Fertilizer and Math Skills

Did you know that I do a lot of math over the winter?  Actually, we do a lot of math on the farm, period (sometimes in the form of…if I can get 15 acres/hour done, and have 45 more acres to do, what time will I be home?). 

After harvest we immediately start planning for the next crop.  One very important part of the next crop is the fertilizer.  The main sources of fertilizer we look at are nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (P).  On our farm we have different sources of fertilizer that are applied onto our field as:

• Manure
  • Cattle manure
  • Hog manure
• “Commercial” fertilizer (what we have to buy to put it on our fields)

This may seem simple.  “Put on fertilizer!”  Just like everything, it ISN’T that simple. 

We have multiple fields, with multiple yields and crops.  Which then means each field has a different removal of nutrients (for each bushel of corn/soybeans they remove N-P-K).

So we have to look at:

1. What crop was on each field
2. What was the yield (which then relates to what was removed as nutrients from the soil)

This will tell us how many nutrients were removed for this past year (we use ISU values to determine what was removed)

We also need to know:

1. What is the soil analysis for that field?
   1. Did we have high analyses for P and K?  or low?
2. What was applied as fertilizer the year before?  or, the history of the field?
3. What do we want?  are we short (too low) on nutrients, long (too many)? what is the investment?
4. What will the weather be?  What’s the plan for next year? 2 years? 1 year? etc

Remember, each of these answers is different for each field!

In summary, Mr. Snyder & Mr. A would be proud that I’m putting my math skills to work.  And, Excel ® is a great program to help me out! 

Harvest 2016

A harvest post in December you ask? 
Yes.  A harvest post in December. 
This fall was BEAUTIFUL.  The weather was awesome.  Once harvest began, we didn’t stop.  As great as that sounds now, it was rather challenging to keep up with. 
Here are some highlights:

• Chopped earlage on 9/8 (which is now being used for our cattle feed)
• Soybean harvest started on 9/27 and ended on 10/11 (we did a few days of corn in there, too)
• Corn harvest went from 10/12 to 10/24
• Drilled cover crops from 9/21 – 10/29
• Baled cornstalk bales (to be used as bedding and feed for cattle)
• Spread cattle and pig manure (fertilizer!!)
• Moved cattle from the pasture to cornstalks

We finished up early compared to the past 3 years of harvest:

• 2016: 9/27-10/24
• 2015: 9/26-11/04
• 2014: 9/29-11/08
• 2013: 9/27-11/03

My role was a lot different this year.  In the past, I’ve mostly helped in the office.  This year I did cattle chores every morning, drilled cover crops, baled cornstalk bales, and tried to keep up in the office.  I’m way more involved, and I’m happy to say I’m still (somewhat) sane! 

A selfie with the family!

Some of the almost 500 cornstalk bales

Drilling cover crops.  This was my view a lot this fall

              

The combine :)

The cattle came from the pasture onto cornstalks and cover crop

The Trouble with Water Quality

I apologize for not writing for awhile.  Apparently, it is super cool to have meeting after meeting after meeting in January, February, and March.  And, apparently, I want to go to EVERY SINGLE ONE. 

I received an update Tuesday afternoon about a lawsuit that is going forward in the state of Iowa.  This lawsuit isn’t in our county or our watershed, but it could have an impact on the way we farm in the future.  Water quality is important to me and my family.  We drink the water, too. 

I’ve written before of some of the things we do on our farm for water quality (confluence tour, ISA tour, cover crops, and Kossuth county tour) .  These are things we will continue to do, regardless of the lawsuit.  I know others will, too. 

However, this lawsuit frustrates me because it will not help water quality.  The lawsuit wants farmers to file permits to discharge nutrients, just like the company does itself.  So, instead of working on ways to reduce nutrients, we pay to release them.  For the goals in my farming and professional life, this doesn’t make sense.   

Data (that is useful and trustworthy) has actually shown that water quality has been improving in the larger watershed that the lawsuit is directed towards. The decline in nitrates may be small, but it is certainly encouraging.  See page 7-8 of this progress report http://www.acwa-rrws.org/pdf/ACWArpt2013.pdf. 

Water quality can only be improved with a team approach.  Water quality is a complex process in which there is no “one size fits all” practice (i.e. regulation) that will ‘fix’ it.  I am working with farmers in my watershed and others to achieve the goal of improving water quality.  Continual improvement is key. 

With that (and off my soap box) what #1NewThingforWater will YOU do? 

Below is a photo of our wetland this spring.  Water sits in this and helps to reduce nitrates in the groundwater. 

Iowa Soybean Association Environmental Discovery Tour

Happy Veterans Day!  I am thankful for all of those who have served, and who are serving for our freedom.

