We are seeking to remodel and add equipment to our current 36 row side-dress bar for applying 28% nitrogen to our corn crop. We would like to add a cover crop system to this applicator to apply seed mixture in between our corn rows to get established and then flourish as corn canopy dries down in the fall.
This proposal is intended to monitor the nitrogen requirement and overall fertilizer cost contrasting fall applied hog manure with side-dress nitrogen, strip till with side-dress nitrogen, and conventional tillage with side-dress nitrogen.
With all the different types of applicators of nitrogen on the market, I want to study the efficiency of placement, rater and timing. I want to find that I can cut my nitrogen rates without sacrificing yield. Find the least pounds of nitrogen applied per bushel produced.
As greater focus is placed on nutrient reduction strategies, identifying better methods of nitrogen management becomes more critical than ever. Relying on some of the standard historical nitrogen management practices will no longer be an options as they may not be accepted as a best management practice moving forward.
With so many options on the market of nitrogen models and tools, it is a natural tendency to avid change. There is a sense of security to continue with management strategies that have been regularly used in the past.