(Continued from Pago A 24) Through the existing Global Positioning System (GPS), a satel lite dish could be mounted on the top of a tractor and, perhaps in the future, a producer could drive down the field, mapping many aspects of the field, such as mois ture, nutrient values, slope, etc. Overall, Roth said that manage ment can be expected to increase in efficiency simply because of hav ing good information by which to make decisions. “I see a lot of potential for a lot of technology on the shelf that’s not being adapted.” On another subject. Dr. Doug Beegle said that most farmers cur rendy have a nutrient management plan, though it may be in their head. He said that most people who may be affected by a proposed nutrient management law would simply have to write down their current practices. He said that currently most pro ducers consider a number of aspects about spreading manure and applying nutrients which fol low what is being asked for proper management. According to Beegte, most pro ducers already consider, for each Held, the source of the nutrients, the application rate, the time of application, the method of incor poration, additional fertilizer applications, and any special field considerations, such as proximity to waterways. “Everyone managing manure is already making those decisions," Force Soil Insecticide Delivers More Performance And Fewer Worries • FORCE' soil insecticide delivers outstanding rootworm control • FORCE outperforms Lorsban on cutworms 83% to 76% (Counter can’t touch cutworms) • FORCE is measurably better against wireworms and white grubs • FORCE works in all weather conditions / • interact with / Sg Accent or /f Jf • FORCE Jf won’t harm earthworms 01 OhU3 111 Large Turnout For Dauphin, Lebanon Crops Day Beegle said. "‘For a lot of you it may mean just writing it down.” However, Beegle said that pro ducers should also look hard at the quantity of manure, its nutrient value, and any additional sources. To determine quantity, he said those with a manure pit can have a good idea of what is available, but they should understand that what is in the pit isn’t all the manure being produced on the farm. According to Beegle, one cow produces about 20 tons of manure per year. Using that figure (which is included in a table in the Penn State University Agronomy Guide, available through exten sion offices), he showed calcula tions which projected a model for a 100-cow dairy operation. According to Beegle, the herd would produce 1,945 tons of man ure per year, 1,225 tons of manure is collected, 720 tons is uncol lected. The uncollected manure is that which is deposited by cows on pasture or dry lots (Which are nof-’ mally located close to waterways, and which should be of concern to livestock producers, he said.). He based his figures on 185-days of 24-hour confinement (manure being captured), and 180-days of 6-hour-per-day confinement. He said that while the manure produced is 1,945 tons, only 1,225 tons can be spread on crop fields. Next is to determine the nutrient quality of the manure, which can also be done very roughly through CONTACT YOUR LOCAL ICI DEALER the use of a table within the Agro nomy Guide, but which must be done through a manure analysis to approach any kind of reliability. He said that values for nutrients for different manures vary. Also, within each manure type, there is additional variance in the chemical form each nutrient. This variance in chemical form means a variance in availability of a specif--' ic nutrient to a specific crop. For example, nitrogen can be in manure in several forms urea, protein, etc. and each form has different solubility and volatility. It all means that the plant can use some forms of nitrogen in manure immediately, and some forms throughout the season. Some forms may not be avail able to a plant for much longer per iods, depending on environmental conditions. All this means that there is a var iance between the manure test readings and how much of that a particular crop can use. According to Beegle, potash can be treated on a pound-per-pound basis compared to manure analys is. Phosphorus can also be treated that way, except when used as a starter. Nitrogen is more volatile. Bee gle said that SO percent of the test amount of nitrogen is available if it is spread and incorporated the same day. • FORCE won’t harm birds • FORCE doesn’t contaminate groundwater • FORCE is a generation ahead for the generations ahead mIW ZtNFC Mix FORCE' isa trademark ot in K Ummp Company Accent is a trademark of L I duPont dt Nemours &cCo Ncacon is a trademark of CibaC»einy( orporation Countti isa trademtrk ol American C v manud ( ornpinv I utsbui is a trademark ol DowElanco FORCE and C ouncei ire restricted use pesticides Always read and follow libel directions can fully Dara‘source I niccrsiry ot Illinois Jdd2 Force A Generation Ahead For The Generations Ahead If seven days go by before incor poration, the loss of crop-available nitrogen from cow manure dimi nishes rapidly. Because of the different forms of nutrients and because they can bind with other soil components or become otherwise physically trapped, there is the residual effect to all nutrients. Beegle said that if a field gets manure spread on it frequently about eight out of 10 years the amount of nitrogen buildup in the soil is roughly estimated to be 25 percent of what has been applied annually. Field information is also integ ral to good nutrient management, Beegle said. He recommended having recorded a crop plan, crop history, crop rotation, soil limitations (such as slopes, etc.), and the soil nutri ent base level. From this, he suggested priori tizing fields for manure applica tions by catagories: by crop, going from those requiring nitrogen to those not requiring nitrogen; by nitrogen requirements, going from high levels to low levels (accord ing to soil tests); by phosphorus and potash tests, going from those with low amounts to high amounts (it’s much easier to build up high amounts of these nutrients); and by soil limitations, going from those with slopes or soil drainage which You're Looking at the Start of Something Big Hardy Brand Hybrid Seed Corn H 86314 H 86450 H 86500 104 Days This is alO for silage or grain has excellent fall health H 86407 114 Days Superior plant health, very high yields in grain H86270M115 Days Fine seedling vigor, excellent yields, strong stalks H 86345 116 Days Tons of quality silage and grain, good agronomics Don’t forget about these winners! 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He said a simple formula to determine the maximum applica tion rate is to take the recom mended amount of nutrient per acre for crop and divide that by the amount available in the manure. As an example, Beegle said that, if the recommendation is for 100 pounds per acre and the manure provides 5 pounds per ton, then the application rale of manure would be for 20 tons per acre. “It gives a ballpark amount, and is perhaps a different rate on diffe rent fields.” Being able to manage this way which has been suggested for some years as a way to cut down on overhead by reducing purchases of unneeded commer cial fertilizer also requires a producer’s ability to calibrate his' manure spread rate, he said.
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