Harvest is complete!!!  Corn was finished up on November 3rd.  However, just because harvest is over, does not mean that we are ‘done.’  It actually means that the next crop year has just begun!  Now that our 2013 crop is officially harvested, we now start preparations for our 2014 crop. We've put on manure for fertilizer and tillage has begun. 

                                        Strip Tillage

                 Strip Tillage

Disk Ripping

In late October we were able to be a part of the Iowa Soybean Association Environmental Discovery Tour. This tour was presented by the Iowa Soybean Association and Agriculture's Clean Water Alliance.  This tour included about 50 politicians, reporters and city officials.  The idea was to get these participants out to a real farm to see what tools we have been using to protect water quality by using some tools that are part of the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy. It was a wonderful tour! For this group to take their entire day to meet and visit with us about our farm shows me that they too, are committed to protecting water quality. 

Our focus of the tour was to show how manure and the Iowa Soybean Association's On-Farm Network ® correlate to water quality on our farm.  We enjoy doing tours like this we want to tell our story. Plus, we can get a better idea of what concerns consumers (or in this instance - Water Quality Experts and Legislators) might have. 

We believe it's important that we take the "voluntary" approach to the Nutrient Reduction Strategy seriously.  Now is the time to figure out and to show that we care about water quality and we are committed to this strategy.  However, this is also a time to step up and work together with all point and nonpoint sources to reduce nutrients in our waters.  We feel that if water quality is not improved in the state within a few years the voluntary Nutrient Reduction Strategy will become a mandatory Nutrient Reduction Strategy through legislation. This is a very important opportunity for farmers to show that we don't need legislation to make changes, and that we are willing to help improve water quality.   

Some of the highlights from our part of the tour included:

• We have moved to no till and reduced tillage to help protect soil from erosion as well as increase soil health.
• We test the nutrients in the manure and the soil to prevent over application.
• We use cover crops to limit nutrient runoff and leaching.
• We focus on the right rate, right timing, right placement and right source of nutrients.
• We use technology to plan our nutrient applications, to apply those nutrients, and to evaluate those decisions. 
• Manure is not a ‘waste’ product.  It is a fertilizer that we use and is carefully planned and placed for the crop needs. 
• Our operation is constantly changing as we learn about how we affect water quality and what we can do to help protect it. 
• A large part of what we do on our farm is evaluating our current farming practices and looking for ways to improve upon it. 

Below are some articles about the tour :)

Iowa Soybean Association:  Environmental Discovery Tour

The Daily Freeman - Journal:  Taking a one-water approach

DTN Progressive Farmer:  Discovering Conservation 

Brownfield:  Tour examines Iowa farmers' efforts to improve environment

Outdoor Observations

Okay. My goal was to do a post for my blog once a month. I'll change that goal to once a month on average. :)

Harvest for us began on September 27th. The bean crop is harvested, and we are already over half way done with corn. The harvest isn't as bountiful as we hoped, but it is a harvest. The kids and I are trying to enjoy all of the beautiful fall days that we can (and while the sun is still out!).

So, the real reason I haven't posted is because I didn't think I had much to post about. Well, now I am behind because there is a lot to post about!

We were able to be involved with a Water Quality Tour last week (this will be my next post :)), and it was great! That is what kicked off me getting inspired to write again!  Then, over the weekend my Mom came up and I started on my Christmas Shopping List (BOOM).  While I was obviously busy, AJ was out putting on fertilizer with our strip till bar (another post…). Today, I was lucky enough to help keep an eye on….(drumroll please)….MANURE APPLICATION! On the farm, this is what I get excited for!

A few facts:

• The manure from our hog building is 'liquid.'
• We take samples and send them into a lab to see what nutrients are in our manure (think of it like the nutrition labels on your food).
• We then follow rates that are calculated on a per acre basis from that analysis.
• We do not apply the manure ourselves. We hire a custom manure applicator who need to be certified through the state to apply manure.
• This year we applied the manure by dragline. This just means we pumped the manure through a hose directly from the pit to the field (see below pictures).
• While pumping the manure, the pit is being agitated (stirred). 
• This can release dangerous gasses, so no person is to enter the barn. We went over every 2 hours today to check on the pigs and make sure they were okay by peeking through the curtain from the outside of the barn.

Here they are pumping directly out of the pit.

                        The hose that leads from the pit to the tractor.

                 Manure application in action :)

Agitation pump

Manure is a big reason we decided to have livestock on our farm. By using those nutrients, we don't need to purchase as much commercial fertilizer. It gives us a more sustainable farm by creating a circular process: the crops feed the animals, the animal manure fertilize the crops, and so on.

If you have forgotten what I do, don't forget my blog post: I Work With Manure. I'm lucky to "bring my work home with me." ;) 

What questions do you have about manure application?