Nutrient Management – Page 2 – Champlain Valley Crop, Soil & Pasture

Soil and Manure Sampling Changes and Lab Operations

As of right now, the UVM Agricultural and Environmental Testing Lab is still receiving manure and soil samples directly and the lab in Maine that UVM works with us is still open. However, we will not be transporting samples from our office in Middlebury to the lab in Burlington. Additionally, please understand that the manager of the lab will not be in the office every day and there many be an additional delay in processing samples. Call the lab at 802-656-3030 if you have questions.

Manure Samples: It’s nearing time for manure spreading… and also manure sampling! The best time to sample manure to get an accurate sample is right when you are about to spread it.

We ask that you sample, freeze and hold on to manure sample(s) for a future date to be analyzed when we can transport it to the lab. Manure can be sent in the mail, but it’s more ideal to just hold on to it. If you need a timely result, call the lab, you may be able to send it directly to Maine.
Manure can be frozen for months, just make sure you leave enough space in the jar for expansion.
Empty manure jars will be left in the sample box at the entrance of our office, but any plastic quart jar could work – do not use glass jars.
Our fact sheet on how to take a manure sample can be found here.
The form for manure sample analysis can be found here.

Soil Samples:

While we recommend soil sampling at the same time each year, given circumstances, if you can wait to sample it is advised to do so. If you do need an analysis, you can direct mail your soil sample(s).
There will be soil test kits left in the sample box at the entrance of our office, but any clean sandwich type plastic bag will work. You only need 1/2 to 1 cup of soil per sample – over doing it doesn’t help the lab and costs you money. Just make sure you take adequate sub-samples, mix your soil sample well, and send a representative mix. Soil probes will not be available until a future date.
The form and instructions for soil sample analysis can be found here.

If you have any questions about manure and soil sampling you can still give our office a call, and someone will get back to you – 802-388-4969.

NMP Update Sessions

Did you know you need to update your NMP every year to stay in compliance with the State of Vermont Required Agricultural Practices (RAPs)?

If your plan is out of date or you need assistance in updating your nutrient management plan, UVM Extension can help!!

If you took a NMP class through UVM and designed your plan in goCrop, please call the office where you took your original NMP class, or contact your closest location (listed below). You will need manure sample results every year, soil sample results every three years, and field records of the activities you performed annually. You may also need updated rotation calculations, depending on your situation. UVM Extension can help you identify everything you need and walk you through the process of getting it accomplished.

The three locations that can help you are:

Middlebury Extension Office – 802-388-4969 or 1-800-956-1125
St. Albans Extension office – 802-524-6501 or 1-800-639-2130
St. Johnsbury Extension office – 802-751-8307 or 1-800-545-8920 (800 numbers toll free in Vt.).

At Middlebury UVM Extension Office

23 Pond Lane Suite 300, Middlebury, Vt

we are holding update sessions on the following days:

Tuesday, January 14, 2020, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Tuesday, February 4, 2020, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Tuesday, February 18, 2020, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Future Tuesdays also tentative based on need
or By Appointment

These sessions are for folks who have already taken a class with UVM Extension. If you have not taken a class with us, but would like help, give us a call.

Our sessions are informal. Please bring a lunch or snack if you need it to keep you going!

We have laptops, or you can bring your own. Remember to bring your NMP binder along with any records and documentation, including your login information. If your goCrop account is out of date you will need to renew your subscription with debit or credit card. If you have any other paperwork that is related to an updated NMP, such as MFO/LFO permitting, bring that along too. If you have new fields, you will need new maps and field information, including yearly and average RUSLE2 calculations.

Contact our office for more details, 802-388-4969.

To request a disability related accommodation to participate in this program, please contact Karen Gallott at (802) 388-4969 or 1-800-956-1125 (toll-free in Vt. only) so we may assist you.

2019 Conservation Farmer of the Year

November 5, 2019; 10:00 am – 2:00 pm

At the Addison Fire Station, 44 VT Rte 17, Addison, VT

The Otter Creek Natural Resource Conservation District (NRCD) recently named the Correia Family, owners of Wynsum Holstein’s, as the 2019 Conservation Farmer of the Year and will be hosting an event to honor the family.

There will be a free lunch, but please RSVP by October 18, to Pam Stefanek at Pam.Stefanek@vt.nacdnet.net

Tony and Barbara, along with their sons Jeff and Stephen, manage a herd of over 400 Holstein’s at their medium sized operation in Addison, Vermont. Their farm is in the McKenzie Brook Watershed, which was identified as a priority area of focus for USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS). The Correia’s work closely with conservationists and have developed a conservation plan in partnership with the NRCS and Otter Creek NRCD. They grow corn, grasses, and alfalfa, and practice no-till, reduced-till and cover cropping. They have also worked with NRCS to install a rock-lined grassed waterway. Wynsum is named after an old English word for “pleasant natured”, and forty-five years after it was first founded, the family remains committed to conserving natural resources on and around their operation.

Field Day with Manure Grassland Injector!

