By Jennifer Alexander, Poultney-Mettowee | Natural Resources Conservation District
As field work is winding down, now is a great time to make sure cropping records are in order. In order to create a quality nutrient management plan that has value to the farm, you need to keep quality records.
What do I mean by quality records? I mean records that accurately reflect what is occurring on the land. Has your manure spreader been weighed/calibrated? Have you collected a copy of the spreading records from your custom manure applicator? How accurately are you able to capture the farm yields? Have they been tracked by field or by whole farm?
I do believe that the soil test tells the story. However, unless soil samples are being taken every year or every other year, you need to be able to accurately capture nutrient applications and nutrient removal each year to hone your plan.
While estimating yields and weights when the nutrient management plan was first being developed was a great starting place, as the plan evolves over time, dialing in on what is really occurring will help with the bottom line and crop production. Borrow a truck scale and weigh your loads, both of crop and of manure. You might be surprised by how different they are than your estimates.
Many Districts and Extension offices offer portable truck scales, moisture probes, and soil probes for loan at no cost. Often times a staff person will come with the equipment to assist, which is very handy especially when using the scales to keep the flow of vehicles moving.
In goCrop, there exist blocks in several areas for internal notes like weights and moisture readings. These notes won’t print on your plan but can be useful to go back to. There are also 12 categories for record keeping which will print. goCrop even has an app that is available for iPhones and Android phones so records can be added as the event is occurring. No reception? No problem. Records can be added when out of service then automatically uploaded to the plan when connected to the internet or back in service. If the farm has a trusted employee, that person can also sign up for a goCrop account and be given access to the farm’s plan so they can add records.
While nutrient management plans and record keeping can seem onerous, neither are going away anytime soon and helping you ensure that your inputs are proportionate to your outputs is good for your bottom line. If you need support with your planning or would like to borrow some calibration equipment, reach out soon to your local Conservation District or Extension office!
Caption: Keeping accurate records throughout the season is essential to successful nutrient management planning.