“With the high cost of fertilizer inputs, now more than ever, it is important to make the best use of available on-farm nutrients such as manure and compost,” says Trevor Wallace, nutrient management specialist with the Alberta government. “Ensuring that nutrients are used effectively minimizes nutrient loss. Adding too much manure or compost can negatively impact air, soil, groundwater and surface water quality, not to mention be very costly.”
Key information needed to calculate or determine an appropriate manure or compost application rate includes:
- nutrient requirements for proposed crop or rotation based on target yield
- potential soil nutrient availability
- potential environmental nutrient additions, for example, sulphur from irrigation water
- nutrients from past fertilizer, manure or compost applications
- an estimate of the available nutrient content of the source, and
- proposed method and timing of application
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