Recovering Flooded Pastures
Bruce Anderson, Extension Forage Specialist
Flooded pastures are a mess. After water recedes, what needs to be done so recovery can occur?
First of all, be safe. Who knows what might have been left behind. Then, before doing any recovery efforts, alert local FSA and NRCS offices that you experienced this problem and discuss what assistance they may be able to offer. Do this first! You might be ineligible for assistance if you do work before receiving authorization.
Manure Impact on Soil Aggregation
Rick Koelsch, UNL Extension Specialist Biological Systems Engineering
If manure increases formation of larger (macro) and more stable soil aggregates, several benefits may result for fields fertilized by manure compared to commercial fertilizer including: 1) Reduced runoff and soil erosion; 2) Increased water infiltration into the soil possibly leading to greater drought tolerance; and 3) Partial offsetting of higher soil P levels resulting from manure application and limiting P loss to local surface water.
Risks with Heavy Manure Applications
Bruce Anderson, Extension Forage Specialist
There are situations where applying a heavy dose of manure before planting alfalfa may not be a good idea. When applying a heavy dose of manure, site selection is critical. These heavy doses contain a lot of nitrogen and phosphate along with many other nutrients. That’s fine, even good, for the alfalfa but it can create an environmental risk.
2017 Nutrient Management Record-keeping Calendar AVAILABLE NOW!
Amy Millmier Schmidt, Assistant Professor, Biological Systems Engineering & Animal Science
While permitted animal feeding operations are required to maintain manure nutrient management records, all operations with confined livestock can benefit from keeping basic records related to manure management.
A Systems Approach to Dairy Nutrient Planning: Part 3
Richard K. Koelsch, Professor, Biological Systems Engineering and Animal Science, University of Nebraska
This article is the third of a three-part summary of information shared at the Large Dairy Herd Management Conference held in Chicago in May 2-5, 2016. Part 1 introduced the concept of Whole Farm Nutrient Balance (WFNB). Part 2 shared summarized WFNB observed by three studies on dairies in New York, Idaho and Utah, and Idaho alone. This final discussion will share information on estimating WFNB and options for improving a surplus of nutrients on dairies. Take home message from first two article: • A dairy farm’s environmental risk (due to nutrients) is measured by the imbalance between imported nitrogen and phosphorus (e.g. purchased feed) with nutrients exported off-farm in managed products (e.g. milk). • Imbalances (especially N and P surpluses) are common on dairies. • Imported feed is the largest source of imported nutrients, suggesting efforts to reduce imported feed nutrients may have important environmental benefits. • Because fertilizer is a minor imported nutrient on farms with exception of those with sizeable land base, traditional nutrient plans to use manure more efficiently to replace may have modest to no benefit for some dairies.
A Systems Approach to Dairy Nutrient Planning: Part 2 of 3
Richard K Koelsch, Professor, Biological Systems Engineering and Animal Science, University of Nebraska
This article is the second of a three-part summary of information shared at the Large Dairy Herd Management Conference held in Chicago in May 2-5, 2016. Part 1 introduced the concept of Whole Farm Nutrient Balance (WFNB). This article summarizes WFNB observed by three studies on dairies in New York, Idaho and Utah, and Idaho alone. The medium size NY dairies (see Figures 1, 2, and 3) have some similarities to many of our traditional Nebraska dairies. The two studies of Idaho and Utah dairies bear some similarities with some of Nebraska’s larger dairies.
A Systems Approach to Dairy Nutrient Planning Part 1 of 3
Rick Koelsch, Professor, Biological Systems Engineering and Animal Science, University of Nebraska
Modern dairy farms are an increasing complex assembly of sub-systems for milk production, replacement herd development, and crop/feed production. The challenge of managing nutrients is complex both for those with integrated crop and dairy production as well as those focusing primarily on milk production alone. Quirine Kettering, faculty member at Cornell University’s Animal Science Department, and I conducted a review of nutrient balances observed by four studies on New York, Utah, and Idaho dairies to determine the ability of traditional nutrient management strategies, such as field based nutrient management plans, to effectively manage nutrients on dairy farms. This article is the first of a three-part summary of information shared at the Large Dairy Herd Management Conference held in Chicago in May 2-5, 2016. This first article will focus on the concept of “Whole Farm Nutrient Balance”.
Mortality Composting
Amy Millmier Schmidt, Assistant Professor & Livestock Bioenvironmental Engineer, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Mortalities are an unfortunate reality for livestock operations. Whether they’re caused by disease or natural disaster, losses of livestock occur for both confined and pastured animals and these mortalities must be managed responsibly to protect both the environment and the health of other animals.
Methane: Reducing Methane from Dairy Production
Paul Kononoff, UNL Associate Professor of Dairy Nutrition and Dairy Extension Specialist, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
The Food and Agriculture Organizations of the United Nations (FOA) estimates that providing a 5 year old with a glass of milk each day also provides this child with 21% of the daily protein and 8% of the daily calories needed by the child. Furthermore, milk provides key nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, selenium, riboflavin, vitamin B12 and vitamin B5.