2020 DE-MD 4R Virtual Field Day
Queenstown, MD (August 27, 2020) – The Delaware-Maryland 4R Alliance held their 4th annual and first evet virtual 4R Technology Field Day on August 25th. This online event reached over 200 participants and provided continuing education credits for agricultural technical service providers. The DE-MD 4R Alliance is a collaboration between agribusinesses, farmers, government agencies, conservation groups, and scientists. The alliance is working to ensure through education and outreach that every nutrient application in Delaware and Maryland will be made according to the 4R’s: right source, right rate, right time, and right place. The DE-MD 4R Alliance would like to thank the sponsors for their support of the event including: The Fertilizer Institute, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund, Corteva AgriScience, Environmental Tillage Systems, Mosaic, and the 4R Nutrient Stewardship Council.
The program began at 9:00 AM with Mike Twining, Willard Agri-Service Director of Sales and Marketing covering the basics of nitrogen-modeling including, Willard’s in-season nutrient decision support tool, Eco-N. This tool allows farmers to make adaptive management decisions for nitrogen application based on real time data. Willard models crop growth to understand the crop’s nutrient demand while modeling soil mineralization and nitrogen loss to understand the available soil nitrogen supply and application needs.
Growmark FS’s Todd Hunsicker, MiField Specialist, then covered the intensification of soil sampling. Todd explained the difference between zone and grid soil sampling. Producers and their advisors can determine the appropriate scale and areas through SSURGO maps, EC mapping, yield data, and/or field imagery. Growmark FS has an automated soil sampler, known as the Falcon, that Todd shared information on. By providing a strong soil sample profile, farmers can receive a comprehensive cropping plan to get a maximum return with minimum input.
Sally Flis, Senior Director of Agronomy for the Fertilizer Institute shared results from a few of the twelve 4R Cost Case Studies conducted by TFI which can be found at 4RFarming.org. These studies collect farm and/or field data for four years, look at the cost and equipment associated with fertilizer application, the fertilizer cost, as well as the equipment cost, time, and fuel. Farming practices are grouped as basic intermediate, and advanced. It has been found, through research, that an intermediate level of practice implementation, nitrogen balance is reduced by 33% which is equal to a 7% nitrogen oxide emissions.
Following Sally, Kelly Herbick, North Atlantic Area Digital Services Manager, with Corteva AgriScience and Pioneer Seeds presented on “Using Variable Rate Nutrient Management to Your Advantage.” Kelly compared a flat rate and variable rate fertility programs, explaining that through a variable rate program, producers can adjust rates in certain areas on a sub field level, synchronizing the field with overall yield goals. By utilizing Granular’s program, a custom Maryland calculator was created to allow agronomists to write phosphorus, potassium, and lime recommendations that are in compliant with the nutrient management guidelines.
Wrapping up the online event, Mark Williams, USDA ARS Research Agricultural Engineer, talked about phosphorus placement in case studies across Ohio, Texas, and Pennsylvania looking at broadcasting, incorporating, and injecting. Mark began explaining the different types of phosphorus (P); fertilizer P and legacy P. Fertilizer P is recently applied and has an acute risk for loss during a storm event, while legacy P is soil phosphorus and has a chronic risk of loss over time.
The recorded event will be shared on the Mid Atlantic 4R’s website and YouTube channel once available. Credits will not be available for those who did not attend the live event. The DE-MD 4R Alliance is thankful for their event sponsors and presenters for their time and dedication to the 4R’s. Thank you to all those who tuned in!
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The Delaware-Maryland 4R Alliance is a collaboration between agribusinesses, farmers, government agencies, conservation groups and scientists. We’re working to ensure that every nutrient application on Delaware and Maryland farms is consistent with the 4Rs – the right nutrient source, applied at the right rate, at the right time, in the right place. We are focused on increasing implementation of 4R practices to benefit the economic, environmental and social well-being of our region and our farmers. The DE-MD 4R Alliance was founded by the Nature Conservancy and the Delaware-Maryland Agribusiness Association in 2015. Check out our website and like our Facebook Page.