Submitted by: Shirley Munro, Ottawa-Rideau Regional Communication Coordinator on behalf of Kelsey Banks, Agronomist

Nutrient management can seem like a tough segment to manage on your farm. Looking at fertilizer as an independent input, there is a lot of information to review before deciding your fertility management plan and it may seem stressful. However, you are in luck! A nutrient management planning strategy called the 4R Nutrient Stewardship Initiative has been developed to help better manage nutrients for economic, social, and environmental sustainability.

4R stands for:

To further break the 4R’s down and better understand how they work together, here are some questions you may consider while developing your 4R nutrient management plan.

RIGHT SOURCE – What nutrient form or sources do I have available to me from both manure type and quantity and what my agri-retail offers? Tying into the other 4R’s, in what field or crop, at what rate, and when will this source be applied and be most optimally used?

RIGHT RATE – What are your soil fertility goals? Are you looking to build and maintain or fertilize to realistic crop yield goals sufficiency? What nutrients are available in the soil now?

RIGHT TIME – When does the crop require that nutrient to use it optimally? When is the most appropriate time of application to avoid surface water or groundwater contamination?

RIGHT PLACE – What crop am I growing, and in which field? What application equipment do I have access to? What is the best way to apply this source?

These questions may stress you out to even think about, but your local agronomist can help you put together a plan that works for you and your farm business.

The term ‘4R’ may sound familiar to some farmers and agribusiness professionals and it is something a farm business should consider developing, whether there is livestock manure involved or not.

Terry Davidson is a cash cropper from Kinburn, ON and he is currently working on developing a 4R nutrient management strategy for his farm business. He says, “I consider the 4R’s when nutrient management planning. For my farm, I want to develop a plan that works best for my time schedule, the number of trips I make over the field, and the environment. I want to avoid surface water or groundwater contamination, and this works into creating a plan with the 4R’s. I grow non-GMO corn and this requires me to plan my fields ahead from both a chemical and nutrient management standpoint and I want to be able to plan to do what is best for my crops, my neighbours, and the environment.”

Thomas Haerle, a dairy farmer, cash cropper, and most recently hog producer from St. Isidore, ON. says, “We try to incorporate the principles of the 4R’s into our operation as much as possible when it comes to nutrient management and planning.” He uses the 4R approach to ensure that the nutrients he applies are utilized most optimally. Haerle is one of the cooperators for the ONFARM Project and also incorporates his use of cover crops and goal of reducing compaction by utilizing the 4R’s with nutrient management. With consistent soil sampling, he knows what is in the soil and can execute a nutrient management plan that works for his farm business.

Jennifer Doelman is a cash cropper from Douglas, ON and has found that managing her acres with a 4R nutrient management strategy has helped her farm obtain maximum return on investment for her nutrients and crop yields. She says, “Once upon a time, we would have just used a ‘Triple19 (19-19-19)’, now we are creating our blends on a field-by-field basis. I was able to do a business plan for our banker to update our no-till drill from a standard 15ft box drill to a 30ft JD with an air cart & a dry fertilizer box. The drill was able to pay for itself in a few years by ensuring that every pass of the drill put phosphorous in the seed zone, rather than broadcasting it in our no-till system on top of the soil. The starter gave me better winter survival in my wheat & increased the vigour in many of my crops. I was able to reduce my overall phosphorous purchases and still improve the root zone fertility in my fields. I don’t want to waste my money on nutrients my crop doesn’t need.”

In closing, Jenn adds, “Incorporating 4R planning into my crop plan has increased my yields, reduced my fertilizer bill and I sleep better at night knowing that we have reduced our impact in our local watershed because my phosphorous is staying in the field rather than being lost to erosion or overland flow. I put a lot of effort into making sure that I am informed about my nutrient management and I see the impact of it in my fields and in my yields. It has made me a better manager and helped us be more profitable.”

Creating and executing a 4R nutrient management plan that works for you and your farm is important socially, economically, and environmentally. If you would like more information on creating a plan, please contact your local agronomist or visit: www.nutrientstewardship.org