Chester, Maryland – June 3, 2025 – Farmers, agronomists, and agricultural professionals are invited to a free, practical webinar titled “The 4Rs of Dairy Manure” on June 10th at 10:00 AM. This session will explore how to make the most of dairy manure using the 4Rs of nutrient stewardship: Right Source, Right Rate, Right Time, and Right Place.
Participants will gain valuable insights into:
Proper manure sampling and nutrient analysis
Understanding the true value of nitrogen in manure
Strategies to retain nutrients in the soil
Comparing manure injection vs. broadcast spreading
Benefits of injecting manure into winter cover crops
Economic considerations of different manure application methods
Featured Speakers:
Dr. Robert Meinen
Director, Pennsylvania Nutrient Management Education Program
Robb brings a unique interdisciplinary background with a Ph.D. in Soil Science, an M.S. in Animal Science, and a B.S. in Agricultural Systems Management. He currently serves in the Department of Plant Sciences and has led educational efforts for the Pennsylvania Commercial Manure Hauler and Broker Certification Program.
Dr. Sailesh Sigdel
Ph.D. Graduate, Penn State University
Sailesh’s research focuses on nitrogen management in no-till dairy cropping systems in Pennsylvania. His work applies ecological nutrient management principles to reduce greenhouse gas emissions following manure application, offering innovative insights into sustainable farming practices.
Whether you’re managing a dairy operation or advising others in the ag industry, this webinar offers actionable strategies to improve efficiency, profitability, and environmental stewardship.
Wednesday, March 5, 2025 (Chester, Maryland) – Over 130 attendees across the region joined the Mid-Atlantic 4R Nutrient Stewardship Association’s “Testing Efficiency February Webinar” on Monday the 24th. Key takeaways from the audience included: global use of fertilizer and manufacturing, benefits and challenges of crop residue, as well as 4R cost-share findings. The morning webinar was available to attendees for free with funding being provided by the 2020 National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Grant as well as The Campbell Foundation. The full webinar can be viewed on your YouTube page here.
Jarrod Miller, University of Delaware, kicked off the webinar on how to manage residuals after harvest. Residuals act as a mulch layer which helps conserve ground moisture and protect the soil from erosion during rain events. Different types of residuals provide several key source nutrients to the next crop cycle. But the residuals process to cycle nutrients depends upon the Carbon to Nitrogen ratio, which is dependent upon the type of residual. It is important to understand immobilization as well as nitrogen tie up and breakdown when planning your next crop. Listen to Jarrod’s presentation to hear his recommendations on managing these residuals.
Following Jarrod’s presentation, Jenell McHenry, Executive Director of the 4R Association, presented a summary of efforts by the 4R partners. A survey, completed in 2022, to understand current use and interest in 4R practices as well as preferred communication methods of random farmers in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia found that on-farm trials were most helpful to learn about 4R practices. It also discovered that the most influential sources of information for a farmer were trusted advisors. Therefore, the 4R’s updated their mission to serve Trusted Advisors and show how 4R best management practices can help them, help their customers.
Between 2020 and 2024, the PA and DE-MD 4R Alliances supported implementation of new 4R practices on 21,930 acres. Practices included Split Nitrogen and biological products combined with nitrogen rate reduction. Farmers splitting their nitrogen over the growing season had an increase of revenue by feeding the corn crop when it needed the nitrogen the most. Lastly, through implementing split nitrogen applications, farmers in the region are reducing 60,190 pounds of nitrogen and 1,909 pounds of phosphorus per year. To learn more about these benefits, be sure to tune into the recorded webinar.
To wrap up, the morning webinar, Veronica Nigh with The Fertilizer Institute started with an update on Tariffs and the impact they may have on agriculture fertilizers. Monthly fertilizer prices were shown starting in January 2019. Veronica covered supply and demand for each key nutrient and planting projections for each crop. The presentation concluded with an overview of countries where fertilizers are imported to the United States. For an outstanding and informative presentation, be sure to watch the full recorded webinar.
The Mid-Atlantic team is thankful for the great line-up of presentations and those who were able to join. To share feedback on future events, please complete this short survey. Future events will be shared on the Mid-Atlantic 4R website, www.4RMidAtlantic.com.
Annapolis, Maryland (September 30, 2024) – On Thursday, September 12th the Mid-Atlantic 4R Nutrient Stewardship Association held their annual 4R Symposium at the Maryland Department of Agriculture. Over 170 individuals attended the hybrid event and heard four outstanding presentations and a farmer panel.
“We were ecstatic to see the growth and interest of 4R farming that after the in-person registration reached full capacity in just three weeks, the team decided to offer a hybrid option to further our reach,” said Delaware Maryland 4R Alliance Chair, Lindsay Thompson.
The free event was made possible with funding from The Fertilizer Institute, Yara, Soil Warrior, Corteva Agriscience, Mosaic, The Mill, Keith Campbell Foundation, Willard Agri-Service, and Horizon Farm Credit. We appreciate the support of each of this year’s sponsors and the partnership we have developed.
The full day was recorded via zoom and can be found on our YouTube page here. A summary of each presentation can be found below. Credits are already submitted and cannot be guaranteed for those interested in watching the recorded event.
