Nutrient Management Plans Expose Fertilization Opportunities
NORCROSS, Ga.-In recent years,
there has been an increased empha
sis on nutrient management plans
to improve the matching of nutrient
inputs with production potentials.
With nutrient management plans,
better recommendations can be
developed for nutrient rates,
sources, timings, and application
methods to achieve farmer agronom
ic, economic, and environmental
objectives.
All nutrient management plans
should be based on soil tests. Too
often though, they start and end
with collecting a composite soil sam
ple from each field on the farm and
following the soil test recommenda
tion. Soil test results and recom
mendations are excellent tools, but
should only be a starting place in
nutrient management planning. Soil
test results can be made more pow
erful when combined with the fol
lowing information:
•Farmer managerial skills.
•Achievable yield goals and the
potential for yield improvements.
•Soil physical conditions which
either enhance or limit crop
response.
•All nutrient inputs.
•Crop nutrient uptake demand
and harvest removals.
•Opportunities to build soil test
levels to increase yields.
Were
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Disc Harrows
. 5.2", 6'4" or 8' widths
• Adjustable gang angles
• 18" Notched or smooth disc blades, 22" on 8'
• Break up the ground with a heavy-duty frame and
heat-treated disc blades
• Ideal for landscapers and small acreage farmers
Betts Equipment
3139 Windy Bush Road.Rt 232
New Hope, PA 18938
215-598-7501
Hoober, Inc.
Mam Street
Intercourse, PA 17534
717-768-8231
Hoober, Inc.
East Mam Street
McAhsterville, PA 17049
717-463-2191
Deerfield Ag &
Turf Center, Inc.
RR 2 Box 212
Watsontown, PA 17777
570-538-3557
Detlan Equipment, Inc.
141 East Mam St
Silverdale, PA 18962
215-257-5177
Thomas L. Dunlap
Rt 220, Mam St Exit
Jersey Shore, PA 17740
570-398-1391
•Opportunities to minimize risks
from drought, diseases, excessive
moisture, and other crop stresses.
•Landlord/renter relationships.
•Environmentally sensitive areas.
Good yields will be critical to prof
itability this year, because of low
crop prices. Producing high yields
with low cost per unit of grain, fiber,
meat, milk, or other commodity is
the challenge, every year. Every
farmer needs to capitalize on the
seemingly rare years with favorable
weather and good crop prices. A good
nutrient management plan can
ensure that opportunities are not
lost. In years of low crop prices, past
efforts to build soil tests to optimum
agronomic levels will pay off in
greater flexibility to adjust produc
tion budgets.
On farms where animal waste is
a resource, experiences with nutri
ent management plans indicate that
nutrient imbalances are not uncom
mon. The nitrogen, phosphorous,
potassium ratio of animal wastes,
and the disproportionate crop
uptake and removal of these three
nutrients often result in elevated
phosphorus levels in some fields.
Many of these same fields may ben
efit from potassium addition. With
nutrient management plans, these
fields, or sub-fields, can be better
identified for management changes.
■ * * 1
Eckroth Bros Farm Equip
Rd 2, Box 24A
New Rmgold, PA 17960
570-943-2131
Eckroth Equipment Co.
4910 Kernsville Rd
Orefield, PA 18069
610-366-2095
Hines Equipment
RT 220, Belwood, PA
814-742-8171
Keller Brothers
R 7 Box 405
Lebanon, PA 17042
717-949-6501
1950 Fruitville Pike
Lancaster, PA 17601
717-569-2500
M.S. Yearsley & Sons
West Chester, PA
610-696-2990
Pikeville Equipment Inc.
RD 2, Oysterdale Road
Oley, PA 19547
610-927-6277
HERSHEY (Dauphin Co.) On
November 22, 1960, the Pennsylva
nia Grassland Council, which later
became the Forage and Grassland
Council, was formed by a group of
farmers, industry representatives,
and educators with a single vision:
“working together for better forage
programs.”
landpnde com
Stoltzfus Farm Service
Cochranville, PA
610-593-2407
Stouffer Bros Inc.
1066 Lincoln Way West
Chambersburg, PA 17201
717-263-8424
Rodio Tractor Sales
North White Horse Pike
Hammonton, N.J 08037
609-561-0141
Warren County Service
Center
228 Route 94, Blairtown, N J
908-362-6916
Frank Rymon
& Sons, Inc.
RD 3, Box 355
Washington, N J 07882
908-689-1464
Foraging Around, Lancaater Farming, Saturday, February 12, 2000—Page 17
Animal waste applications may be
adjusted or redirected to other fields
to better match plant nutrient
requirements. Nitrogen and potassi
um rates can be planned to bring
soil fertility levels in balance with
plant demands.
Most soil testing labs offer recom
mendations that are based on the
probability of response to lime or
nutrient additions. Many also con
sider the requirements for building
soil tests to research-supported opti
mum levels over a reasonable period
of time. These different soil test rec
ommendations are often labeled as
“lab recommendation philosophies.”
In reality, every farmer should con
sider not just what might be benefi
cial this year, but also for the long
term. This means that soil test “suf-
Pennsylvania Forage And Grassland
Council Forms To Help Farmers
ISC M WE.. C N 111 NE..S
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ficiency,” “build-and-maintenance,”
and “drawdown” approaches may be
equally viable. Each of these
approaches should be considered on
every field on every farm and proba
bly on sub-field units as well.
Nutrient management plans can
be tailored to individual producer
needs. With nutrient management
plans, farmers can develop short
term and long-term strategies for
each field to achieve; soil fertility
goals, high yields, field-by-field envi
ronmental objectives, and maxi
mized profit potential.
For more information, contact Dr.
Cliff S. Snyder, Midsouth Director,
PPI, P.O. Drawer 2440, Conway, AR
72033-2440, (501) 336-8110, e-mail;
csnyder@ppi-far.org.
The Grassland Council’s origi
nal statement of purpose has been
modified with time but the content
remains relatively unchanged: “col
lection, coordination, and dissemi
nation of information on all phases
of Pennsylvania grassland agricul
ture.”
The Pennsylvania Grassland
Council was the first such organiza
tion in the United States. Its forma
tion served as a model for other
states as 34 other councils in the
U.S. and Canada have been formed.
So when you hear or read about
a Forage and Grassland Council in
a state other than Pennsylvania, you
now know it all started here in the
Keystone state 40 years ago.
From the Grassland Council’s
beginning is was clear that it was
not the council’s intent to displace
or compete with other organiza
tions, but rather to encourage col
laboration of grassland activities
within Pennsylvania. The council
hosted regional and statewide cen-
trum to Page 20)
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