It is all about utilization of what is applied.

2/2/2017

Author: Dr. Howard Brown, Project Director

It is not about reducing the amount of nutrients a farmer uses to optimize harvest yield and farm profitability, it is all about utilization of inputs applied. Inputs cost money so why would a farmer want to apply more than what is needed by the crop? The answer is clear... no farmer wants to apply inputs just to spend money. To the contrary, farmers are looking for ways to optimize what inputs are applied. Paris High School Ag Students are participating in a new approach to provide area farmers with more information to help them make better N input management decisions.

The Paris High School Project address four simple questions:
1. What is the best time to apply N for the 2017 crop?
2. Is there a way to track plant-available N in the soil over time?
4. How does the concentration of nitrate-N in subsurface drainage tile change over time?
3. Do cover crops tie-up soil N?
4. Does the 360 SOILSCAN measure the same amount of plant-available N as soil testing laboratories?

You have an opportunity to watch each the creation and development of each of these projects by regualry visits to www.nu-tracker.com. The website will serve as the outreach platform for each of the projects mentioned. Students are involved with every aspect of the site. Students help collect soil samples to track plant-available N over time. Students will collect sub-surface tile water samples to track changes in nitrate-N over time. Students will analyze soil samples on the 260 SOILSCAN to compare results with laboratory analyses. Students will develop website content and organization. Teachers will help coach students as well.

The Paris High School Project is only a beginning. There will be more to come and more to report. Come back and visit often to watch how this new approach to Nutrient Stewardship Outreach develops. I am excited about what the school has initiated and what we will accomplish.

Let us know what you think about the project. What do you like and how can we make it better? Thanks in advance for making time to provide us feedback. This is designed as an outreach project for all of us.

7 Comments

Teresa Cheers

2/2/2017 05:59:01 pm

The 5 projects are amazing learning tools for the future stewards of the land. The individual projects allow the students to learn cause and affect while utilizing forward thinking, modern technology and advanced nutrient replacement reasoning.
Though the Cereal Rye Cover Crop. crop was inadequate because of the weather, it allows students to make the best of a situation and observe what happens when certain decisions are made and followed through.
The 360 Soil Scan is the utilization of the most current technology. If the on-site results and the lab results of the soil tests are within an acceptable margin of error, the benefits of this equipment to Crop Advisors are amazing.
The Nitrogen Management study is a way to show cause and effect to students by implementing theory and putting it into action. By applying N to a field in the fall, observing the weather and effects of different precipitation events, planting the seed and watching the plants develop and observing the affects of a fall N application.
The Soil Tracker will allow a student to learn cause and effect of farming practices and how these practices effect the sub-soil which will effect the top soil which will effect the ultimate crop yield.
The N Tracker Tile Water will allow a student to observe long-term cause and effect of field tiling and water management.

Ronald Proctor

3/16/2017 12:38:25 am

After reviewing this project I see great opportunity for the students taking part in this research. It is a chance for them to learn the application, availability and leeching of anhydrous ammonia and to aid local farmers by way of research data. Students can utilize the hands on experience to gain knowledge of a possible careers in Soil Science, Natural Resource Management, Research and other Ag careers.
The research study can be very productive for the local area. I think it would be an advantage to other High Schools across the country to implement programs to study not only nitrogen types and application times but also other fertilizers and nutrients.
I complement the students for their hard work and dedication to the project.

Joseph M Havens

3/16/2017 03:27:56 pm

These projects are an awesome way for students to learn more about fertilization in the soil. I really wish my high school could have done this. I do have a suggestion. I think that reaching out and actually talking to farmers about their experiences on their own farms would benefit this project. By getting to know different management practices in the area it can help in knowing the actual thought process that farmers go through every year when applying fertilizer. By knowing their thought process then it would be a lot easier to give a presentation at the end of the year. You could say that you actually talked to farmers and asked them about their operations. Once again I think this is a great experiment and that is my only suggestion. Other than that I think that the different application methods you are testing are diverse enough to cover most all aspects of fertilizer application.

Jonathan Mrozek

3/16/2017 03:37:55 pm

I think the outcome of these projects have beneficial impacts not only for farmers, but also for the students conducting the experiments. Being able to determine optimal application times/rates as well as other information about soil nutrients would increase efficiency on the farm greatly. These projects wouldn't only solve problems for farmers, they would also offer an explanation as to why different practices might work out better. In addition to the benefits to farmers, this program also helps the students. Allowing high school students to engage in these types of projects give them hands on experience as well as exposure to a field of study that might catch their interest. It's never too early to start learning the experimental process, and seeing how the experiments benefit people in real life can be rewarding, and might even spark a future career path for some students.

Natalie Hein-Ferris

3/16/2017 03:42:04 pm

Hello
This is an extremely great opportunity for you folks, to not only engage in projects that interest you, but also give back to the community as well. It is more critical than ever that we encourage and educate farmers to reduce the amount of fertilizers which have to potential to leach, volatilize and runoff. I think it is amazing that you guys are starting to learn to how to properly measure soil and nutrients in the soil at such a young age. I didn't learn about soil testing until my sophomore year of college. So you guys are truly blessed to be exposed to such great knowledge Dr. Brown and nu-tracker has provided. With such power comes great responsibility. I only encourage you to share your knowledge with friends, family and other farmers.

Brad Bernhard

3/16/2017 09:42:05 pm

All of these projects are very interesting and will answer many of the questions that growers and industry leaders have. This is a great opportunity for these kids to gain experience and have hands on learning in agriculture and research. I am most interesting the N timing experiment as it is a very important question that needs to be addressed. I am also looking into that same question in my graduate work on when is the best time to apply N and if spilt applying N is better than putting it all out at one time. It will be interesting to see how the results of these projects turn out.

Frank Rademacher

3/16/2017 09:48:32 pm

I love the idea behind this and how the website is coming along. The research topics cover a wide, holistic range of N concerns and I'm glad you included cover crops because I think there needs to be more awareness about some of their potential benefits. One additional thing I think would be interesting is the seasonal natural ability of a healthy soil to produce nitrogen from O.M. In one of my soils classes, we looked at a study examining the significant amount of N that can be lost from tile lines of a fallow field.
Also, I am impressed with the amount of work that is being done for this project! Having taken nitrate samples myself last summer I definitely can appreciate those 2 foot samples. I love the setup of this study so far and will be sure to keep up with it as the season progress. You can never do too much research on nutrient management as it brings both an economic and environmental benefit when done right.

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It is all about utilization of what is applied.

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Dr. Brown

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Outreach Program Director

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It is all about utilization of what is applied.