Fertility trials to enhance the learning of future agriculture professionals (NEW)

Adam Alford

The agricultural department at SMSU has several major areas of study including ag business, agronomy, and ag education. SMSU also has ~50 acres of crop land donated by a local alumni and farmer which we routinely use for hands-on student learning. 2022 will be the eighth season this plot has been established and available for SMSU students. Agriculture focused majors are by far the most common type of student that uses the SMSU research farm for learning however I have been making inroads with Culinology, Business, and Art majors.

This grant will allow students to see how additional N application in corn can influence yields. I choose varying N-rates as the primary variable of interest as the USDA-NASS estimates the average MN corn grower fertilizes at 137 lbs of N per acre (USDA-NASS-Census of Ag 2018). When this common N-rate is presented in class, some of the more common questions I get refer to changing the fertilization rates and what that may do to the profitability. The research project proposed by the grant will help me and the students arrive at the answer to this question in a hands on manner. While this proposal is primarily an education grant, my first objective is research aligned. I have structured the grant as such for clarity purposes, and the order of goals does not represent importance. It is easier to present the research project first, how it will be
achieved, and then describe how the project will further student learning at SMSU, rather than presenting them in the opposite order. Said another way, GOAL 1 will provide the basis and meat of the learning opportunities in GOAL 2. As such, a better understanding of how nutrients are managed to maximize profit and reduce damage to the environment addresses the Priority Area: Level 2 “Improved nutrient use efficiency of corn production”