Reducing Commercial Fertilizers
Published on Mon, 02/22/2010 - 12:05pm
In these difficult economic times, it’s important for dairy producers to get the most out of their soil nutrients—both on and off the farm. Carrie Laboski, associate professor and Extension soil scientist with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, says whether nutrient needs are being met by manure varies with the size of the farm and its cropping pattern. “It’s not really a ‘one size fits all’ approach,” she says. “In some cases, they may have adequate phosphorus in their manure to go on to fields. Often, we have soil test levels that have been built up over time from repeated manure application so we don’t necessarily need a lot of that, when manure can meet those needs.”