin Discovery Farms. We have continued to collect data in both of our watershed projects and on our feed storage leachate farms. Additionally, we held field days in both watersheds to highlight data collected from our watershed projects and just finished hosting the MultiState Discovery Farms Tour and Steering Committee Meeting to share information and coordinate efforts with Discovery Farms programs in other states. Discovery Farms staff have also continued to present information learned through our research at local, state, and national meetings.
As we look ahead, data collection from our feed storage leachate study will end in December of this year. This winter, we will combine our information with research completed by Becky Larson, Assistant Professor of Biological Systems Engineering at UW-Madison, to analyze our findings. We will have a report available in late spring to share these results. In addition, as Amber discussed in our spring newsletter, Discovery Farms, in partnership with NRCS, is planning to install new research sites in Rock County this fall.
A special thanks to: 99 Paul and Laura Malin for hosting the Jersey Valley field day and the Multi-State Discovery Farms tour group.
We hope you have a safe and bountiful fall harvest and please contact Discovery Farms staff if we can ever provide you information or assistance. Please check our home page often for upcoming publication releases and for information on our Discovery Farms Annual Conference on December 9, 2014 at the Glacier Canyon Conference Center in the Wisconsin Dells.
99 Monroe and Vernon County Farm Bureaus for cosponsoring the Jersey Valley field day. 99 Herricks Dairy Farm for hosting the Multi-State Discovery Farms tour group. 99 Presenters and attendees for great information and excellent discussion!
Eric Cooley
MULTI-STATE DISCOVERY FARMS MEETING
99 Establishment of a review and licensing committee for Discovery Farms Programs in participating states to ensure the core standards of farmer leadership, credible research and communication of results are maintained in all Discovery Farms Programs
Eric Cooley
For the past five years, Discovery Farms Programs in Minnesota, North Dakota, Arkansas and Wisconsin have alternated hosting a multi-state meeting to showcase projects in individual states and enhance collaborative efforts between states. Wisconsin hosted this year's meeting on September 9-11, 2014.
99 Development of an application process for other states to set up Discovery Farms Programs 99 Enhanced sharing of research findings and monitoring methods between states
Highlights from the meeting include:
Representatives from Illinois and Washington attended the multi-state meeting as efforts are being taken in those states to develop either Discovery Farms programs or organizations with similar research. Arkansas is planning to host next year's multi-state meeting.§
99 A tour and discussion of monitoring efforts in the Jersey Valley watershed project 99 Reporting of current and future projects in individual states 2
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Table 1
PNB Value
<1
1
N Application Rate
More N applied than needed
N application and removal in balance
Effect on Resources
Minimized N loss to Soil N content declines. Unused N may be lost water resources. OrganOverall reduction in soil to water resources. ic matter content of soil organic matter. is stable.
from the most appropriate N rates and sources, and benefits from improvements to timing and placement. Optimal values are not achieved from simply reducing N rates, as economically efficient yields cannot be maintained or improved when too little N is applied. Measuring PNB can be a valuable first step in assessing if nitrogen management in a specific cropping system can be improved.
PNB values for fields 1, 2, and 3 were close to 1 (Table 2). Values close to one suggest accurate nitrogen crediting and fertilizer application amounts that are appropriate for crop needs. Additional years of assessment and further analysis of current practices are very important, especially when the PNB is noticeably less than or greater than 1, as in fields 4, 5, and 6. Although average nitrogen removal efficiencies vary by crop type and region, the International Plant Nutrition Instituteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s publication, Nutrient Use Efficiency and Effectiveness in North America, reports that an average partial nitrogen budget for non-legume crops in North America was 0.64 in the early part of this
In this case, the PNB was calculated based on lab analysis and information provided by the farmers. It is easiest to think of this value as nutrient output per unit of nutrient input. Most of the time a PNB close to 1 represents an ideal situation, when components of the system are in balance (i.e. N is neither mined nor built up (Table 1)). Results: For ease of interpretation and explanation, it is assumed that all fields were harvested as corn silage. Field Previous crop
1 Alfalfa
More N removed than applied
This underlying assumption may not be true, and as a result interpretation will be tweaked for discussion with individual farmers. However, the goal is to help explain concepts and showcase the potential value of measuring nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). Ideally, a partial nutrient budget (PNB) and/or other measurements of NUE should be calculated over the course of many years. With more years of data collected through additional sampling and comparison more meaningful conclusions can be drawn.
Field Activity: Discovery Farms staff collected corn plant samples to assess PNB and presented results at field days in the summer of 2014. Through the process, participating farmers identified nitrogen sources (fertilizer, manure, or legumes), and rate and timing of sources. The entire corn plant was sampled and analyzed for total N content.
