Nitrogen transformation up close: Key details for efficient fertilizer management

Today Brad and Dan explore the background and rationale behind nitrogen rate recommendations in Minnesota. How have Minnesota's N rate recommendations evolved over time? What data does the MRTN approach take into account? How are these N rates organized? Guests:Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato)Daniel Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul)Additional resources:What to know about the MRTN approachAre you overspending on fertilizer?Corn Nitrogen Rate CalculatorCorn fertilizer guidelines - U of M---Click here to listen to all Advancing Nitrogen Smart podcast episodes.For the latest nutrient management information, subscribe to the Nutrient Management Podcast. And don't forget to subscribe to the Minnesota Crop News daily or weekly email newsletter, subscribe to our YouTube channel, like UMN Extension Nutrient Management on Facebook, follow us on X (formerly twitter), and visit our website.If you have questions or comments, please email us at [email protected] Nitrogen Smart is proud to be supported by the farm families of Minnesota and their corn check-off investment through Minnesota Corn.

Nitrogen loss: Lessons learned from the 2024 growing season is the big topic on today's episode of the Nutrient Management Podcast. What N application practices looked particularly bad in 2024? Some farmers are saying they are no longer going to apply fall N based on how 2024 played out. Is this warranted, or is it an overreaction? Is there any data back from split-application trials, or evaluations of rescue treatments? What did it tell us? In hindsight, what would have been ideal practices to have used this past year? Moving forward, what can we take away from the 2024 growing season with respect to how to manage fertilizer?Guests:Fabian Fernandez, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul)Jeff Strock, Extension soil scientist (Lamberton)Jeff Vetsch, U of M researcher (Waseca)Lindsay Pease, Extension nutrient and water management specialist (Crookston)Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato)Additional Resources:Supplemental nitrogen worksheet for corn Minnesota corn fertilizer guidelinesVideo: Split-applying nitrogen for corn: Three keys for successful sidedress applicationsCorn nitrogen rate calculatorAdvancing Nitrogen Smart podcast seriesNitrogen Smart educational program—Click here to listen to all Nutrient Management Podcast episodes.For the latest nutrient management information, subscribe to the Nutrient Management Podcast wherever you listen and never miss an episode. And don't forget to subscribe to the Minnesota Crop News daily or weekly email newsletter, and to our YouTube channel. Be sure to like UMN Extension Nutrient Management on Facebook, follow us on X (formerly Twitter), and of course visit our website.If you have questions or comments, please email us at [email protected] for the Nutrient Management Podcast is provided by Minnesota's fertilizer tonnage fee through the Agricultural Fertilizer Research & Education Council (AFREC). Learn more at MNsoilfertility.com.

In episode 12 of the Advancing Nitrogen Smart series Brad and Dan talk in detail about nitrification inhibitors. What are the two types of inhibitors, and what are best practices for incorporation? How do soil type, temperature, and precipitation factor into farmer decision-making? How much time does a nitrification inhibitor buy you? In what circumstances should inhibitors be avoided altogether? These answers and many, many more on today's episode.Guests:Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato)Daniel Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul)Additional resources:Nitrification inhibitors and manure: Do they work?Video: What to know about nitrogen inhibitors and other enhanced efficiency fertilizersA difference in degrees: Fall application efficiency at 50 FahrenheitNitrogen Smart---Click here to listen to all Advancing Nitrogen Smart podcast episodes.For the latest nutrient management information, subscribe to the Nutrient Management Podcast. And don't forget to subscribe to the Minnesota Crop News daily or weekly email newsletter, subscribe to our YouTube channel, like UMN Extension Nutrient Management on Facebook, follow us on X (formerly twitter), and visit our website.If you have questions or comments, please email us at [email protected] Nitrogen Smart is proud to be supported by the farm families of Minnesota and their corn check-off investment through Minnesota Corn.

Today we’re talking all about fall application. What's the first thing farmers should know about applying in fall? What’s the difference in N efficiency at 50 the degree threshold versus even a 55 degree threshold, and then when have those degree dates happened historically?Guests:Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato)Daniel Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul)Additional resources:Minnesota Department of Agriculture Soil Temperature NetworkSouthern Research and Outreach Center (Waseca, MN) temperature chartAdvanced Nitrogen Smart: A deep dive into the 4 Rs---For the latest nutrient management information, subscribe to the Nutrient Management Podcast. And don't forget to subscribe to the Minnesota Crop News daily or weekly email newsletter, subscribe to our YouTube channel, like UMN Extension Nutrient Management on Facebook, follow us on X (formerly twitter), and visit our website.If you have questions or comments, please email us at [email protected] Nitrogen Smart is proud to be supported by the farm families of Minnesota and their corn check-off investment through Minnesota Corn.

In this episode of the Nutrient Management Podcast, our panelists discuss liming in detail. What kind of variation is there in liming recommendations? Since pH changes aren’t instant, when is the best time to apply limestone? Is lime application economically justified, and in what circumstances? What should growers know about selecting liming materials? What other bits of advice do our panelists recommend?Guests:John Jones, Soil Fertility, plant nutrition, and nutrient management research, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, (Urbana-Champaign, Il) Jeff Vetsch, U of M researcher (Waseca)Daniel Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul)Carl Rosen, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul)Additional resources:LimingLime needs in MinnesotaFertilizer Recommendation Support Tool (FRST)—Click here to listen to all Nutrient Management Podcast episodes.For the latest nutrient management information, subscribe to the Nutrient Management Podcast wherever you listen and never miss an episode. And don't forget to subscribe to the Minnesota Crop News daily or weekly email newsletter, and to our YouTube channel. Be sure to like UMN Extension Nutrient Management on Facebook, follow us on X (formerly Twitter), and of course visit our website.If you have questions or comments, please email us at [email protected] for the Nutrient Management Podcast is provided by Minnesota's fertilizer tonnage fee through the Agricultural Fertilizer Research & Education Council (AFREC). Learn more at MNsoilfertility.com.

