Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

An unofficial meeting of NCR-13 was held during the 2003 ASA Meetings in Denver. The full NCR-13 meeting was held February 23-24, 2004 in Des Moines, IA. Subcommittee and state reports and committee assignments were discussed (see Minutes). The Seventeenth Soil / Plant Analysts Workshop was held in the afternoon and Wednesday morning. The next meeting will be in September as a joint meeting with the NEC 1007 and SERA 6 Work Groups. The meeting will be hosted by the NEC 1007 group in Newark, DE.

Subcommittee Reports: Extraction: A. Mallarino distributed a handout on the research he is doing to evaluate potassium testing in moist versus dry soils. He is working to develop calibration data for the moist soil potassium test. Drying temperature is important so labs need to take care. The mineralogy of the soil and the moisture history of the field are important factors in relation to the drying effect. He is also comparing potassium test results with the Mehlich III and Ammonium Acetate extractions. Subsoil K level versus surface soil K level could be an issue in relation to crop response. A handout by Rehm and Eliason regarding the effects of soil moisture and drying on K extraction was distributed. George has field calibration data that shows this to be primarily a problem on clayey soils. Maurice Watson distributed a handout dealing with soluble P studies. It summarizes the procedures being used for soils. Methodology for measuring water soluble P in manures is being considered. Ratios of soil or manure to water vary up to 1 to 100. There is a concern about having to filter the extract through a 45 micron filter. Organic Carbon: Dobermann distributed a handout. Three methods for measuring organic matter or total carbon were evaluated across seven university laboratories (NE, MN, OH, SD, ND, WI, MI). The standard soil testing method, LOI using 10-mesh samples, allowed predicting soil C measured on 100-mesh samples with a CN analyzer with an average prediction error of 0.4 %C. Prediction accuracy was 0.3 %C for C analysis conducted on 10-mesh samples. In general, fine-milling of soil for C analysis greatly improved the repeatability of C analysis and seems essential for quantifying soil carbon stocks. It remains questionable whether the simple LOI method could be used for monitoring small changes in soil C over time as part of possible carbon trading contracts. Larry Cihacek also distributed a report where he evaluated the effect of soil sample mesh size on carbon analysis. Variability was reduced as the particle size was reduced. Watson suggested that we include the various carbon methods in the next edition of NCR publication 221. QA/QC: The QA/QC manual, which is a joint effort of the NAPT committee and several regional soil test work groups, is coming together. Just waiting on two chapters. Maurice indicated that Paul Chu (A&L labs) is against putting high QA/QC guidelines because of concern about government enforcement. Maurice also indicated that Charlie Focht (Nebraska Dept. of Ag) responded that the QA/QC manual is a general guidelines document. A suggestion was made to include in the document the acceptable variation from the guidelines. Interstate: Warncke reported on a survey of labs, both private and public, regarding the use of the SMP buffer and the concern for disposal of waste. In general, there seems to be more concern about disposal of the SMP buffer waste in the public labs than in the private labs, although some labs are required to collect waste for appropriate disposal. Waste: Peters distributed a handout on the results of a survey. This Subcommittee recently conducted a survey of NCR-13 member states as well as Ontario to gather information on parameters used to estimate nutrient availability from animal manure. Ideally, a laboratory that is testing manure should provide nutrient availability estimates from the state in which the manure is to be spread. This may require that laboratories have several optional reports available if they are testing manure in more than one state. In all cases, the total nutrient content should be provided on all reports. The web based publication A3769, Recommended Methods of Manure Analysis (www1.uwex.edu/ces/pubs/pdf/A3769.pdf) was released in February, 2003. No revisions have been made to the original version as of this time. The evaluation of various potential laboratory measurements of water soluble P is ongoing at several locations in the region as well as in other work groups. The Waste Subcommittee will evaluate these methods to determine if one or more should be added to the