IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION AND OUTREACH—NORTHWEST REGION MARCH 2018 ISSUE

Recently I had a discussion with someone in northwest Iowa about what rates of nitrogen they used on their corn acres, and how they determined the amount to apply. The basis for his application rate was a factor times the yield expected, less any legume credits. What he quoted to me was what ISU recommended over 35 years ago. We quit using that recommendation about 30 years ago. Why? Iowa nitrogen response research very clearly showed there was not much of a correlation between the yield of fields and the optimum nitrogen rate needed to be most economically profitable. Research from other Midwestern states showed the same result. Even more interesting, although yields have increased dramatically over that time the optimum amount of nitrogen needed per acre has not really changed much. ISU fertilization guidelines can now be found on the Iowa Nitrogen Rate Calculator website (http://cnrc.agron.iastate.edu/), which uses data from hundreds of nitrogen rate trials to develop what I refer to as chart of the “odds for N response.” I encourage everyone to spend some time learning about the data included, look at all the charts, and read the ISU Extension and Outreach publication titled “Nitrogen Use in Iowa Corn Production” (store.extension.iastate.edu/product/14281).

From the decade of the 1960’s to the decade of the 2000’s, corn yield went up 67 percent. Nitrogen fertilizer requirements stayed quite constant over that time. It seems logical that a much higher fertilizer N rate would be needed, but that hasn’t proven to be true. At some of the ISU Extension Crop Advantage meetings held across Iowa in January, Dr. John Sawyer, ISU Extension Soil Fertility Specialist, discussed the topic of “Nitrogen Use: It’s Not your Grandfather’s Corn.” He focused on a two-year study looking at common hybrids from each decade from the 1960’s to the decade of 2000. As stated earlier, yields were up 67 percent; however, when analyzing the amount of N in the grain harvested from an acre, only 22 percent more N was found in that grain. When the corn grain was analyzed from 1960 era hybrids, there was 0.76 pounds of N per bushel. That number dropped to 0.58 pounds per bushel in 2000 era hybrids. Several studies conducted of hybrids that are more recent would show that the N amount per bushel has dropped to about 0.53 pounds of nitrogen per bushel. It appears that part of the reason we have not

needed to increase fertilizer nitrogen rates at the same percentage rate as yield has increased is due to the fact that the nutrient content in grain today is different than it was many years ago. In fact, the amount of nitrogen suggested by the Corn N Rate Calculator would still be more than what we are removing in the grain, even at very high yield levels. I believe this is why corn nitrogen response research needs to be continued annually, with results added to those already present in the N rate calculator, while dropping older results from the data set.

It is obvious that corn yield has made great improvement over time. It is good for the pocketbook and the environment that higher N applications have not been needed to allow these yield increases. Unfortunately, nitrate-N movement to water systems seems to have remained similar over time, too. As John Sawyer stated for the Crop Advantage Series this year, “Increasing N applications in reaction to high corn yields would only reduce profitability and worsen environmental issues …” Recent research shows that to be true.

Websites for your Reference:

Ag Decision Maker www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm/ Iowa Beef Center www.iowabeefcenter.org/ Manure Management www.agronext.iastate.edu/immag/ Iowa Pork Center www.ipic.iastate.edu/ ISU Extension and Outreach Dairy Team www.extension.iastate.edu/dairyteam

In this Issue:

Nitrogen and Today’s Corn — Joel DeJong

Dairy Beef Tour to Feature Facilities and Marketimg — Beth Doran

Composting Livestock Mortalities — Kris Kohl

“EQUIP” Your Farm with Better Wildlife Habitat — Adam Janke

Nitrogen and Today’s Corn

Joel DeJong, Field Agronomist jldejong@iastate.edu 712-546-7835

Beth Doran, Beef Program Specialist doranb@iastate.edu 712-737-4230

Producers and agribusiness professionals have a unique opportunity to see how dairy steers are managed and marketed in the upper Midwest. A special tour will be offered Tuesday, March 27 along the I-29 corridor, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The tour is an educational pre-event associated with the Central Plains Dairy Expo in Sioux Falls, departing from the Denny Sanford Premier Center.

An ISU survey indicates that roughly 15 percent of the cattle placed on feed in Iowa are dairy steers; yet, raising dairy steers differs from beef steers.

The tour features stops at two dairy steer operations and an auction facility. The first is at Binford Farms near Luverne, MN. This family-farm operation houses dairy steers in several kinds of facilities – open lot, deep bedded monoslope and slatted floor barns. This is a great chance to see how steers perform in each type of facility.

The second farm stop is Rock River Feeders north of Sioux Center, IA. Kent and Sylvia Pruismann, along with other family members, have taken great care to develop the 3,500-head open feedlot with special attention to animal well-being, Beef Quality Assurance, environmental sustainability and the incorporation of new technologies.

Over the noon hour, participants will have the opportunity to hear from Mike Koedam, co-owner of Tri-State Livestock Auction located in Sioux Center. Tri-State Livestock is a diversified auction market selling all classes of livestock and specializing in dairy for over 80 years. Mike will share what kind of dairy steer and management protocols command higher premiums in the sale ring.

Garret Englin, regional buyer for JBS USA, will visit about marketing finished dairy steers. JBS USA is one of the largest dairy packers with harvest plants located in Grand Island, NE, Greeley, CO, and Green Bay, WI. Garret will discuss what kind of dairy steer carcass commands “top dollar” and his recommendations on how to achieve a quality carcass.

Registration, which is $30 and due March 23, includes bus transportation, noon meal and educational materials. Registrations with digital payment should be made at http://igrow.org/events/2018-i-29-moo-university-dairy-beef-short-course-tour/. All other registrations may be sent to ISU Extension and Outreach—Sioux County, 400 Central Ave. NW, Suite 700, Orange City IA 51041.

For a flier or more information, call 712-737-4230 or contact Beth Doran, doranb@iastate.edu, or Fred Hall, fredhall@iastate.edu.

Reminder To:

Get Your BQA Certification – Several packers have issued deadline dates for feedlot suppliers to get certified. ISU Extension and Outreach will be holding several BQA sessions in Northwest Iowa this summer. But if you need to be certified before then, BQA certification is available on-line at www.bqa.org/certification/iowa.

Register Your Premise – If there is an animal health emergency, trace-back will be critical to prevent spread of the disease and to maintain the livestock markets. The Iowa Department of Agriculture is currently updating the registration of premises and encourages all livestock producers to register (if new) or update their registration. A premise identification form may be downloaded from: www.iowaagriculture.gov/animalIndustry/pdf/premiseIDapp2.pdf. There is no cost to register or update your premise information. Although this is voluntary, producers are encouraged to register and all premise information is confidential. Remember what happened to the markets in 2003 when the first case of BSE was confirmed in the U.S.

New Publications available from www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm/ - Suggested Closing Inventory Prices for 2017 Records – C1-40, December 2017 - Livestock Planning Prices – B1-10, January 2017 - Livestock Enterprise Budgets (B1-21) – revised Feb 2018 - Monthly Cattle Feeding Returns (B1-36) – Feb 2018 - Live Cattle Basis (B2-42) – Feb 2018 - Feeder Cattle Basis (B2-43) – Feb 2018 - Feeder Steer-Heifer Price Spread (B2-45) – Feb 2018 - Historic Cattle Prices (B2-12) – Feb 2018

Dairy Beef Tour to Feature Facilities and Marketing

Kris Kohl, Ag Engineering Specialist kkohl1@iastate.edu 712-732-5056

Composting Livestock Mortalities: What Every Farmer Should Know

There are four proper ways to deal with livestock mortalities in Iowa. They are burial, incineration, rendering, and composting. The

regulations on burial and frozen ground make this option difficult and costly. Incineration requires the use of only DNR approved

incinerators that use a lot of fuel, and are also expensive. Rendering is a good alternative to recycle the mortalities, but does provide for

biosecurity risks.

When there is a disease outbreak the USDA plans to use composting to contain the disease on the farms. For this reason I think all livestock

farmers should have the knowledge of how to compost mortalities in a manner that is effective and efficient. The process uses aerobic

microbes to decompose the soft tissue quickly and without odor. continued on next page...

Adam Janke, Extension Wildlife Specialist ajanke@iastate.edu 515-294-7429

The Natural Resource Conservation Service’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program, or EQIP, is best known for its applications in

providing cost share for producers to improve their operations through practices like planting cover crops, trying no-till for the first time,

installing terraces, or redesigning grazing programs. Less well-known is the rich diversity of opportunities the program presents for

landowners to receive cost share help with wildlife habitat improvement projects. In fact, I’ve heard it said by some wildlife biologists that

EQIP is perhaps the most underutilized cost-share opportunity for landowners to improve their land for wildlife in the state. I’ve also heard it

said that if you can dream up a practice for wildlife habitat on your land, EQIP can probably help. That sounds like a win-win for wildlife

and landowners.

