Page 20—Foraging Around, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 13, 1999 NORCROSS, Ga. - Nutrient management planning has emerged as a hot issue in mp ly parts of North America. The nutrients in manure are increasingly separated from where crops are produced. The resulting geography shows many areas of nutrient surplus, and also large areas of nutrient deficit. A report released in February 1998 by the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service estimates there are well over one million tons each of nitrogen, phosphate and potash in recoverable animal manures in the U.S. When distributed over all the cropland available on a county by county basis, up to 485 of the approximately three thousand coun ties are in a surplus situation, with more phosphorus in the manure than the crop removes at harvest. In Canada, significant amounts of manure are produced in Ontario and Quebec and the livestock indus try is expanding rapidly in the Prairie provinces. Soil test summaries across North America confirm that in states and provinces where manure nutrients exceed crop removal, soil test levels are rising. In spite of this, 46 per cent of the soils still test medium or less in phosphorus, 44 percent in potassium. These soils are consid ered to be in a responsive situa tion-the crops grown on them would yield substantially less if grown without nutrient inputs. In fact, even with the higher testing fields, there are areas with lower soil tests, because soil fertility varies across Economical Owner Sampler price at 840 per sample Innovative programs to meet every dairyman’s needs Dairy software - Heifer 9<S’-Software to track your heifers from birth to first calf. Lab Analyst-get every bit of information from your DHIA lab. Coming soon-the new herd management program. Track every aspect of your milking herd with Barn Owl 2000 “Watching over your Herd”. > Professionally trained technicians averaging 14 years of service, On-farm reports the day you test Milk Urea Nitrogen (MUN) testing at 15tf per sample Management Planning To Balance Nutrients the field. The amount of land responsive to nutrient inputs is very significant. On many of the higher testing fields, nutrients inputs may be less critical, but are still impor tant for maintenance of soil fertility. Management plans incorporating nutrient balances are proposed to help identify situations where sur pluses might contribute to environ mental harm. They can also enhance the agronomic soundness of a fertility program. As an example, there are little data available to pre dict the potassium content of forage based on soil test alone. However, soil testing coupled with forage analysis can identify either deficit or surplus, help to appropriately allo cate the feed, and identify the farm specific soil test level critical for the forage. In the future, more crops may need to be produced to attain a tar geted level of nutrient content. Comprehensive nutrient manage ment planning may help hit the tar get. Nutrient management planning provides another incentive for high yield crop management. Higher yield ing crops are not only more profitable, they remove more nutrients. In fact the amount of phosphorus removed per bushel of crop increases at higher yields. Corn crops over 200 bushels per acre often remove 0.4 pounds of phosphorus more per bushel of yield. Nutrient management planning is valuable because it is comprehensive. It involves components that comple ment each other. The components of a TEST WITH THE BEST PA DHIA 1 -800-DHI-TEST www.dhia.psu.edu SERVICE RELIABILITY INNOVATION INTEGRITY sound nutrient management plan include: an accurate yield goal and management to attain that yield goal...measurement of nutrients added in manures and removed by crops...consideration of all nutrient sources, including commercial fertiliz ers manures, amendments...realistic estimates of availability of different nutrient sources... maintenance of soil fertility by replacing nutrient removal...crop rotations planned for nutrient application opportunities ...adequate manure storage for unsea sonable weather...nutrient application timed to minimize risk of weather related losses...indicators of erosion and runoff transport, for example, a f ™S“ s Since 1979 Mixer Feeders have been recognized as one of the most dependable and strongest built mixers in the field. To enhance its existing line of Mixer Feeders LU ® K introduces the “P” Series of Mixer Feeders with six models ranging in size from the Model 300 with a mixing capacity of 310 cubic ft., to the Model 575 with a mixing capacity of 625 cubic ft. The Large diameter augers in all the “P” Series Mixer feeders are capable of giving the mix required, from rations with well cured, long stemmed legume-type hay, to mixes with green grass, and mixes with silage and commodities. Better milk production, better weight gains and greatly improved animal health are just some of the results of a finely-tuned feed ration. GET DETAILS ON THE ENTIRE RANGE OF luck^ now M |xer FEEDERS CANTON, PA HESS FARM EQUIPMENT RR3, BOX 160 CLIFFORD, PA NORTHEAST DISTRIBUTORS & EQUIPMENT ROUTE 106, WEST CLIFFORD, OFF 181 GREENCASTLE, PA MEYERS IMPLEMENT 400 N ANTRIM WAY Distributed By: [CHI CUMMINGS and BRICKED, Inc. wholesale distributors Serving Farmers Through Farm Equipment Dealers Since 1961 LEOLA, PA M.M. WEAVER & SONS 169 NORTH GROFFDALERD LOYSVILLE, PA McMILLEN BROS. LINEBORO, MO RD#l - BOX 134 WERTZ FARM EQUIPMENT PO BOX 75 MARTINSBURG, PA WINELANO EQUIPMENT. INC. MASSEY, MD RD#2, ROUTE 164 EAST JONES DAIRY SERVICE 12667 MASSEY ROAD MIFFLINBURG, PA HESS EQUIPMENT SALES & SERVICE RR3, BOX 160 EZ FLEX FINANCING Take Delivery Before April 15,1999 I 4 - 9% - 36 Months W /O 5.9% -48 Months 24 Month ' Or No Payment Until Jan. 1,2000 100 Stover Drive Carlisle, PA 17013 717/249-6720 Phosphorus Index ...and site-specific application to direct nutrients within fields to areas of greatest need and least environmental risk. Not all components are workable in every situation. Still, a more com prehensive approach to nutrient management will help assure a pro gressive future for agriculture in North America. And how much improvement will you see on your farm? You won’t know until you plan. (For more information, contact Dr. Tom Bruulsema, Eastern Canada and Northeast U.S. Director, PPI, 18 Maplewood Drive, Guelph, Ontario NIG ILB, Canada. (519) 821-5519; E mail; tbruuselma@ppi-far.org. “P” SERIES FREDERICK, MD DOODY MECHANICAL 100-120 Lehigh Ave. - PO Box 928 Batavia, New York 14021-0928 716/343-5411 SERVICE PO BOX 3773
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