Nitrogen Smart

Tractor applying anhydrous ammonia in a field.

Nitrogen Smart is an educational program for producers that covers fundamentals and advanced topics to maximize the economic return on nitrogen investments while minimizing nitrogen losses.

Fundamentals

Nitrogen Smart Fundamentals delivers high-quality, research-based education that covers:

Sources of nitrogen (N) for crops.
How nitrogen is lost from soil and how you can reduce losses.
How to manage nitrogen in drainage systems.
What the Nutrient Reduction Strategy and Nitrogen Fertilizer Management Plan mean for Minnesota producers.
Practices to refine nitrogen management, including split applications, alternative N fertilizers, soil and tissue testing, and N models.

Nitrogen Smart certification is valid for three years after participants complete the fundamentals course.

If you have completed the Fundamentals course and would like to review the material, visit Nitrogen Smart Review.

Nitrogen Smart online

The fundamentals and advanced topics are offered online as self-guided courses. You may register at any point and complete the course before the end of the following calendar year. You can return at any time if you need to pause the course before you finish. Your progress is automatically saved, and you can pick up where you left off.

Complete the Fundamentals course before taking any of the advanced courses. You may take any or all of the advanced courses.
All Nitrogen Smart online courses offer three (3) Certified Crop Advisor CEUs: 1 nutrient management (NM), 1 soil and water (SW), and 1 in sustainability when completed.
When offered in person, these courses can be taken for 3 CCA-CEUs: 2 in nutrient management (NM) and 1 in soil and water (SW).

Thanks to the generous support of the Minnesota Corn Growers, there is no charge for the Nitrogen Smart courses.

Manure management

Livestock manure has been used as crop fertilizer for thousands of years. Manure remains a valuable source of crop nutrients, even with the advent of synthetic fertilizers. Because its nutrient content and availability can vary widely, it’s important to develop a management plan that will optimize crop productivity while protecting water quality.

Topics include:

Benefits and challenges of using manure in crop production.
What determines the nutrient content in manure?
How manure storage and handling affect nutrient availability.
Importance of manure sampling and testing.
How application methods and timing affect nitrogen loss.
Practices to optimize manure use and minimize nitrogen losses.

A deep dive into the 4Rs

A deep dive into the 4Rs begins where the fundamentals of Nitrogen Smart end, with a detailed discussion of N rate, soil contributions, and climate-induced stress.

The 4Rs were developed in collaboration between university researchers and the fertilizer industry during the late 1980s. They promote a nutrient management approach that balances crop productivity with environmental preservation:

Right rate: Nitrogen rates have the greatest potential to impact both crop production and the environment. The key to optimizing rates is to follow university N guidelines, use soil nitrate-N tests when appropriate, and scout for deficiencies.
Right source: Once in a plant-available form, the plant doesn’t distinguish one N source from another. However, there are differences in how N fertilizers interact with the environment, which can affect both availability and loss.
Right time: The nutrient supply should be synchronized with crop demand and uptake. Several factors influence N availability, including fertilizer source, the use of stabilizers or inhibitors, and field conditions. Together, they help determine when it’s most appropriate for that particular N source to be applied.
Right place: Nutrients should be placed where the crop can use them. Consequently, the application method is important for optimum fertilizer efficiency.

Adapting N management to climate

Over the past decades, precipitation and temperature patterns have shifted. Some of these shifts are dramatic, while others are more subtle, but they significantly affect nitrogen loss potential. In this course, you will take a closer look at these shifting patterns and how you can adjust nitrogen management to maintain profitability while minimizing losses. Topics include:

Drivers of the nitrogen cycle.
Connecting climate to the nitrogen cycle.
Connecting climate to the 4Rs.
Connecting climate to nitrogen management.
Adjusting source, rate and application method.

It is strongly recommended that you complete both the Fundamentals course and "A deep dive into the 4Rs" before taking this course.

Reducing nitrate loss to water

Watershed plans have been developed for all of Minnesota that set goals to reduce nitrate levels in surface water. Additionally, some parts of Minnesota are experiencing elevated nitrate levels in groundwater. Individual farmers and the industry as a whole are being asked to make changes that will improve water quality. This session explores the effects of N fertilizer management, edge-of-field practices (such as bioreactors and saturated buffers), and cropping system practices (such as cover crops or crop rotation changes) to help individuals determine whether these practices will work on their farms and which are the best fit.

CCA-CEUs: 3 soil and water (SW).

Nitrogen College

Take your nitrogen management to the next level by attending Advanced Nitrogen Smart training at the Nitrogen College. In addition to the trainings listed below, the Nitrogen College offers “A deep dive into the 4Rs,” “Adapting nitrogen management to climate,” and “Reducing nitrate loss to water.” For more details, select “Nitrogen College” from the events listed below.

Biologicals and nitrogen management

The use of biologicals in agriculture, specifically in corn production, has been debated recently. Many available biologicals are based on microorganisms isolated from soil near corn roots. In this session, we will discuss the different types of biologicals, what they are, and what they are supposed to do. We’ll discuss the challenges of using biologicals and the potential benefits and limitations of their use in corn.

Variable rate nitrogen

The optimal N rate varies with many factors, including soil, climate, pests, and other variables that are difficult to determine. This variability is not limited to year-to-year or field-to-field. The optimal rate can vary from one spot in a field to another.

The technology for variable rate applications has been around for a couple of decades, but the ability to reliably predict exact N needs at any given location remains a work in progress. This session will review several of the methods that have been tried and the research evaluating them. The biggest takeaway, however, may be philosophical: how do we define success?