Agricultural Environmental Management

Simply put, agricultural environmental management (AEM) combines farm practices designed for efficient, high-quality, high-yield production with effective environmental stewardship.

Research projects on regional farms and at regional agricultural research stations are providing Northern New York farmers with region-specific data re: nutrient and manure management, crops and livestock production, and other farming practices that will bring the best production results and income while protecting air quality and the region’s rich land, soil and water resources.

Click on the links below to learn more about NNYADP agricultural environmental management (AEM) projects and other AEM resources.

Ag Plastics Recycling
Alfalfa
BMR Sorghum Sudangrass
Calculators
Carbon Offset Credits/Trading
Copper
Corn
Fertilizer Management
Grass-Based Agriculture
Integrated Pest Management
Lime
Manure
Nitrogen
Nutrient Balancing
Phosphorus
Potassium
Sulfur
Whole Farm Nutrient Management

Ag Plastics Recycling
Fact Sheets:
- Criteria and Indicators for Evaluating Quality of Plastics Submitted for Recycling
- Recycling Dairy Plastics Best Management Practices
- Recycling Horticultural Plastics Best Management Practices

Press Releases:
- North Country Farmers Prepare for Baling -- Not Hay, but Ag Plastics

Alfalfa
Articles:
- Are Manure and Established Alfalfa a Good Mix?
- The effect of cutting height on yield and quality of alfalfa in Northern New York

Fact Sheets:
- Rearing & Applying Nematodes to Control Alfalfa Snout Beetle, 2010 Manual
- Manure on Alfalfa Fact Sheet (#16)

Research Reports:
- Biological Control of Alfalfa Snout Beetle: Nematode Persistence Across Rotations
- Brown Root Rot Causal Agent is Composed of a Species Complex by Michael J. Wunsch and Gary C. Bergstrom, 2010

BMR Sorghum Sudangrass
Research Reports:
- Aminosugar Nitrogen Soil Test for Economic and Environmentally-Sound  Nitrogen Management of Corn in NNY (Note: large file loads slowly)
- Brown Midrib Sorghum Sudangrass: An Economic and Environmentally-Sound Alternative to Corn in NNY?

Calculators
- Crop Available Nutrients from Manure
- Expected Nitrogen Credits From Plowed Sods
- ISNT and LOI Interpretations for Corn
- ISNT, LOI, and Corn Stalk Nitrate Input Form and Interpretations for Corn
- Manure Nutrient Credit Calculators
- New York State Corn Nitrogen Calculator
- Whole Farm Nutrient Balance Spreadsheet

Carbon Offset Credits/Trading
- Click here

Copper
Press Releases
- Copper, Cows & Crops: NNY Research Evaluates How Dairy Footbaths Affect Farm Crops, Field Lifetime

Research Reports
- The Effect of CuSO4 from Dairy Manure on the Growth, and Composition of Cool Season Forage Grasses and Corn

Corn
Research Reports
- Brown Midrib Sorghum Sudangrass: An Economic and Environmentally-Sound Alternative to Corn in NNY?
- Can Manure Replace the Need for Starter Nitrogen Fertilizer?
- Economic and Environmental Impacts of Corn Silage Maturity Management (Note: large file loads slowly)
- Precise Nitrogen Management for Corn Production

Fertilizer Management
Articles
See also Liming, Manure, Nitrogen, Nutrient Balancing
- Fertilizer: So Many Choices: Part 1
- Fertilizer: So Many Choices: Part 2
- Fertilizer: So Many Choices: Part 3

Grass-Based Agriculture
- Click here

Integrated Pest Management

Lime
Articles
- Do Your Fields Need Lime?
- Liming Materials: Know what you are getting

Manure
Articles
- Estimating the fertilizer value of manure
- Lewis County Farmer Participates in Statewide Manure Incorporation Project
- Manure Nutrient Credit Calculators Online
- Miner Institute Participates in Statewide Manure Incorporation Project
- St. Lawrence County Farmer Sees Promising Results from Manure Incorporation Trials
- Timing is Right for Manure Incorporation Study at Mapleview Dairy LLC in St. Lawrence County

Fact Sheets
- Manure on Alfalfa Fact Sheet (#16)
- 2004 Manure Management on Grasses
- Manure Sampling, Analysis & Interpretation (#38)
- How Manure Application Timing, Crop, and Soil Type Affect Phosphorus Leaching
- Nutrient Management Data Collection (#37)

Research Reports
- 2008-09 Economic and environmentally sound manure management option for reduced till systems
- 2007 Best Management Practices for the Use of Dairy Manure
- 2006 Best Management Practices for the Use of Dairy Manure; Towards Calibration of the Phosphorus Runoff Index in Northern NY
- 2006 Manure Management on Grasses
- 2004 Manure Management on Grasses
- 2005 Best Management Practices for the Use of Dairy Manure; Towards Calibration of the Phosphorus Runoff Index in Northern NY
- Can Manure Replace the Need for Starter Nitrogen Fertilizer?
- How Manure Application Timing, Crop, and Soil Type Affect Phosphorus Leaching
- Reducing Phosphorus and Nitrogen Loss with Aerway Incorporation of Manure
- Types of Footbath Treatments Used in NE NY, Their Effect on Mini Pit Manure Slurry Ecology and Nutrient Composition, and Forage Grass and Alfalfa Yield and Composition
 

