Basic to Advanced Practices Implemented
The first change to intermediate 4R practices was in 2017 with the change to custom application of dairy manure that included injection below the surface. This practice reduces the potential loss of phosphorus by surface runoff and decrease the volatilization on nitrogen as ammonia from the application of manure.
In 2018, the farm purchased their own high clearance application equipment. This changed nitrogen management to two in-season applications, the first sidedress of urea with an inhibitor product and the second as a liquid using y-drops and 28 percent urea ammonia nitrate.
The farm is crediting nitrogen from manure, crop, and fertilizer applications to fine tune applications throughout the year.