News

Nitrogen Smart teaches basics

A program through the University of Minnesota teaches the basics of how nitrogen behaves in the environment.

Extension crops specialist Brad Carlson is leading the development of Nitrogen Smart.

“We start with the nitrogen cycle, and it seems sort of basic.  Most farmers and people that deal with fertilizer think they know something about the nitrogen cycle and probably do.  But what we try to do is contextualize it into how it actually effects decisions made for nitrogen management.”

He tells Brownfield if farmers want to maintain the flexibility of managing nitrogen from one site to the next without regulation, they are responsible for making science-based decisions.

“So we go through the science of how nitrogen behaves for the sake of adapting that management.  So Nitrogen Smart tries to teach that, as well as go through a lot of the management recommendations that we have.”

The University of Minnesota has partnered with the Minnesota Corn Growers Association and Minnesota Ag Water Resources Center to develop the Nitrogen Smart curriculum.

Workshops took place during the spring and Carlson says more workshops are planned for this winter.