In this episode of Advancing Nitrogen Smart, Melissa Wilson, Extension manure management specialist joins Brad Carlson to discuss fall manure application. What are the most important dos and don'ts of fall application? How much time can nitrification inhibitors buy you after application? What's the optimum soil temperature for application, and what if you can't wait? What are characteristics of manure from different sources, and how can they work to your advantage? Guests:Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato)Melissa Wilson, Extension manure management specialist (St. Paul)Additional resources:Nitrogen availability of different manure types: What we know and what we are researchingTips for fall manure application and how to avoid nutrient lossNitrification inhibitors and manure: Do they work?Introducing ManureDB: A new way to view manure variability and trends Everything manure: Midwest experts answer common questions heading into fall ---For the latest nutrient management information, subscribe to the Nutrient Management Podcast. And don't forget to subscribe to the Minnesota Crop News daily or weekly email newsletter, subscribe to our YouTube channel, like UMN Extension Nutrient Management on Facebook, follow us on X (formerly twitter), and visit our website.If you have questions or comments, please email us at [email protected] Nitrogen Smart is proud to be supported by the farm families of Minnesota and their corn check-off investment through Minnesota Corn.

In this episode of the Advancing Nitrogen Smart series, we discuss probably the most important topic for many farmers - rate. What makes both over-application and under-application of nitrogen counter-productive in terms of yield? How does a Maximum Return To Nitrogen (MRTN) rate approach differ from a yield-based approach? What are long-term environmental consequences of over-application, and how does this relate to a farmer's operation? What are some ways to address in-field variability when determining rate? Guests:Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato)Daniel Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul)Additional resources:Maximum Return To Nitrogen (MRTN) rate calculator Are you overspending on fertilizer?Best practices for nitrogen managementNitrogen Smart (online course)---For the latest nutrient management information, subscribe to the Nutrient Management Podcast. And don't forget to subscribe to the Minnesota Crop News daily or weekly email newsletter, subscribe to our YouTube channel, like UMN Extension Nutrient Management on Facebook, follow us on X (formerly twitter), and visit our website.If you have questions or comments, please email us at [email protected] Nitrogen Smart is proud to be supported by the farm families of Minnesota and their corn check-off investment through Minnesota Corn.

This episode of the Nutrient Management Podcast is our annual fall fertilizer outlook. After such a challenging growing season throughout most of the state, how do things look headed toward harvest? Since most of the state went from being too dry last year to too wet this year, how should this affect the approach to fertility management? What role will fertility play in sound financial management this fall? What advice do our panelists give growers as we head into the fall?Guests:Daniel Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul)Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato)Jeff Vetsch, U of M researcher (Waseca)Fabian Fernandez, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul)Additional resources:Are you overspending on fertilizer?2024 Certified Soil Testing LaboratoriesNitrogen Fertilizer BMPs for Agricultural Lands---For the latest nutrient management information, subscribe to the Nutrient Management Podcast and never miss an episode. And don't forget to subscribe to the Minnesota Crop News daily or weekly email newsletter, and to our YouTube channel. Be sure to like UMN Extension Nutrient Management on Facebook, follow us on X (formerly Twitter), and of course visit our website.We want to hear from you. If you have questions or comments, please email us at [email protected] for the Nutrient Management Podcast is provided by Minnesota's fertilizer tonnage fee through the Agricultural Fertilizer Research & Education Council (AFREC). Learn more at MNsoilfertility.com.

In the 8th episode of the Advancing Nitrogen Smart series, we’re taking about timing. What makes understanding timing crucial to using nitrogen efficiently? Should growers apply in fall, and if so, what source should be avoided? Between which growth stages does corn take up the bulk of a field's N? What do weather extremes teach us about optimal timing? Do some timing decisions negatively affect farmers' finances? In what ways?Guests:Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato)Daniel Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul)Additional resources:Understanding nitrogen in soilsNitrogen Fertilizer BMPs for Agricultural LandsDoes fall urea application reduce sugarbeet stand loss?---For the latest nutrient management information, subscribe to the Nutrient Management Podcast. And don't forget to subscribe to the Minnesota Crop News daily or weekly email newsletter, subscribe to our YouTube channel, like UMN Extension Nutrient Management on Facebook, follow us on X (formerly Twitter), and visit our website.If you have questions or comments, please email us at [email protected] Nitrogen Smart is proud to be supported by the farm families of Minnesota and their corn check-off investment through Minnesota Corn.

In this episode of the Advancing Nitrogen Smart series, our two experts discuss nitrogen pools. What are nitrogen pools, and where do we find them? How is N actually consumed by the plant, and what forms of N will plants take up more readily? What are some potential signs of N deficiency in the plant? How do nitrogen pools relate back to the 4R's, like timing?Guests:Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato)Daniel Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul)Additional resources:Will soil microbes deliver nitrogen to my crop? Yes, but not in a predictable wayNitrogenUnderstanding nitrogen in soils---For the latest nutrient management information, subscribe to the Nutrient Management Podcast. And don't forget to subscribe to the Minnesota Crop News daily or weekly email newsletter, subscribe to our YouTube channel, like UMN Extension Nutrient Management on Facebook, follow us on X (formerly Twitter), and visit our website.If you have questions or comments, please email us at [email protected] Nitrogen Smart is proud to be supported by the farm families of Minnesota and their corn check-off investment through Minnesota Corn.