Nitrogen in the Soil Amber Moore, University of Idaho David - PDF document

12/24/2014 Nitrogen in the Soil Amber Moore, University of Idaho David Tarkalson and David Bjorneberg, USDA Agricultural Research Service Median Nitrate-N Concentrations In TFCC return flow 3.0 Nitrate-N Concentrations (mg/L) 2.5 2.0 1968-1970 2006-2008 1.5 1.0 0.5 0.0 Cedar Deep Mud Creek Rock Main Canal Draw Creek Creek 1

12/24/2014 Nitrate in return flow is from subsurface drains No nitrate in surface runoff 2

12/24/2014 9 3 1 6 7 Clears Springs Foods Snake River Farm Nitrate-N Concentrations at Clear Springs 3

12/24/2014 Corn and Dairy Cattle in Idaho 700,000 Corn 600,000 Acres 500,000 400,000 300,000 200,000 2 acres of corn have been 100,000 added for every 3 cows 0 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 4

12/24/2014 Dairies & Cropland in the Magic Valley • 390,000 milk cows require 5000 to 6000 acres of pens (600 ft 2 /cow) ~900 acres of wastewater ponds (100 ft 2 /cow) • 980,000 acres of harvested cropland Magic Valley Dairy Nitrogen Budget NH 3 emissions 55 mill lbs/yr N Intake 211 mill lbs/yr Fecal + Urine N 62 + 87 = 149 mill lbs/yr Milk N 300 00 53 mill lbs/yr 250 56 Manure N Export 200 00 94 mill lbs/yr Ammonia 15 150 95 Manure 100 100 Fertilizer 50 50 101 Based on data from The 0 Fertilizer Institute, NASS, N A Avai ailab lable le research studies, and (lb lb/ac acre re/year ar) estimations of N excretion . 5

12/24/2014 Soil Nitrogen (NO 3 -N + NH 4 -N) in 0-2 ft (lb/a) Fall 2012 Fall 2013 Spring 2014 2012 2013 Fertilizer Crop* Crop (lb N/a) Corn 142 Barley 120 146 117 Corn 142 Fallow 0 241 277 Corn 142 Camelina 50 184 196 * Applied 185 lb/a N in spring 2012 for corn. 6