Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig and the Iowa Nutrient Research & Education Council (INREC) today announced a new, three-year Nitrogen Soil Sampling Project that will conduct nitrogen soil testing for farmers in targeted areas upstream from the Des Moines metro. Testing for residual nitrogen in the soil can help farmers dial in their fertilizer application rates, which may help cut input costs while delivering meaningful water quality benefits.
Residual nitrogen levels can vary widely from year to year and field to field, with winter conditions often influencing how much is available heading into spring. Experts at Iowa State University have been modeling soil nitrogen conditions and have found residual nitrogen levels could be higher than average this year because of the relatively warm winter weather. Soil sampling removes the guesswork and gives farmers reliable, field-level data to understand how much nitrogen is naturally occurring before additional fertilizer is applied.
“Farmers are operating in a very challenging economy with low commodity prices and high input costs, including fertilizer prices near record highs,” said Secretary Naig. “With affordability top of mind, this is the perfect time for farmers to take a closer look at their fertilizer management programs. Soil sampling, coupled with the Iowa Nitrogen Initiative’s N-FACT tool, gives farmers better data to make input decisions. This project is a win-win; soil sampling has the potential to save farmers money on fertilizer costs while maintaining yields and delivering water quality benefits.”
This three-year program is designed to study year-to-year variability in nitrogen availability and evaluate how residual soil nitrogen influences on-farm nitrogen management decisions.
“Nitrogen decisions involve many variables,” said Ben Gleason, INREC Executive Director. “This program gives farmers the chance to work off real numbers from their own fields. In a year where every input dollar matters, that kind of precision can make a difference.”
The first phase of the project begins this spring. INREC is currently enrolling farmers directly north of the Des Moines metro in Boone, Calhoun, Greene, Hamilton and Webster counties. The program will expand this fall to include more fields in the Boone, Des Moines, Middle Cedar and Raccoon River watersheds. SoilView will conduct the soil sampling and laboratory testing to inform in-season nitrogen applications. Farmers can start enrolling now at iowanrec.org/nitrogen-soil-sampling-project.
Participating farmers will be asked to provide basic field information such as crop rotation, nitrogen management, manure use and cover crop history, and complete a short, post-season survey. All data will be anonymized and shared with Iowa State University to support ongoing nitrogen research and the Iowa Nitrogen Initiative’s N-FACT rate recommendations.
To learn more about the Nitrogen Soil Sampling Project and other supporting resources, visit iowanrec.org/nitrogen-soil-sampling-project.
