New York Farm Viability Institute Website Press Releases 

PRESS RELEASE: October 10, 2006
Contact: Quirine M. Ketterings, 607-255-3061; Karl J. Czymmek, 607-255-4890
Jpg available from karalynn@gisco.net - Cornell Cooperative Extension Field Crops Educator Mike Hunter takes a soil sample during the corn harvest at Mike Kiechle’s farm in Jefferson County.

NYFVI-Funded Project Evaluates Economic and Environmental Benefits of Reducing Nitrogen Use on Corn Crop

Farmers, agricultural educators and farm consultants want better tools for managing the use of nitrogen, particularly for growing corn. An applied research project funded by the New York Farm Viability Institute, Inc. and the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is helping to meet that need.

This fall, as they harvest corn, 13 farmers, four research farm managers and Cornell Cooperative Extension educators in 14 counties are taking soil samples for Cornell University researchers Quirine M. Ketterings and Karl J. Czymmek to help evaluate ways to maximize economic gains and minimize nitrogen loss into the environment through more precise nitrogen management.

Corn needs more nitrogen (N), by far, than any other nutrient. Used in excess, however, N can reach nearby ground or surface waters and/or contribute to air pollution, and, at forty cents per pound of nitrogen fertilizer, the loss of N not used by corn crops can be an unnecessary expense for farmers. Ketterings, an associate professor of crop and soil sciences, says, “We are testing and calibrating tools that will help producers and their crop advisors identify which fields need extra nitrogen for optimum economic production.”

The farmers and researchers agree that the scientific evaluation must identify the application range when reducing or eliminating N fertilizer does not reduce silage yield or quality. Ketterings, and Czymmek of Cornell’s ProDairy Program, say project results so far show that significant economic and environmental gains can be made with a small spring starter N application (30 lbs N/acre or less) that is sufficient to meet first-year corn N needs following either a healthy grass or legume/grass sod.

Cyzmmek says, “Working directly with the farmers allows them to see the results for themselves. We believe this project will result in high quality forage production at substantially lower cost, saving a minimum of $30-40 per acre based on an application of 50 to 100 pounds of nitrogen to first-year corn and 75 to 150 pounds to second-year corn.”

This NYFVI-funded project is breaking ground in New York in two ways: the calibration of the new Illinois Soil N Test for NY growing conditions, and the large-scale quantification of sod N credits in NY. Sod credits represent the amount of nitrogen from the decomposing sod that is expected to become available for uptake by the next season’s corn crop when the field is rotated. Measurements will be entered into a statewide database.

“Knowing how much nitrogen already exists in a field before applying any additional N is essential to more accurately predicting the amount, if any, of additional fertilizer N needed,” Ketterings says. “For many years, the Cornell Guidelines have included N credits from soil mineralization; our hope is that the New York Farm Viability Institute -funded project will help in fine-tuning these soil-N book values.”

Ketterings adds, “An additional benefit of adjusting N applications based on needs is that farms with manure can take better advantage of on-farm nitrogen and target manure to the sites most likely to respond. This will result in reduced N purchase costs and will reduce nutrient imbalances on farms, thus making farms more sustainable long-term.”

This project builds on other nitrogen management studies conducted by Cornell University researchers and on work funded by the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program. For more information on this precise nitrogen management project, contact Quirine M. Ketterings, Cornell University, 607-255-3061 or Karl J. Czymmek, 607-255-4890.

The New York Farm Viability Institute, Inc. is a farmer-led, independent not-for-profit corporation that invests in innovative research, education and technical assistance for NY’s agricultural and horticultural producers. For more information, contact the New York Farm Viability Institute, 159 Dwight Park Circle, Suite 104, Syracuse, NY 13209, 315-453-3823, www.nyfarmviability.org.
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