Educational & Reference Materials

Summarizes the nutrient management provisions of Act 38 in Pennsylvania and the regulations that went into effect October 1, 2006.

Learn how to calculate the animal density of an agricultural operation to determine if it is a Concentrated Animal Operation (CAO) and thereby required to implement an Act 38 nutrient management plan.

Nutrient management traditionally has been concerned with optimizing the economic returns from nutrients used to produce a crop.

Nutrient management has taken on new meaning in recent times. Soil fertility traditionally dealt with supplying and managing nutrients to meet crop production requirements.

Decision-making in agriculture affects the distribution of materials such as crops and manure within farms, and the movement of materials such as feeds and farm products to and from farms.

Effective nutrient management requires decisions to be made at several different levels of detail: strategic, tactical, and operational.

The focus of nutrient management is rapidly evolving from optimizing agronomic production and economic returns of crop production to balancing farm production with environmental protection.

Nutrient budgets have been developed by Mid-Atlantic Regional Water Program to quantify the magnitude and sources of excess nutrients that are being generated and applied throughout Pennsylvania.

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2006 edition. The Mid-Atlantic Regional Nutrient Management Handbook is a revision and update of the former nutrient management training manual for the Chesapeake Bay watershed (Nagle et al., 2000), which was written by extension specialists and researchers from Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland for use by state regulatory agencies as a reference text for their certified nutrient management training programs.

This article describes the three main pathways of nitrogen loss--nitrate leaching, denitrification, and volatilization--and summarizes requirements and provides nitrogen management guidance.

Nitrogen (N), an element that literally surrounds us, changes in form and chemistry almost continuously and moves from one location to another without our notice.

The Pre-sidedress Soil Nitrate Test (PSNT) for Corn is an in-season tool to assess the soil nitrogen (N) supply during the growing season and determine sidedress N application rates that optimize crop production.

Nitrogen (N) management is one of the most difficult decisions in corn production because of the many factors that influence nitrogen behavior, including materials, timing, and, especially, weather.

Phosphorus is a macronutrient and component of nucleic acids, and plays a vital role in plant reproduction, of which grain production is an important result.

Phosphorus is an essential element for plant and animal growth, but too much of it can accelerate the natural aging of lakes and streams.

Gives descriptions of factors and how to determine them in developing a nitrogen-based nutrient management plan that will then be evaluated using the Phosphorus Index provided.

Starter fertilizers enhance the development of emerging seedlings by supplying essential nutrients in accessible locations near the roots.

A corn crop takes up nearly as much potassium (K) as it does nitrogen (N), yet management of each nutrient is entirely different.

Soil acidity is among the important environmental factors which can influence plant growth, and can seriously limit crop production.

From Penn State Ag Analytical Services Laboratory. Includes: sample tests and forms, lime and magnesium recommendation tables, soil test recommendations based on crop, and yearly soil test summaries.

University of Delaware

Manure is an excellent source of many essential plant nutrients and, with proper management, can meet nearly all crop nutrient needs.

This fact sheet provides information on interpreting your manure analysis report and on calculating the appropriate manure application rates for your crops. From Ag Analytical Service Laboratory.

Manure spreader calibration is an essential and valuable nutrient management tool for maximizing the efficient use of available manure nutrients.

Runoff from livestock production facilities can carry potential pollutants that could contaminate water sources. If not managed properly, animal wastes can affect water quality and human health.

Managing the land application of animal waste to protect water quality depends on applying rates based on various factors.

Automated manure and waste water handling is most often accomplished by collecting and storing manure and waste in storages located directly beneath the animals or in a nearby containment structure.

Learn about when a person is discovered unresponsive in a manure storage pit and the best management practices farmers can take to avoid an emergency on their farm.

A gas monitor with remote sampling enables measurements to be taken by workers located safely outside the storage facility.

Non-enclosed manure storages are open to the atmosphere, but still meet the definition of a confined space in terms of occupational safety and health.

This publication will help you understand where groundwater comes from, how it is used, and how the future use of groundwater in Pennsylvania is at risk.

DCNR information on sinkholes.

This calculator determines the potential economic value of the manure if all N-P-K nutrients were to be fully utilized, the annual economic value in replacing recommended fertilizer requirements based on soil testing, and the manure breakeven price relative to fertilizer costs.