Table 2
>1
2 Soybeans
3
4
5
6
Corn
Corn
Corn
Corn
Legume N credit (lbs/ac)
90
0
0
0
0
0
Manure N credit (lbs/ac)
105
0
0
120
90
84
0
130
170
126
66
90
Estimated yield @ 65% moisture (t/ac)
23.1
15.2
19.2
18.2
12.5
20.4
Total N supplied (leg+man+fert)
195
130
170
246
156
174
N content of plant (lbs/ac)
212
130
162
186
93
237
Partial Nutrient Budget (PNB)
1.09
1.00
0.95
0.76
0.60
1.36
Fertilizer N (lbs/ac)
3 The Tree-Fall 2014
Some key points to consider:
decade.1 Only one of the fields in this sample set was below that average.
99 Manure can be a very valuable source of nitrogen for Wisconsin farmers. Using it efficiently requires appropriate timing and application rates, and an understanding of the amount of available nitrogen in manure. Measuring NUE can help farmers better understand if their current calculations and management strategies are sufficient or if adjustments should be made to achieve efficiency values closer to 1.
In Fields 4 and 6 the manure nutrient credit was estimated incorrectly. In Field 4 the PNB of less than 1 suggests that manure was over applied. This could be attributed to incorrect estimations of application rate or available nitrogen content in the manure. In Field 6 the PNB greater than 1 indicates that manure may have been under applied. For all farms using manure as a nutrient source, it is crucial that manure spreaders are calibrated regularly and manure application records are accurate and frequently recorded. With more confidence in the rate of manure application, necessary applications of commercial fertilizer can be planned more precisely.
99 Nitrogen takes many forms and its availability and loss is heavily influenced by weather. Careful attention should be paid to application timing around major weather events. If possible, fall manure applications should be made after soil temperatures drop below 50°F in order to reduce nitrate leaching.
Another cause of a low PNB value, such as the one seen in Field 5, may be nitrogen leaching from heavy rainfall early in the season. In areas where leaching is a concern and low efficiency values suggest the same, controlledrelease nitrogen and nitrogen stabilizers may prove beneficial. Additional sampling and information should be gathered to further assess what management strategies may be helpful.
99 Leaching, which is most likely to occur on sandy or wet soils, can impact NUE like it appeared to in Field 5 of our example. By measuring NUE over the course of many years, farmers can begin to understand what strategies may be adopted to reduce leaching and improve efficiency.
Next Steps: Over the next few years, Discovery Farms will be working with farmers and consultants around the state to assess nitrogen use efficiency in different management regimes and soil conditions, primarily for corn grain and silage production. This simple assessment can provide valuable insight for farmers hoping to fine tune their nitrogen program and identify fields where improvements to N management could be beneficial. In future nitrogen use efficiency work, fields will be compared to a zero nitrogen strip in order to understand the total nitrogen uptake that occurs when nitrogen is applied. Soil nitrate nitrogen will also be measured before and after the growing season in order to estimate carryover nitrogen. While some interpretation can be done from the PNB calculations featured here, agronomic interpretation is strengthened when combined with a soil test.
PPI/PPC/FAR. 2002. Plant Nutrient Use in North American Agriculture (pp. 114116). 117 pp. Potash & Phosphate Institute, Norcross, GA 30092. 1
Recently, we learned that we are one of 47 organizations to receive a 2014 Conservation Innovation Grant through USDA-NRCS! This grant will allow us to develop a Wisconsin farmer network for nutrient use efficiency and water quality in partnership with Matt Ruark and Francisco Arriaga, Assistant Professors of Soil Science at UW-Madison. Through the development of this network, 40 or more farmers throughout the state will learn which methods and operation records are necessary to complete the nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) assessment. Participants will learn how to conduct their own NUE assessments, and evaluate the effectiveness of different cropping practices designed to decrease N loss through leaching or volatilization.
Interested in learning more about keeping nitrogen in the plant and having less leave the field? If so, join us for our annual conference! The conference will be held on December 9th, 2014 at the Wilderness Glacier Canyon Conference Center in the Wisconsin Dells. It is sure to be a great day of speakers and valuable discussion! For more information go to our website www.uwdiscoveryfarms.org or email Callie at callie.herron@ces.uwex.edu. §
Stay tuned in the coming months for more information on this exciting project!
