Farmers’ Nutrient Management
Strategies: Results from the Iowa
Farm and Rural Life Poll
J. Gordon Arbuckle Jr.
Iowa Water Resources Coordinating Council Meeting
November 20, 2013
Annual survey of Iowa farmers
• Focus on issues of importance to agriculture in
the Midwest
• About 1,200 farmers each year
• 2012 survey posed nitrogen management
questions from 2002, with updated technology
• Many relevant research questions over years
(e.g., cover crops, information sources)
2012 Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll:
Nitrogen management
•
•
•
•
•
•
Use of or familiarity with key N
management practices-updated
from 2002 (assist from C.
McGrath, M. Licht, J. Sawyer,
others)
Types of nitrogen used, and to
what extent
Strategies used to determine
nitrogen rates
Timing
Information sources used for
nutrient management, fertilizer
application rates
Corn and soybean farmers only
To what extent do you use the following practices to
manage nitrogen? (percent moderate or heavy use)
Note: Five
categories
1.Not familiar with
2.Familiar with,
but do not use
3.Limited use
4.Moderate use
5.Heavy use
Source: Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll, 2002 and 2012; Farmers
who produced corn and/or soybean in previous year
To what extent do you use the following practices to
manage nitrogen? (percent moderate or heavy use)
Source: Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll, 2002 and 2012; Farmers
who produced corn and/or soybean in previous year
To what extent do you use the following practices to
manage nitrogen? (percent moderate or heavy use)
Source: Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll, 2012; Farmers who
produced corn and/or soybean in 2011
Familiarity with innovative practices (percent)
Source: Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll, 2012; Farmers who
produced corn and/or soybean in 2011
Types of nitrogen used, 2001 and 2011 (percent yes)
Source: Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll, 2002 and 2012; Farmers
who produced corn in previous year
Number of types of nitrogen used
Avg. types used
2011: 1.78
Source: Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll, 2002 and 2012; Farmers
who produced corn in previous year
Please indicate what percent of your corn acres received this form of
nitrogen (percent of corn acres)
Source: Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll, 2002 and 2012; Farmers
who produced corn in previous year
How do you determine what nitrogen fertilizer rates to use?
(percent checked)
Source: Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll, 2002 and 2012; Farmers
who produced corn and/or soybean in previous year
Methods used to determine N fertilizer rates (percent using)
Source: Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll, 2002 and 2012; Farmers
who produced corn and/or soybean in previous year
Number of methods used to determine N fertilizer rates (percent)
Avg. in 2012:
2.4 methods
Source: Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll, 2002 and 2012; Farmers
who produced corn and/or soybean in previous year
If you do not use the Iowa State University Corn Nitrogen Rate
Calculator, please indicate why not.
(check all that apply, percent checked each category)
Source: Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll, 2012; Farmers who
produced corn and/or soybean in previous year, and did not use
the corn calculator
Fertilizer timing: “Months in which you typically do the
following related to corn production” (percent)
2012 Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll:
Farmers and information sources
“Where would you go first for information on the
following topics? (Circle one on each line.)”
Provided a list of topics and major information
sources:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Fertilizer or ag chemical dealer
Seed dealer
USDA/NRCS/SWCD Service Center
Private crop consultant
Iowa State University Extension
Commodity Association
Where do farmers go
first for nutrient
management
information? (percent)
Fertilizer or ag chemical dealer
ISUEO
Crop consultant
USDA Service Center
Source: Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll, 2012; All farmers
Where do farmers go
first for conservation
information? (percent)
USDA Service Center
ISUEO
Other
Source: Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll, 2012; All farmers
Preferred ways to receive information from Extension on
nutrient management/conservation (percent)
Source: Iowa Farm and Rural
Life Poll, 2012; All farmers
Some opinion data…
“How do you feel about the amount of nitrogen most
farmers apply to their crops?” (percent)
Source: Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll, 2002 and 2012; All farmers
Some more opinion data…
Source: Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll, 2002 and 2012; All farmers
Key findings
• Baseline information on nitrogen management:
Help guide Extension and other advisors
• Few farmers are using some key practices: cover
crops, corn N rate calculator, nitrification inhibitors
• Farmers lack knowledge about newer, innovative
practices
• Farmers look to input dealers first for information
on nutrient management
Multiple Benefit Prairie Conservation Strips. Photo courtesy of A. McDonald
Next steps for the Farm Poll
• Developing a report based on data presented
• Further analysis: Farm size, location, etc.
• Work with stakeholders to develop questions for 2014
Farm Poll survey
– Awareness of strategy
– Assessment of personal and collective capacity to meet goals
– Perceived effectiveness of key practices
• 2009-2013 surveys
– Nutrient removal wetlands, cover crops, conservation expenditure
– Analysis and reporting
Multiple Benefit Prairie Conservation Strips. Photo courtesy of A. McDonald
Thank you!
Multiple Benefit Prairie Conservation Strips. Photo courtesy of A. McDonald