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Record attendance at the Minnesota Crop Nutrient Management Conference

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Over 450 farmers and ag professionals attended the Minnesota Crop Nutrient Management Conference to learn more about fertilizer management, the latest in ag research and updates from agencies like the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.

Over 450 farmers and ag professionals attended the Minnesota Crop Nutrient Management Conference to learn more about fertilizer management, the latest in ag research and updates from agencies like the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.

Are you looking to buy a new SPAD chlorophyll meter? Are you wondering if you should sidedress apply N? Are nitrogen fertilizer management plans part of your daily reading?

Then you would have fit right in at the 5th annual Crop Nutrient Management Conference in Mankato on Tuesday. And if you’re not sure what a SPAD chlorophyll meter is and have never picked up a nitrogen fertilizer management plan, you still would have fit right in.

More Minnesota farmers, crop consultants and agriculture professionals than ever before are wanting to learn more about effectively managing nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus and livestock manure in order to improve their farm’s bottom line and protect area land and water resources.

This year’s conference, sponsored in part by the Minnesota Corn Growers Association and organized by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and the Minnesota Agricultural Water Resource Center, attracted a record crowd of more than 450 people. The registration line snaked all the way out the main entrance and down a long corridor inside the Verizon Wireless Center.

Once inside, attendees learned about everything from tools to measure nitrogen needs in specific fields (i.e. a SPAD chlorophyll meter), the latest research on nitrogen application, fertilizer management and nutrient reduction strategies from state agencies and farmer-led initiatives to improve on-farm conservation efforts.

“It’s farmers funding this research that is being done,” said Warren Formo, Executive Director of the Minnesota Agricultural Water Resource Center. “We’re bringing the results of some of this valuable research back to farmers through events like this.”

For example, Minnesota’s corn farmers support about $4 million in new and ongoing research projects annually that aim to help farmers improve agricultural practices and create new opportunities. Corn farmers also support initiatives like Discovery Farms and the Green Star Farms.

“When we talk about nitrogen management, we’re talking about risk management,” said Dr. Fabian Fernandez, assistant professor of nutrient management at the University of Minnesota. “We talk about production risk and we talk about environmental risk, but really, the two go together.”

And you don’t need to know how to operate a SPAD chlorophyll meter or memorize a nutrient management plan in order to learn something that can make you a better farmer at an event like Tuesday’s Crop Nutrient Management Conference. The research, plans and information are presented in an accessible way, and researchers and agency staff are on-hand to answer questions throughout the day.

“The turnout among farmers and crop consultants was fantastic,” said Adam Birr, Research Director for the Minnesota Corn Growers Association. “It’s great to see so many farmers engaged on these issues and being proactive in making improvements. We’re seeing a lot of new research happening in the area of nutrient management and it’s important that we continue informing our farmers about everything that is going on.”

To learn more about research efforts supported by Minnesota corn farmers, click here. Check MinnesotaCornerstone.com later this week for more posts about the Crop Nutrient Management Conference.

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