Michigan State University Extension
Soils & Soil Management - Fertilizer - 06109720
07/10/97
Nutrient Management to Protect Water Quality Extension Bulletin WQ-25, January 1996
Maurice L. Vitosh and Lee W. Jacobs Extension Soil Specialists Department of Crop and Soil Sciences Michigan State University
Recordkeeping is an important management practice for developing a productive cropping system that makes efficient use of available plant nutrients. Good recordkeeping demonstrates good management and will be beneficial for the producer, particularly if the producer's management practices are challenged. The Michigan Right-to-Farm GAAMP recommends that annual records include the following for individual fields:
1. Most recent soil fertility test(s) and/or plant tissue analysis reports.
2. Previous crop grown and yields of past harvested crops.
3. Date(s) of nutrient application(s).
4. The nutrient composition of fertilizer or other nutrient-supplying material used. (If the nutrient composition, availability or volubility is not provided with the purchase of the nutrient-supplying material, then representative samples of this material should be analyzed to provide nutrient composition information. Non-legume crop residues grown in the field and left to recycle nutrients are not considered nutrient additions.)
5. Amount of nutrient-supplying material applied per acre.
6. Method of application and placement of applied nutrients (e.g., broadcast and incorporated, broadcast and not incorporated, subsurface banded, surface banded, soil injected or applied through an irrigation system, etc.).
7. The name of the individual responsible for calibrating fertilizer application equipment (e.g., fertilizer, manure spreaders, etc.) and the dates of the last calibrations. (If the equipment is owned by a fertilizer dealer or someone else who is responsible for the adjustment, then the name of the individual and/or business responsible for the equipment adjustment should be retained.)
8. Vegetative growth and cropping history of perennial crops.
Records such as these will help the producer determine whether a balanced nutrient program is being followed. Changes in soil P test levels with time due to nutrient additions can be determined from good records. The records should help to determine if nutrients are accumulating or being depleted in the soil. A paper recordkeeping system, such as that described in MSU Extension bulletin E-2340, may be helpful in accomplishing this goal. In addition, MSU offers two microcomputer programs MSUFR (CP001) and MSUNM (CP036) for managing fertilizer and manure nutrient sources for field and vegetable crops. MSUFR is a fertilizer recommendation program that can be used to generate fertilizer recommendations using soil test laboratory data from all Michigan ACP-approved laboratories. MSUNM is an entry-level microcomputer recordkeeping program that can assist crop and livestock producers in taking a whole-farm nutrient management approach. Fertilizer recommendations and manure application rates that follow Right-to-Farm GAAMP can be generated for individual fields.