New technologies for improving sustainability of corn N management

Project Overview

LNE13-328
Project Type: Research and Education
Funds awarded in 2013: $219,972.00
Projected End Date: 12/31/2016
Region: Northeast
State: New York
Project Leader:
Aaron Ristow
American Farmland Trust

Annual Reports

Commodities

  • Agronomic: corn
  • Vegetables: sweet corn

Practices

  • Animal Production: manure management
  • Crop Production: conservation tillage
  • Education and Training: decision support system, demonstration, extension, farmer to farmer, networking, on-farm/ranch research, participatory research, workshop
  • Energy: energy conservation/efficiency, energy use
  • Farm Business Management: budgets/cost and returns, risk management
  • Natural Resources/Environment: carbon sequestration, indicators, soil stabilization
  • Production Systems: agroecosystems, integrated crop and livestock systems
  • Soil Management: green manures, organic matter, soil analysis, nutrient mineralization, soil microbiology, soil chemistry, soil physics, soil quality/health

    Proposal abstract:

    Nitrogen (N) management for Northeast corn is inefficient because early season weather impacts are not appropriately accounted for in the prevailing recommendation systems. Excess N application is costly for farmers and leaching and denitrification losses are highly detrimental to the environment. The new Adapt-N tool provides precise N fertilizer recommendations that account for the effects of seasonal conditions using high-resolution climate data, a dynamic computer model, and field-specific information on crop and soil management. This approach can significantly reduce fertilizer input costs and environmental impacts by better predicting seasonally and spatially variable crop N requirements. Two years of on-farm beta-testing showed significant benefits in farmer profits and reduced N inputs and environmental losses. This project aims to enhance N management while also increasing the adoption of cover crop and soil health management practices in corn production, and specifically 1) to further calibrate and validate the Adapt-N tool for the Northeast region, and incorporate new soil health test and cover cropping inputs, based on on-farm strip trials and other funded projects of multiple collaborators, 2) to educate growers about the benefits of soil health and cover crops in improving N dynamics and long-term sustainability, 3) to educate growers and their advisers about methods for using multiple technologies for more sustainable N management in corn, including the Adapt-N tool, high-clearance equipment for more timely and flexible sidedressing, and establishment of cover crops in standing corn, and 4) to increase broad-scale adoption of Adapt-N through encouraging low-risk implementation. In effect, the investment requested from SARE will be equivalent to spending less than $0.28/lb N averted from the environment in the short term duration of the project, with exponential expansion of Adapt-N use and its benefits beyond the life of the grant. It will additionally result in a near tripling of that investment in terms of farmer profits as a result of this project. By 2015, users will simulate locations representing 80,000 corn acres in Adapt-N, and about 100 growers will implement recommendations on at least 20,000 acres. This will reduce environmental losses through leaching and denitrification by 40% over current farmer management. Participating farmers will realize savings of at least $550,000 and prevent over 800,000 lbs of excess N from polluting the environment.

    Performance targets from proposal:

    RESEARCH OBJECTIVES:
    1) broadly beta-test the Adapt-N tool through strip trials in the Northeast region, and
    2) improve Adapt-N performance and options by incorporating cover crop and soil health information.

    PERFORMANCE TARGET:
    By 2015, users will simulate locations representing 80,000 corn acres in Adapt-N, and will implement recommendations on at least 20,000 acres. Although dependent on seasonal conditions, environmental losses through leaching and denitrification are expected to be reduced by 40%, saving on average 40 lb N/acre over current farmer management. Participating farmers will realize estimated savings of at least $550,000 and prevent over 800,000 lb of excess N from polluting the environment.

    Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or SARE.