FRIDAY, JUNE 8, 2018

10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Barnes Black & Whiteface Ranch – Bridport Ventures Farm

1176 Heitman Road, Bridport, VT 05734

RSVP: champlain.crops@uvm.edu

Please join us to see our new grassland shallow slot manure injector in action!

WHAT YOU’LL SEE & HEAR

Veenhuis Euroject 1200 grassland injector.
Dragline manure application.
Hicks Sales LLC (Vermont Veenhuis dealer) will be on hand to talk about this technology and other models available in the United States.
Eric Severy, Matthew’s Trucking, will share his experience and expertise with manure injection and talk about how the equipment works and what situations might be best suited for it.
UVM Extension Agronomists will discuss the benefits of injection and how it can reduce runoff and increase yields.
Farmers will share their experience using other forms of manure injection.
Find out more about how to get this grassland injector on your farm.

DON’T FORGET TO RSVP:

champlain.crops@uvm.edu | 802-388-4969 x347

June 8, 2018

10:00 – 12:00

1176 Heitman Road, Bridport, VT 05734

Or contact Kirsten Workman if you have questions or want more information.

To request a disability-related accommodation to participate in this program, please contact Karen Gallott at 802-388-4969 or 800-956-1125 by June 6, 2018 so we may assist you.

EXPECT TO APPLY NITROGEN DUE TO THE WET WEATHER

By Rico Balzano, Agronomy Outreach Professional

Spring 2017 started relatively dry, but Mother Nature has certainly made up for it, with above average rainfall in May, and the seventh wettest June in 100 years (National Weather Service, Burlington, VT).

Applying nitrogen to corn, a process known as side-dressing.

While this spring’s rainfall may average out to be normal, the timing of it has caused some problems. Rain started to increase just as corn planting season began, keeping soils cold and postponing planting. Cold soils delayed emergence and slowed growth in planted fields. More to the point, nitrogen fertilizer that was applied pre-plant or at planting time has seen extremely susceptible to loss. Nitrogen is lost through denitrification in saturated soils, and is lost through leaching in well-drained soils. Either way, nitrogen is often not there when the corn needs it. This will prompt many farmers to think about applying nitrogen to corn while it is growing, a technique known as sidedressing, which is a more efficient

use of nitrogen, especially on soils prone to leaching.

The good news is that the organic nitrogen in manure has been slow to mineralize because of the cool temperatures and will still be there as the season progresses. However, it is safe to say many farms will be sidedressing corn with extra nitrogen this year.

Pre-sidedress nitrogen test samples at the UVM
Agricultural and Environmental Testing Lab.

The old, reliable way to predict how much sidedress nitrogen to apply is the pre-sidedress nitrogen test (PSNT). PSNTs are simple and affordable ($6-8). However, they require effort and only offer a snapshot in time; they do not account for previous activity nor for future nitrogen mineralization.

An alternative way to generate sidedress recommendations is Adapt-N software. Nitrogen is very dynamic in the soil so it is difficult to predict how much will be plant-available. Therefore, it is necessary to have as much information as possible about fertilizer, manure, previous crop and soil type to generate a good recommendation with Adapt-N. You can also assess the nitrogen needs of corn using chlorophyll meters, active sensors and aerial imagery. These can be effective when used properly, and local agricultural consultants can provide these services.

PSNT is recommended for corn fields 2 or more years after a sod, and/or where manure rate is uncertain, or if manure application is not expected to meet corn N requirement. PSNT is not recommended in first-year corn after a grass sod; first-year corn after an alfalfa grass stand is plowed down; or if enough manure was applied to meet corn N requirement.
Below are the PSNT sampling guidelines, a link to the UVM sample submission form, and the updated UVM nitrogen recommendations
based on PSNT results. Results are usually sent out within 24 hours since the information is time-sensitive.

PSNT Sampling Guidelines:
1. Wait 2-3 days after significant rainfall (due to nitrate
leaching).
2. Sample when corn is 6-12” tall and sample to a depth of
12” – deeper than a regular soil test.
3. Take 15-20 cores per field from in between rows to avoid
fertilizer bands. Mix sample thoroughly.
4. Air dry samples ASAP to stop further mineralization.
5. Submit samples in small plastic bag (about 1 cup).

Download the PSNT Form: go.uvm.edu/psntform
N Recommendations: go.uvm.edu/nitrogenrecs
More Info: go.uvm.edu/getpsnt

Did you know you need to update your NMP every year to stay in compliance with the State of Vermont Required Agricultural Practices (RAPs)?

In this Issue:

Focus on Agriculture, by Jeff Carter

News and Events

Remembering Bob Parsons

Managing Agricultural Risk, Jake Jacobs

Welcome Rachel Orr!

SMART Goals and Grants, Cheryl Cesario

The Things You Discover on Your Way to Discovery, Kristin Williams

Nutrient Management is More than Just a Plan, Kirsten Workman

Spring into No-Till Seedings, Nate Severy

Our Fall 2017 Newsletter is out! View it HERE.

In this Issue: