Tag: soils

Department Seeks Applicants for Farming for Healthy Soils Program

Maryland Department of Agriculture press release

The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) is now accepting applications for farmers interested in enrolling their fields in the Farming for Healthy Soils program. Participating farmers will receive free technical assistance and financial incentives to help install the following soil health practices:

  • Conservation tillage;
  • Multi-species cover crops;
  • Extended season cover crops;
  • Prescribed grazing; and
  • Precision nutrient management.

Cost-share funding of $10 to $55 per acre is available to help farmers adopt these key practices. Free technical assistance will be provided by local soil conservation districts or University of Maryland Extension, and will include field evaluations to measure changes in soil health. Financial assistance will also be offered for soils data sampling.

Maryland’s Farming for Healthy Soils program is funded by a three-year, $1 million grant awarded by the Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund. In its second year, the grant promotes the use of on-farm soil health practices that increase carbon sequestration, improve soil productivity, and protect water quality in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

The Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund is a partnership between the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Grants Program and the Small Watershed Grants Program. Additional support is provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Altria Group Restoring America’s Resources partnership.

Farmers who want to enroll study fields in this program should contact MDA’s Healthy Soils Program Coordinator Kevin Antoszewski at kevin.antoszewski@maryland.gov. For more information about Maryland’s Farming for Healthy Soils program, please visit MDA’s website.

Delmarva Soil Summit Feb 26 & 27 in Georgetown, DE

2020 Delmarva Soil Summit

The Delmarva Soil Summit will be held on February 26 & 27 at the Delaware Technical Community College in Georgetown.  

Whether you farm 2 acres or 2,000 acres, this conference will deliver information that’s relevant to your farm’s scale and production type. We’re bringing in experts from around the country, and bringing you the latest updates from researchers right here on Delmarva. With learning tracks and farmer panels for both large-scale commodity farmers and small-scale diversified growers, there’s something here for everyone!

Please find attached agenda: Delmarva Soil Summit Agenda

More information can be found at http://delmarvasoilsummit.com/

Register online at: http://delmarvasoilsummit.com/index.php/register/

Mn, Zn, and B Starter for Corn Production

Jarrod Miller, Extension Agronomist & Amy Shober, Professor & Nutrient Management Extension Specialist
University of Delaware

 

Micronutrient deficiencies are commonly exhibited in agronomic crops grown on Delaware’s sandy, low organic matter soils. In 2018, University of Delaware researchers conducted a study at the Carvel Research and Education Center (Georgetown, DE) to examine corn response to manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), and boron (B) in starter fertilizer. Two rates of Mn (0.25 and 0.5 lb/ac), Zn (0.5 and 1.0 lb/ac), and B (0.15 and 0.30 lb/ac) were applied as a liquid starter with the planter.

The goal of this project was to increase yields with additional starter applications of Mn, Zn, or B, which did not occur. However, based on the soil test UD recommendations, no additional micronutrients were called for (Shober et al., 2019). Fields deficient in Mn, Zn, or B (based on UD recommendations) would still benefit from their addition as a starter band or foliar application.

Although starter applications of B did not produce a yield effect, tissue concentrations of B increased with yield. Predicting B availability is difficult, as it is more prone to leaching than other micronutrients. With lower tissue B concentrations related to stand counts, there is potential evidence that B leached below the root zone in saturated soils. It is possible that B would benefit from split applications, similar to N management.

The application of B increased Mn content in ear leaf tissue, but not yields. Across all treatments there was a positive relationship between B and Mn uptake. The relationship between these two nutrients in should be investigated further.

Read the full report here.