Thank you to those who attended our event, please leave any feedback to us online here for next year’s event.
###
Presentation Summaries:
James White, Rutgers University
“How Plants Use Microbes to Enhance Development and Acquire Nutrients”
Doctor White started his presentation covering fungal and bacteria endophytic. Endophytic microbes are absorbed from the soil into plants through the meristem, either by root, stem, and/or leaf. These microbes are needed for development to produce hormones which result in root hair growth, and they provide a source of nutrients. Dr. White then shared about the Rhizophagy (root eating) process and cycle. This process is how plants attract microbes (bacteria, yeasts, and/or soil algae) and absorb them. This process is very important because it; 1) triggers root hair elongation and 2) trigger the gravitropic response in roots, increase root branching, and increase the root and shoot elongation. Microbes enter through the cell, reach reactive oxygen which removes their cell walls (protoplasts) and then exit through root hairs to recharge with nutrients in the soil, then they reenter through the root. Through Dr. White’s 15N Tracking Experiment, where bacteria increased reactive oxygen and plant growth with 30% more nitrogen absorbed (not fixated). In conclusion, there is still a lot of ongoing research to be determined about soil life but you need health soil to utilize the addition of microbes and maintaining a healthy soil allows for the proper microbe environment.
Josh McGrath, USDA-ARS
“FRST: A Journey to Support Farmers with Better Fertilizer Recommendations”
FRST is a tool that created a national database of soil test correlations and calibrations to give farmers and their advisers transparency on where recommendations come from and to give confidence in recommendations while supporting the future soil fertility research. Recommendations are created by soil test correlation, which is the soil test above which determines sufficient fertilizer rate to maximize crop yield for a specific soil test range. Utilize FRST at soiltestfrst.org.
Farmer Panel
Steve Ernst, John C Johnson, and Trey Hill
John C Johnson farms with his brother in Stewartstown, PA growing cover crops, corn, soybeans, wheat, sorghum, sunflowers, and hay.
Trey Hill owns and operates Harborview Farms in Rock Hall, MD as a certified regenerative farm. Harborview grows corn, wheat, soybeans, and barley while focusing on no-till, cover crops, and planting green.
Steve Ernst is an agronomist who farms in the Appalachian Mountains as a direct to market grain dealer. Growing roots, cover crops, soybeans, wheat, hay, sunflowers, hogs, and sheep.
Jarrod Miller, University of Delaware
“Grid Soil Sampling for Variable Rate Applications”
Jarrod talked about what grid sampling is. When covering the density of grid sampling, you can over or under sample, the maximum recommendation is 2.5 acres per sample. The Jarrod presented his research on grid sampling and applying a number of nutrients via variable rate and the nutrient responses. Today, Jarrod is doing research on strip intercropping and biologicals.
Nicole Fiorellino, University of Maryland
“Updating Fertilizer Recommendations for High Management Wheat in Maryland”
Nicole started her presentation with the importance of statistics when it comes to reviewing your data so that you can set your research up for success and have confidence in your results. Nicole is currently working on finding the ideal fertilizer to yield recommendations for Maryland wheat. Through two university sites and three on-farm sites, the first year of wheat trials found a maximum yield of 96 bushels to the acre at 180 pounds of Nitrogen. There has also been a decrease in variability with the more nitrogen at jointing and increase in yield. If you are interested in participating in this upcoming growing season’s trial, please contact her team by October 4th. Find more results and information online here.
The Mid-Atlantic 4R Nutrient Stewardship Association is a non-profit entity working to provide education to farmers on the economic and environmental benefits of implementing 4R nutrient stewardship practices, which will accelerate progress toward clean water and habitat goals. Lear more online here.
Chester, Maryland (August 8, 2024) – The Mid-Atlantic 4R Nutrient Stewardship Association will continue an annual 4R Symposium for crop advisers, agronomists, nutrient management professionals, and agribusiness representatives. This year’s event will take place on Thursday, September 12th at the Maryland Department of Agriculture in Annapolis, MD. The event is free for attendees but, registration is required. You can register online here.
Doors will open at 9:30 AM with our first speaker at 10:00 AM. There will be four research presentations and a farmer panel. Lunch will be available to all attendees. Participants will hear about research on biologicals, nutrient recommendations for high management wheat, and the new FRST tool. The farmer panel will include Steve Ernst from Washington County, Trey Hill from Kent County, RC Willin from Sussex County, and one more pending farmer from Pennsylvania.
The 4R team will be offering Nutrient Management credits for DE, MD, VA, and PA and Certified Crop Adviser credits for their event. These are currently pending but will be posted on our 4R website once available under the Upcoming Events tab.
“Last year’s first-ever symposium drew a great audience of those providing nutrient recommendations to farmers. We are pleased to continue this event to keep farmer’s trusted advisors up to date on the latest research,” said Lindsay Thompson, Chair of the DE-MD 4R Alliance.
The Mid-Atlantic 4R Nutrient Stewardship Association is a non-profit organization whose members include the Delaware-Maryland 4R Alliance and the Pennsylvania 4R Alliance. We provide information and outreach to farmers, ag service providers, and others about the benefits of 4R nutrient stewardship, as well as practical guidance on how to implement new management strategies. Learn more about our work on 4rmidatlantic.org.