4 The Tree-Fall 2014
INFORMATION AVAILABLE: FALL AND WINTER MANURE SPREADING CONSIDERATIONS Eric Cooley
Making informed manure management decisions is critical to maintaining water quality and reducing nutrient loss. With fall manure application planning beginning, we wanted to remind you of the resources we have available on this topic. Find articles based on many years of on-farm research on our website under the tab “Our Research” >”Manure Management Considerations” or by following this direct link: http://www.uwdiscoveryfarms.org/OurResearch/ManureManagementConsiderations.aspx
99 Delay fall manure and nitrogen fertilizer applications until soils remain less than 50°F to limit the conversion of ammonium to nitrate, a form of nitrogen easily leached with late fall and early spring rains and therefore not available for next year’s crops.(see: A2809 Nutrient application guidelines for field, vegetable, and fruit crops in Wisconsin). Although it varies, mid-October is usually a safe bet for soil temperatures to drop below this threshold in Wisconsin. If applications are going to be made before soils are adequately cool, the use of nitrogen stabilizers is highly recommended to limit the conversion and loss of nitrate nitrogen.
A few of the main points contained in this information: 99 Be mindful of macropore development in soil (wormholes, cracks, and other preferential flow paths) that can transfer liquid manure to tile drainage systems or shallow bedrock cracks. Pre-tillage and/or reduced rates should be used when macropores are well developed.
99 Once the ground is frozen, watch for the development of concrete frost, ice crusting of soils or a deep/dense snowpack. If any of these are present, the contact of manure applications and the soil is reduced causing elevated nutrient loss during snowmelt. If applications are required during these conditions, select low-sloped, internally drained land that is distant from surface water features for applications.§
99 Be aware of current soil moisture and impending rain events. Soils with elevated moisture content are more prone to runoff. Runoff events within a week of manure or fertilizer applications can generate increased nutrient loss.
NEW DISCOVERY FARMS TEAM MEMBER! We are pleased to announce the arrival of our newest team member! Callie Herron, a recent graduate of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy at Tufts University, is an outreach specialist focused on event planning, communications, and content development. She comes to Discovery Farms with a very unique skillset and background. Prior to graduate school, she worked on federal agricultural policy in Washington, DC. With some policy work under her belt, she left D.C. to join Cherry Farm in Goldsboro, NC where she helped manage livestock and assisted with fruit and vegetable production. Her breadth of experience working closely with a variety of agricultural experts in research, policy, and farm environments makes her a great addition to our team. Although she is a native of North Carolina, Callie is excited to be back in Wisconsin after spending last summer working for Organic Valley, a farmer-owned cooperative, in Wisconsin’s beautiful Driftless Region. Callie encourages you to be in touch if you have comments or suggestions related to our newsletter, website, or other communications outlets. Contact her at callie.herron@ces.uwex.edu or by calling 715-983-5668.§ 5 The Tree-Fall 2014
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99 Farm Type: Livestock farm with corn/small grain/ alfalfa rotation and need for hay.
without adequate conservation on the land. Farmers can and should use traditional conservation practices such as crop rotation, establishment of waterways, and minimum tillage to lessen soil erosion. However, why not also make use of precision conservation on farm fields to “fix the roof” before it rains next year?
Precision Practice: To slow water runoff, install two permanent grass buffer strips 50 feet wide across the slope. Harvest buffer strips three times annually as round bales for livestock feed when field is planted to corn.
Precision conservation is a targeted approach that identifies places on the landscape where conservation practices will be most effective. Summing it up, it’s about getting the right practices in the right place at the right scale. It all begins with identifying critical landscape areas that need a higher level of management to maintain productivity and minimize soil erosion. The location of these areas is probably already known. They will be noticeable during this fall’s harvest as field portions with lower yields, visible soil erosion or sedimentation. Once critical areas are identified the practice (or practices) that will protect the land and fit with farming practices should be determined.
99 Farm Type: Cash grain with corn/soybean rotation. Precision Practice: Plant sloping portion of field to barley in late April prior to planting soybeans. Kill barley during normal herbicide applications at V2 stage to provide soil mulch cover until crop canopy develops from soybeans.. 99 Farm Type: Cash grain with corn/soybean/wheat rotation. Precision Practice: After wheat harvest, plant tillage radish on heavier soils to improve water infiltration. On the rest of the field, seed red clover or vetch to add organic matter.