Nitrogen
Articles
- Nitrogen Fertilizer 101
- A Second Look at Nitrogen Additives
- Soil Nitrogen Testing for Corn
- Soil Testing for Corn Nitrogen Needs

Fact Sheets
- How Soil Type and Drainage Affect Corn Nitrogen Response
Late Season Stalk Nitrate Test (#31)
- Illinois Soil Nitrogen Test (ISNT) for Corn (#35)
- Nitrogen Basics: The Nitrogen Cycle (#2)
- Nitrogen Credits from Manure (#4)
- Nitrogen Fixation (#39)
- Nitrogen Guidelines for Corn (#35)
- Nitrogen Leaching Index (#11)
- Nitrogen Needs for First Year Corn (#21)
- Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium Removal by Brown Midrib Sorghum Sudangrass
- Pre-Sidedress Nitrate Test (PSNT) for Corn (#3)
- Soybean Nitrogen Credits (#30)

Press Releases
- NNYADP Research Evaluating Six Ways to Help Corn Growers
Save Money, Reduce Nutrient Loss; Learn More March 14-15
- NNY Farmer Happy to Save Money Not Over-Fertilizing Corn

Profiles
- Research leads to lower nitrogen rates on corn: Kiechle farm profile

Research Reports
- Aminosugar Nitrogen Soil Test for Economic and Environmentally-Sound  Nitrogen Management of Corn in NNY (Note: large file loads slowly)
- Can Manure Replace the Need for Starter Nitrogen Fertilizer?
- ISNT Implementation on NNY Farms and Protected N Sources to Meet N Needs for Corn Where N is Needed
- Nitrate Leaching as Affected by Manure Application Timing and Soil Type
- Nitrogen Needs for Corn Following Grass/Legume Sods (#21)
- Reducing Phosphorus and Nitrogen Loss with Aerway Incorporation of Manure

Software Tools
- Calculator (Requires Microsoft Excel)

Nutrient Balancing
Fact Sheets
- Nutrient Management Data Collection (#37)

Research Reports
- 2007 Nutrient Accounting for NNY Dairy Farms: Basis for Environmentally Sound Nutrient Management
- 2006 Nutrient Accounting for NNY Dairy Farms Basis for Environmentally Sound Nutrient Management
- 2005 Nutrient Accounting for NNY Dairy Farms as Basis for Environmentally-Sound Nutrient Management

Additional Resources
- Whole farm nutrient balancing

Phosphorus
Fact Sheets
- 2004 NNY - Calibration of the P Index – (report w/tables)
- Developing a P Index for NNY Soils
- How Manure Application Timing, Crop, and Soil Type Affect Phosphorus Leaching
- How Quickly Will Soil Test P Increase (#27)
- The Impact of Starter P on Corn Silage
- Limiting Phosphorus Use for Corn Growing in NNY
- Managing P Runoff with P Index (#13)
- Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium Removal by Brown Midrib Sorghum Sudangrass
- P Runoff: Rainfall Simulation Experiment Results
- Phosphorus Basics: The Phosphorus Cycle (#12)
- Phosphorus Index (#10)
- Phosphorus Soil Testing Methods (#15) -
- Phosphorus Removal by Field Crops (#28)
- Starter Phosphorus Fertilizer for Corn (#8)
- Trends in Soil P Status
- Why is Phosphorus an Issue for New York Farms?

Press Releases
- Helping Farms and the Environment: New NNY-Specific - Phosphorus Fact Sheets Evaluate Corn Silage and Runoff Research
- Study Says NNY Corn Growers May Reduce or Eliminate Use of Phosphorus

Research Reports
- Best Management Practices for the Use of Dairy Manure; Towards Calibration of the Phosphorus Runoff Index in Northern NY
- 2004 NNY - Calibration of the P Index – (short report)
- 2004 NNY - Calibration of the P Index – (report w/tables)
- Estimating Phosphorus Losses from Tile-Drained Fields in NNY
- Reducing Phosphorus and Nitrogen Loss with Aerway Incorporation of Manure

Potassium
Fact Sheets
- Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium Removal by Brown Midrib Sorghum Sudangrass

Sulfur
Research Reports
- Can sulfur addition increase alfalfa yield and quality in NNY? 2008-09 Report
- Can sulfur addition increase alfalfa yield and quality in NNY? 2007-08 Report

Whole Farm Nutrient Management
Articles
Whole Farm Planning with Carbon Credits by A. Edward Staehr, NY Farm Net

Additional Resources
- Cornell Nutrient Management Spear Program
Click Here for links to the following resource websites:
- Cornell Pro-Dairy Program
- New York State Agricultural Environmental Management
- Soil and Water Conservation District Offices:
… Clinton County: 518-561-4616 x3
… Essex County: 518-962-8225
… Franklin County
… Jefferson County
… Lewis County
… St. Lawrence County
- USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service: New York