Iowa’s NRCS and local service centers have prioritized a number of practices that target wildlife habitat improvements for cost share under

the program. These practices fit under four broad umbrellas: forestry, grasslands, rivers and streams, and wildlife habitat. In grasslands,

landowners can get support for managing invasions of unwelcomed brush like eastern red cedar that outcompetes native flowers and grasses

and takes away forage for livestock or nesting places for grassland birds. Landowners can also get cost share support for establishing new

patches of prairie grasslands or diversifying old stands with plantings of wild flowers, a practice that has many positive benefits for

pollinating insects, game bird habitat, monarch butterflies, and more. The sight of a diverse prairie, created through EQIP assistance is also a

welcome sight in full bloom during the summer. Additional EQIP practices include streambank stabilization for rivers and streams, tree

plantings for shelterbelts or to create new young forests, assistance for planning and implementing prescribed fires in prairies and forests,

edge feathering along woodlot edges to create shrubby habitat, and many more.

If you want to get started or learn more about how these cost-share practices can fit into your goals for your land, the best way to start is to

go to your local NRCS service center and inquire about the application process. There you can learn more about the application deadlines,

the process for identifying opportunities for cost sharing practices on your land, and get in touch with professional wildlife biologists or

district foresters with the Iowa DNR that can work with you to develop and implement a plan for achieving your goals. You can also visit

https://www.nrem.iastate.edu/wildlife/contacts/Wildlife-Habitat-Programs-and-Consultation and select your county for contact information

for your district forester or private lands wildlife biologist that can discuss your options over the phone or email. The program accepts

applications year-round, but has annual deadlines in the spring and fall for evaluation of applicants. Start planning today for a strategy to

“EQIP” your farm with better wildlife habitat in years to come!

“EQUIP” Your Farm with Better Wildlife Habitat

Composting Livestock Mortalities, continued Good compost practices will result in a compost that is: (1) Hot — 130 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer; (2) Fast (for rapid decomposition) and

(3) Odor Free. Poor piles will be cold, slow and have a smell, which will attract scavengers and vermin.

The DNR has requirements for where and how we can compost to reduce the risk of water contamination. These include:

500 feet from inhabited residence

200 feet from public wells

100 feet from private wells

50 feet from property lines

100 feet from flowing or intermittent streams, lakes, or ponds

Outside of wetlands

Outside 100-year flood plain

Incorporate animal mortality into the compost pile within 24 hours.

Base layer of bulking agent under the carcasses shall be 12-24 inches thick.

Maintain a cover of bulking agent 12-18 inches thick over the carcasses (check frequently and add cover as the pile settles and shifts).

Composting must be done in a manner that prevents runoff and leachate, and controls odors, flies, rodents, and other vermin.

Dead farm animals shall not be removed from composting until all soft tissue is fully decomposed.

Storage of finished compost shall be limited to 18 months.

Finished compost shall be applied to cropland in a manner that minimizes the runoff into a water of the state.

Bulking agents are used to improve the structure and porosity of the compost. These materials should be readily available, inexpensive, and

free of pesticide residues. The co-compost material should provide air movement, yet insulate the process to maintain warm temperatures.

Some commonly used bulking agents include: poultry litter, turkey brooder litter, hoop barn manure/bedding, ground corn stalks, ground

corn cobs, wood chips, coarse sawdust and/or mature dry corn silage.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call 800-795-3272 (voice) or 202-720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

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March 1 • Private Pesticide Applicator Training at 1:30 p.m. • Community Center, Primghar

March 6 • Private Pesticide Applicator Training at 1:30 p.m. • ISU Extension and Outreach - LeMars March 6 • Private Pesticide Applicator Training at 1:30 p.m. • ISU Extension and Outreach - LeMars March 7 • Ornamental and Turfgrass Applicators Continuing Instruction Course at 9:00 a.m. • ISU Extension and Outreach - LeMars

March 8 • Seed Treatment Course at 9:00 a.m. • ISU Extension and Outreach - LeMars

March 21 • Certified Handlers Continuing Education Course at 9:00 a.m. ISU Extension and Outreach - LeMars

March 22 • Private Pesticide Applicator Training at 7:00 p.m. • First Presbyterian Church, Sibley

FIELD FEEDLOT