Timing is Right for Manure Incorporation Study at Mapleview Dairy ...

Manure Application StudyDave Fisher #8Timing is Right for Manure Incorporation Study atMapleview Dairy LLC in St Lawrence CountyBy Sara Zglobicki“Whatever can help me be competitive,grow the best crops, improve or learn how todo the best for the cows is exciting.” A simplestatement of how Dave Fisher of Madrid, NYcontinuously seeks new knowledge to add toall he has learned about farming from hisfamily at Mapleview Dairy LLC.Mapleview is located about 15 miles fromthe St Lawrence River, in Madrid, and lies onland that has been in Fisher’s family since the1800s. Currently they milk 1900 cows and cropover 3500 acres of silage corn, alfalfa/grassmix, grass, soybeans and rye on soils thatrange from clay to sand.Last year, Fisher began hosting trial plots aspart of a two-year manure application study.The study is organized by the Cornell NutrientManagement Spear Program (NMSP), theapplied nutrient management research andextension program in the College of Agricultureand Life Sciences at Cornell University. TheNew York Farm Viability Institute (NYFVI) andthe Northern New York AgricultureDevelopment Program (NNYADP) funded thestudy that involves ten farms throughout NewYork State.Pete Barney (left) and Dave Fisher (right) at harvest timefor the manure application trial at Mapleview Dairy inMadrid, New York.At Mapleview Dairy, the research projectcompares corn yield, forage quality, energyand labor use, and crop production costs inplots where surface-applied manure is (1)incorporated with a chisel plow, (2)incorporated shallowly with an aeration tool, or(3) surface-applied with no incorporation.The trials are coordinated by Anne Place,Soil and Crop Sciences graduate student whohas been working with the NMSP the past yearand a half. “These on-farm trials are beneficialfor both the farmer and for us as researchers,”said Anne. “It gives the farmers a chance totry new methods on their farms and receivevaluable results we can all use to develop andevaluate best management practices.”Timing is RightFisher heard about the manure applicationstudy from Pete Barney, at the time field cropsextension educator with Cornell CooperativeExtension (CCE) of St Lawrence County.Barney retired from CCE but remains involvedas independent agricultural consultant andstaff member of the NMSP. “Dairy farmsgenerate manure that has tremendous value.This study is great in showing why we need tomanage manure for environmental reasons,like preserving water quality, and for economicreasons,” observes Barney.Over the years, Fisher shifted from frequentuse of plows, chisels and discs, to less frequentuse of a field cultivator. Interest in improvingsoil health coupled with a desire to lower thecost of fuel and an openness to changetriggered Fisher’s interest in participating inthe manure incorporation study.Quirine Ketterings, Associate Professor inthe Department of Animal Science at CornellUniversity and leader of the NMSP continues,“With the increased costs of fertilizer and fuel,we need to find more sustainable ways to useon-farm nutrient sources such as manure. Thismeans we need to look for ways to conservesoil carbon, reduce erosion, leaching andrunoff losses, and conserve nitrogen fromDepartment of Animal Science 1 College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

manure. Shallow incorporation using aeratorshas the potential to reduce nitrogen losses andretain more surface residue without the needfor aggressive soil tillage.” Ketterings adds,“Our research station trial showed greatpromise for aerators as manure incorporationtools but we needed to test this on commercialfarms with a diversity of growing conditionsand soil types. Our project with Dave and nineother New York farms sprang from this need.”2008 Season ResultsIn the 2008 growing season, there were nosignificant differences in corn silage yield, norin silage quality indicators like moisturecontent, NDF (neutral detergent fiber), protein,starch, lignin, and estimated milk production,between the aerator and chisel plowtreatments or the surface application withoutincorporation at Mapleview. “The average yieldacross all treatments was 20.6 tons/acre at35% dry matter,” Place reports.The soil and plant nitrogen tests that weredone as part of the study explained why noyield differences were seen between theincorporation treatments and the surfaceapplication. “The Illinois Soil Nitrogen Test(ISNT), the Pre-Sidedress Nitrate Test (PSNT),and the Late Season Corn Stalk Nitrate Test(CSNT) all indicated there was already enoughN from soil organic matter for the crop. Noadditional N was needed for this field. As aresult, even though the surface application ofmanure without incorporation causes nitrogenvolatilization losses, we saw no yielddifferences between the manure applicationtreatments,” Ketterings explains. “We did seehigher yields with both aerator and chiselincorporation at farm-trials where the loss of Nfrom the surface application resulted in anitrogen deficiency. And, in those trials, theaerator did as good a job as the chisel plowwith conservation of the nitrogen from themanure.”While comparing the two incorporation toolsat his farm, Fisher noticed there was less fueland horsepower required to pull the Aerway ®versus the chisel plow. Fisher says, “Over thechisel, we’re saving probably a couple gallons[of fuel] per acre. After trying out the Aerway ®for the first time last year, 60% of manureapplied this year was incorporated with theAerway ® . “Yields are at least as good as lastyear,” Fisher added.Benefits of On-Farm ResearchAs an extension educator, Barney was a keyplayer in making research findings accessibleto farmers and ensuring research relevancy.He emphasizes the importance of the teambased,on-farm, research approach used bythe NMSP. “Good working relationshipsbetween the university, extension and farmingcommunities are essential. This ensuressuccess for all parties involved, including theprivate sector.” As Barney continued, “Thesetypes of projects are multipliers. People willlearn from their experiences with the research,and will pass that on to anyone they interactwith.”For Fisher, involvement with research isnothing new. As Barney, whose family hasbeen working with Fisher for over 45 years,comments of Fisher, “I have respect for whathe does with the farm. He’s very innovativeand is always willing to look through researchand see where it fits his operation.”“This study brings up questions for me aboutwhat is happening on the other farms in thetrial.” Says Fisher, “I like to learn how to dothings better and cheaper. I’ve always doneprojects with Cornell Cooperative Extension,whether with cows or crops. I learn from thepeople who come out to the farm, and ouremployees learn too.”(October 23, 2009)The Nutrient Management Spear Program (NMSP) is an applied research, teaching and extension program for fieldcrop fertilizer and manure management on dairy and livestock farms. It is a collaboration among faculty, staff andstudents in the Department of Animal Science, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and PRO-DAIRY. Our vision is to assesscurrent knowledge, identify research and educational needs, facilitate new research, technology and knowledge transfer,and aid in the on-farm implementation of strategies for field crop nutrient management including timely application oforganic and inorganic nutrient sources to improve farm profitability while protecting the environment. An integratednetwork approach is used to address research, extension and teaching priorities in nutrient management in New YorkState. For more information on NMSP projects and extension/teaching activities, visit the program website(http://nmsp.css.cornell.edu) or contact Quirine Ketterings at qmk2@cornell.edu or (607) 255-3061.Department of Animal Science 2 College of Agriculture and Life Sciences