Final report for ENE16-143

Milestone 1. The project team will develop Extension materials and curriculum to share with farmers and farm advisors. The materials will cover the process of deriving a whole farm NMB, interpretation of results, and benefits of conducting NMBs for adaptive management over time. (Completion date: December 1, 2016)

In the winter of 2016 we developed two 45 min training sessions, one to explain the concept of the whole farm mass balance, and one to explain how to use the calculator for the assessment. The first presentation described the idea of the mass balance calculations: the farm is considered a system with an internal nutrient cycle (feed-cow-manure-soil), and for any feasibly measurable product that enters (feed, fertilizers, bedding, etc.) or exits (milk, animals, manure, etc.) this farm system we record the amount of N, P, and K. The difference between the exports and the imports is defined as the Nutrient Mass Balance. This balance is expressed per tillable acre and per hundredweight (cwt) of milk exported to provide indicators of sustainability and efficiency respectively. To provide targets for farms to aim for, the concept of the “green box” was introduced, derived from a dataset with 102 farms. Farms that operate within the feasible balances per acre and per cwt are in the green box. In addition to balances, a table of indicators to find potential areas of improvement was provided.

The second presentation contained a description of the required inputs to calculate the mass balance and how to use the calculator that is available on the website of the Nutrient Management Spear Program (http://nmsp.cals.cornell.edu/NYOnFarmResearchPartnership/MassBalances.html). In short: to gather the required data, a four-page input form can be downloaded. In addition to basic farm information, such as number of animals and amount of acres, details on the different imported and exported commodities are needed. For instance, for imported (or exported) feed and manure, the calculator needs the total imported weight, the dry matter content, and the crude protein, P, and K concentrations. For animal purchases or sales, the type of animal, number, and average weight per head is required. Next to information on imports and exports, the software requires information on homegrown feed (acres, average yield, dry matter, and nutrient contents). Although this information does not contribute to the balance, as it is neither imported nor exported, this data is used to calculate efficiency indicators that are included in the opportunities table that is included in the report.

The first training sessions with these powerpoint slides were held with farmers in the Caring Dairy program of Ben and Jerry’s in January and in March. The training reached about 30 farmers from the coop. Very similar training sessions were done throughout 2017 with consultant audiences.

In collaboration with Agricultural Consulting Service (ACS), we evaluated integration of mass balance assessment with record keeping, which resulted in ACS incorporating the assessment into their fields and crops record keeping system. This evaluation was published in a journal article: 

1. Van Almelo, J., Q.M. Ketterings, and S. Cela (2016) Integrating record keeping with whole farm nutrient mass balance: A case study. Journal of Agricultural Science 8: 22-32. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/jas.v8n6p22.

An additional extension article and impact statement were generated on this project:

1. Impacts of Cornell’s Nutrient Mass Balance Diagnostic Tool:An Industry Perspective. http://blogs.cornell.edu/whatscroppingup/2016/05/19/integrating-record-keeping-with-whole-farm-nutrient-mass-balance-a-case-study/
2. Integrating Record Keeping with Whole Farm Nutrient Mass Balance; A Case Study. http://nmsp.cals.cornell.edu/publications/impactstatements/ACSmassbalance.pdf

In addition, in 2017, we added two publications on trends in mass balances in New York and the Upper Susquehanna Watershed that was in part funded by NESARE (incorporates many mass balances):

1. Cela, S., Q.M. Ketterings, M., Soberon, C. Rasmussen, and K.J. Czymmek (2016). Upper Susquehanna watershed and New York State improvements in nitrogen and phosphorus mass balances of dairy farms. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 27:1-11. doi: 10.2489/jswc.72.1.1.
2. What’s Cropping Up? Series: Phosphorus and the Environment Article 4: Greatly Improved Nutrient Efficiency Demonstrates New York Dairy Farmers’ Environmental Stewardship.

Additionally, we are currently in the progress of updating the NMB calculator to include extra farm efficiency indicators and to make it more user-friendly. To do this, we are working with a software programmer and with Cornell University animal nutrition specialists.

Milestone 2. Forty interested farm advisors and eighty farmers receive the educational materials electronically through the NMB website (http://nmsp.cals.cornell.edu/NYOnFarmResearchPartnership/MassBalances.html) and listservs. (Completion date: January 31, 2017)

We used the materials developed for the training with the Caring Dairy Program for meetings with consulting firms and farmers. Meetings were held with several individual farms, with staff of consulting firms (Western New York Crop Management Association [WNYCMA], Agricultural Consulting Service [ACS], Champlain Valley Ag [CVA]), with the Cornell Cooperative Extension office of Delaware County, and with the Soil and Water Conservation Districts united in the Upper Susquehanna Coalition (USC). This resulted in an audience of 69 farm advisors, with 18 mass balances completed in 2017 (excluding the Caring Dairy initiative). Talks were given at the Northeastern Plant, Pest, and Soils Conference (about 25 people), in Philadelphia, PA, at the Agronomy, Soil and Crop Science Society of America meetings in both 2016 and 2017 (about 100 people total), at the Northern New York crop meetings (about 70 people), and as part of the Center for Dairy Excellence Seminar Series (about 30 people) to reach a multi-state audience. In addition, recognizing the importance of involvement of nutritionist with NMB assessments, a presentation was given in 2018 at the Cornell Nutrition Conference for an estimated attendance of 250 people. The 2017 presentations resulting new grants with NMB assessments included by counterparts in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Connecticut, and Maine. Additional talks were given in 2019 as whole farm NMB assessment was build into state policy on adaptive management for nitrogen (http://nmsp.cals.cornell.edu/publications/files/AdaptiveManagementGuidelinesFor2018.pdf). We expect to release the new NY Phosphorus Index in the winter of 2019/2020 which includes whole farm P balances as part of an incentive program as well.