As an example, this year a farmer noticed excessive soil erosion on a portion of a field with a 7% slope over 300 feet in length. Precision conservation will identify practices that focus on slowing water flow on the long slope, rather than requiring management changes on the entire field. Workable options should be based on farm management. Some precision conservation practices that could be used in this scenario based on different farm types include the following:
As you can imagine, there are many more ways farmers can make use of precision conservation on their farm. It is an excellent way to “fix the roof” on smaller landscape areas without having to make significant management changes to large acreages. §
JOIN US FOR OUR ANNUAL WINTER CONFERENCE ON DECEMBER 9TH! On December 9, we will hold our annual winter conference. This year’s theme is Nitrogen Management: More for the plant, Less leaving the field. The one-day conference is a great educational opportunity for farmers, crop consultants, governmental agencies, and the general public. Presenters include nitrogen experts that are researchers, farmers, and crop consultants. You’ll have a chance to hear about all of the hot topics in nitrogen management from those who are foremost in the field, at the front lines of research and use of the technologies every day. Topics will include: technologies for in-season nitrogen application, slow release nitrogen products, Nitrogen Use Efficiency as an assessment tool, cover crops, and tile drainage. The conference will conclude with a panel of farmers, farm consultants, and manure and nitrogen researchers sharing their experiences managing nitrogen with the goal of more for the plant, and less leaving the field. § 6 The Tree-Fall 2014
Managing Nitrogen: More for the Plant, Less Leaving the Field December 9th, 2014 • 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. The Wilderness—Glacier Canyon Conference Center Wisconsin Dells, WI
Registration is $50 and includes materials and noon meal. For more information go to www.uwdiscoveryfarms.org or call 715.983.5668 9:00 a.m. 9:30 a.m.
10:15 a.m.
11:00 a.m. 11:15 a.m. 11:45 a.m. 12:15 p.m. 1:00 p.m.
1:30 p.m. 2:00 p.m. 2:20 p.m.
3:20 p.m. 3:30 p.m.
Registration Nitrogen: History, Awareness, and Illinois’ Approach Dr. Robert Hoeft, University of Illinois and Illinois Nutrient Research and Education Council (NREC) How efficient is your nitrogen program? Assessing Nitrogen Use Efficiency on your farm Dr. Cliff Snyder, International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI) Break Predicting In-Season Nitrogen with New Technologies Jason Fussy, Centrol Crop Consulting Understanding Products that Work in Nitrogen Management Dr. George Rehm, Discovery Farms Minnesota Lunch Cover Crops and Nitrogen Cycling Dr. Matt Ruark, UW-Madison Department of Soil Science and UW-Extension Tile Drainage and Nitrogen Loss in Wisconsin Eric Cooley, Wisconsin Discovery Farms Break Panel Discussion: Managing Nitrogen with Manure Farmers, farm consultants, and nitrogen and manure researchers will describe their experiences and offer tips on managing nitrogen so more stays in the field. Wrap Up End of Conference Continuing education credits will be offered.
PIGEON FALLS, WISCONSIN 54760 NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
University of Wisconsin
PERMIT NO. 2
Cooperative Extension Trempealeau County Discovery Farms PO Box 429, 40195 Winsand Drive Pigeon Falls, WI 54760-0429
Return Service Requested
Co-Directors Eric Cooley 608-235-5259 etcooley@wisc.edu Amber Radatz 608-317-0001 aradatz@wisc.edu Faculty Advisor Matt Ruark 608-263-2889 mdruark@wisc.edu Outreach Specialist Kevan Klingberg 715-983-2240 kevan.klingberg@ces.uwex.edu For more information and to stay connected:
facebook.com/uwdiscoveryfarms fyi.uwex.edu/discoveryfarms twitter.com/DiscoveryFarms youtube.com/DiscoveryFarms This newsletter can be found on the web at: www.uwdiscoveryfarms.org Regarding the mailing list, call/e-mail 715-983-5668 or jgoplin@wisc.edu
Communications Outreach Specialist Callie Herron 715-983-5668 callie.herron@ces.uwex.edu Program Assistant Judy Goplin 715-983-5668 jgoplin@wisc.edu Research Specialist Aaron Wunderlin 920-839-5431 aaron.wunderlin@ces.uwex.edu Dry Run Watershed Coordinator Todd Prill 715-225-0862 discovery.farms.prill@gmail.com
UW Discovery Farms is a producer-led research and outreach program based out of the University of Wisconsin-Extension. The program is unique in that it conducts research on working farms located throughout Wisconsin, seeking to identify the impacts of production agriculture on water quality. The program is managed by faculty from the University of Wisconsin, along with oversight from a steering committee of producers, citizens and agency personnel representing a wide variety of non-profit and government organizations. Funding has been provided by the State of Wisconsin, UW-Extension, as well as a number of annual grants from producer groups and our federal partners. An EEO/Affirmative Action employer, University of Wisconsin-Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming, including Title IX and ADA requirements. Request for reasonable accommodation for disabilities or limitations should be made prior to the date of the program or activity for which it is needed. Publications are available in alternative formats upon request. Please make such requests as early as possible by contacting the Discovery Farms office at 715-983-5668 so proper arrangements can be made.