"The reason we have not been able to seriously address water quality is because we primarily focus our efforts on treating the symptoms of poor water quality rather than addressing the underlying cause of the problem," Brian Dougherty says.
Cover crops reduce sediment loss and total phosphorus loss from no-till corn and soybean fields, according to a study published in the Journal of Environmental Management.
"One concern I have is that some growers treat their P and K like balancing a checkbook, trying to calculate what is taken off the field and putting that amount back on in fertilizer. In almost all cases, this type of accuracy is not needed for removal-based guidelines," says nutrient management specialist Dan Kaiser.
Data was collected and analyzed from 15 farmers for the 2019-2021 crop years to demonstrate the impact of conservation on soil and water quality. Four of the farms also participated in an assessment of how the practices affect financials.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox released April 5 a new policy memorandum on Accelerating Nutrient Pollution Reductions in the Nation's Waters. This memo reaffirms EPA's commitment to working with others, including the agriculture community, to advance progress in reducing excess nutrients in the nation's waters.
While animal manure can be a valuable source of nutrients for plants and organic matter for the soil, it has some potential downsides, most notably that the nutrient ratio is fixed. Follow these tips from the University of Minnesota to minimize excess phosphorus build-up from manure.
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On this episode of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by Martin-Till, Brian and Darren Hefty, fourth-generation farmers and hosts of Ag PhD, share tips for treating tar spot in corn.
Needham Ag understands the role of technology in making better use of limited resources within a specific environment by drawing on a wealth of global experience to overcome the challenges facing today's farmers, manufacturers and dealers.
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