Nitrogen Smart workshops set for Feb. 9 in Southeast Minnesota
The University of Minnesota Extension is holding two free workshops on nitrogen management for growers in Southeast Minnesota next week.
Extension will hold the Nitrogen Smart workshops Feb. 9 at People’s Energy Cooperative (1775 Lake Shady Ave. S., Oronoco, MN, 55960). There is no cost to attend, and pre-registration is not required.
The first workshop will run from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on the 9th and will cover the fundamentals of nitrogen management. Topics will include an overview of nitrates in surface and groundwater in Minnesota, sources of nitrogen for crops, how nitrogen is lost from soil, how to reduce losses, and how to manage nitrogen in drainage systems. It will also cover practices to refine nitrogen management including split nitrogen applications, alternative nitrogen fertilizers, soil and tissue testing, and nitrogen models. It will close with a brief discussion on what can be accomplished with respect to water quality and nitrogen fertilizer management.
The second workshop will run from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on the 9th and will cover manure management. Topics will include the benefits and challenges of using manure in crop production, what determines nutrient content in manure, how manure storage and handling affect nutrient availability, and the importance of manure sampling and testing. It will also cover how manure application methods and timing affect nitrogen loss, the nitrogen cycle and manure, the effect of cover crops on retaining and recycling nitrogen from manure, and practices to optimize manure use and minimize nitrogen losses.
You can learn more about the workshops on the University of Minnesota Extension Nitrogen Smart webpage. Extension also offers both workshops for online as free self-paced workshops. If you have any questions about the workshops, please feel free to reach out to Minnesota Corn Research Director Maciej Kazula at mkazula@mncorn.org or University of Minnesota Extension Water Quality Educator at Brad Carlson at bcarlson@umn.edu.