In New York itself (outside of Ben and Jerry’s Caring Dairy program), we were able to complete 15 whole farm nutrient mass balances for the 2015 calendar year, 19 for 2016 and 23 for 2017, and 25 for 2018, working with farmers directly and with farm advisors. The Caring Dairy initiative added 39 farms for the 2015 growing season, 52 for the 2016 growing season, and another 56 and 55 farms for 2017 and 2018, respectively. These activities expanded the number of service providers who participated (completed balances) to 69.

Milestone 3. Twenty dairy farm advisors learn how to conduct whole farm NMB assessments and interpret the results through four on-location group meetings (two meetings/year in different locations) and webinars, which can be used for reference and self-study after workshops. (Completion date: June 31, 2017)

Six New York meetings were held with several individual farms, with consulting firms (WNYCMA, ACS, CVA), with the Cornell Cooperative Extension office of Delaware County, and with the Soil and Water Conservation Districts united in the Upper Susquehanna Coalition (USC) in March through May of 2017. This resulted in an audience of 69 farm advisors in total. Through these meetings, and with the meetings of the Caring Dairy Program included, 80 farmers completed their NMBs for at least one year and 44 farms have 4 years of data. 

Milestone 4. Eight farm advisors who agree to complete NMBs and discuss the results with two farmers each will receive follow-up farm visits from the project team to support their work. Mass balances will be completed for sixteen farms for two years (2016 and 2017 calendar years). (Completion date: April 30, 2018)

In the 2016 and 2017 calendar years, we completed 71 and 79 whole farm mass balances, respectively. This included 52 and 56 farms participating in the Caring Dairy Program. For the 2018 calendar year, 80 farm balances were completed and reports shared with the producers. The project and our papers triggered follow-up conversations with several interested industry and university groups. The current database includes 44 farms with four years of data. Almost all of the farms outside of the Caring Dairy Program were visited individually, while for the Caring Dairy Program group meetings were held. Almost always the meetings included the consultant, crop advisor, or coordinator who submitted the data.

Milestone 5. The eight farm advisors working with two farmers each will identify two areas of possible investigation/improvement on the farms as a result of the NMB assessments and discussions with farmers. (Completion date: April 30, 2018)

The calendar year 2016 was a challenging year for many farmers (drought). Each farm received a list with farm indicators that could be used to determine opportunities for improvement over time. Such indicators should be evaluated for at least two years in a row and were continued through the 2018 calendar year. The year 2017 was a very different year (extreme rainfall in many areas in the state) while 2018 seems a bit better. The weather extremes during the 2015-2018 time period caused fluctuations in yield levels for many of the farms. Thus, it we important to talk with the farmers and consultants about reasons for year to year differences in farm balances, and the need to evaluate management of the farm through NMB assessment over multiple years. Through our farm visits we collected feedback from farmers and farm advisors on the assessment and the reporting. This resulted in improved reporting (green box figures, trend figures for farms with multiple years of data, expanded opportunity table that farmers and consultants can use to identify areas of improvement). These meetings also resulted in improved teaching materials (presentations), farmer participation over multiple years, and the recognition that 3-year running averages better reflect farm management than single year data. Based on the feedback, we improved the NMB software and its reporting and updated software that reflects the improvements will be made available this fall.

Milestone 6. Eight farm advisors and sixteen farmers will respond to project verification surveys and report on their experiences conducting NMBs, farm management practices investigated and/or changed as a result of NMBs, and intention to continue conducting NMBs (as advisors and as farmers). (Completion date: July 30, 2018)

We followed up with producers with multi-year records and their crop consultants through farm visits in the fall of 2018 and spring of 2019. We opted for the in person visits (instead of mail in surveys) giving the challenges in farming in the previous years (low milk price, drought followed by extremely wet weather) and the need for a more personal approach to getting feedback. Two more formal individual interviews were done with two of the farms with longer-term records, and with a consulting firms who implemented the assessment in its software. These interviews were published as impact statement on the NMB website of the Nutrient Management Spear Program (http://nmsp.cals.cornell.edu/NYOnFarmResearchPartnership/MassBalances.html):

• McMahon Family’s Clear Vision Brings E-Z Acres Farm to Economic and Environmental Sustainability
• Impacts of Cornell’s Nutrient Mass Balance Diagnostic Tool: An Industry Perspective.
• Nutrient Mass Balance Tool Helps Table Rock Farm Achieve Their Goals.