Tuesday, 7 October 2008: 3:00 PM

George R. Brown Convention Center, 361F

Gary W. Hergert, University of Nebraska, 4502 Avenue I, Scottsbluff, NE 69361, Douglas Beegle, 116 Ag Sciences & Industries Building, Pennsylvania State Univ., Pennsylvania State University, Dept of Crop and Soil Sciences, University Park, PA 16802-3504, David Mengel, 2004 Throckmorton Hall, Kansas State University, Kansas State University, Department of Agronomy, Manhattan, KS 66506-5501, John (Jack) Meisinger, BARC-East - 10300 Baltimore Ave, USDA-ARS, Bldg 163F Room 6, Beltsville, MD 20705-2350 and James S. Schepers, 113 Keim Hall, USDA-ARS, Lincoln, NE 68583-0915

Efficient use of agricultural N requires site-specific application of N management principles to the unique soil-crop-livestock settings of a farm, as influenced by climate. With concern about N effects on surface, ground and even gulf waters, managing and assessing N effects compared to P is complicated. The dynamic nature of N with its many loss mechanisms (immobilization, leaching, volatilization and denitrification) greatly complicates assessing effects and management compared to P which is a primary concern for surface water. Over time agricultural scientists have developed many specific tools and approaches to improve N use efficiency across a wide array of soil resources, cropping systems, tillage regimes, climatic regions and water management systems (rain-fed to irrigated). Assessing such a wide array of site-specific conditions is further complicated by the required inclusion of large livestock production systems in different regions of the country. Nutrient inputs from manure needs to be addressed with commercial N sources. Changes in feed sources, manure management systems, and varying land application practices require assessment. However, the tools and approaches for efficient N management all share one common theme: improving N efficiency should focus on management, i.e. educating and training the producer. A N management assessment program (NMAP) will be described that seeks to inventory current N management practices on a site-specific basis and compares them to current accepted practices of good N management. This tool is intended to be a simple producer inventory (possibly similar to Farm-A-Syst) that can be used to identify areas within a farm or on a whole-farm basis that could benefit from enhanced N management. An end product would also suggest site-specific techniques to improve N use efficiency on individual N management units.

See more of: Symposium --Research Needs to Improve Soil Conservation Models
See more of: S06 Soil & Water Management & Conservation

2008 Joint Annual Meeting (5-9 Oct. 2008): Developing an N Management Assessment Tool.

681-6 Developing an N Management Assessment Tool.