methods manual. There was a discussion about availability during the year of application versus long term buildup. McSweeney raised a question about the appropriateness of the name Waste for the committee title. Recommendations: Antonio distributed a handout about On-Farm Calibration. This approach is being used to measure soil K levels and corn grain yields. GPSed cells 60 ft x 100 -150 ft are being used. It requires lots of time. The scale of doing operations (sampling, yield, etc) is a big issue. Achim commented that we need to consider farmer in-field response information versus research to determine response curves. Antonio commented that with farm scale calibration work field variability is a concern. Keith commented that guidelines need to be set for on-farm strip calibration. Web-Site: Funding is a major issue for North Central regional committees to develop and maintain a website. Funding is needed before we can proceed. Advisor McSweeny commented that funding must be done creatively. Watson suggested that all Regional Committee Web pages should be linked through USDA. McSweeney indicated through NIMMS is a possibility. It was agreed that we need to continue to explore possibilities for establishing a website. It was suggested to check with the Soil and Plant Analysis Council. Sampling: Sylvie distributed a handout. Sampling depth is a cause of variability. Tillage causes stratification and contributes to the variation. What is the appropriate depth of sampling? Differences between states need to be addressed. State Reports: See Minutes of the meeting. NAPT: Bob Miller reported that 162 labs in the United States and Canada are participated in NAPT programs in 2003. Three new labs joined in 2004. The Illinois N test was added and run by 7 labs. Reproducibility was good. Acid soils and low K soils are needed for the program. Jerry Lemunyon, National Agronomist with the NRCS, and Bob Miller were asked to join the NCR-13 group to discuss the new Proficiency Assessment Program (PAP) being implemented by the NAPT program with the encouragement of the NRCS. Background: Soil sampling and testing is part of the national NRCS 590 standard. There are 3 ways labs can be approved for NRCS/FSA programs. 1) participate in a State certification program, 2) participate in the NAPT program, and 3) labs are accepted by Land Grant Universities (a hold over from the SCS program). Few states are doing 1 and 3. Some individuals in certain western areas expressed concern about the quality of some soil testing operations. Some labs consistently test low on blind samples. Also, there is concern about the farmers and consultants shopping for low soil test values. NRCS came to the NAPT committee to help in checking lab proficiency and reliability. The NAPT committee has agreed to start a trial program in Western United States. This could potentially involve 45 NAPT labs, 30 are expected to participate. Protocol: Surrogate clients who have sent samples to the lab within the past 6 months will be used to send in soil samples. If a lab fails a retest will be done. If a lab fails a second time they will be provided a list of consultants who can help them. Then they will be given a third test. A group of soil test peers will be needed. Labs will need to report methods on or with the report. Labs will be requested to run pH, OM, P and K. Cost will be $1450 to participate. Antonio suggested that NRCS should be doing the Certification. He also expressed a concern that NAPT doesnt become to be viewed as an arm of NRCS and undermine the current trust and support for the NAPT program. Response was that NAPT is providing a service for the NRCS as a client. Generally, big labs support the PAP and view it as part of the cost of doing business, but for small labs the cost may be prohibitive. The general consensus of the NCR 13 Committee is to support the pilot PAP program in the western U.S., but urges the NAPT to use care as it proceeds.

Journal papers: Cassman, K.G., A. Dobermann, D.T. Walters, and H.S. Yang. 2003. Meeting cereal demand while protecting natural resources and improving environmental quality. Annu. Rev. Environ. Resour. 28, 315-358. Changa, C., Watson, M. E., Michel Jr, F. C., Hoitink, H. A., and Wang, P. 2003. Assessment of the Reliability of the Solvita® Maturity Test for Composted Manures. Compost Science & Util. 11. Changa, C. M., Wang, P., Watson, M. E., Hoitink, H. A., and Michel Jr, F. C. 2003. Assessment of the Reliability of a Commercial Maturity Test Kit for Composted Manures. Compost Science & Utilization. 11(2):125-143. Dobermann, A., Ping, J.L., V.I. Adamchuk, G.C. Simbahan, and R.B. Ferguson. 2003. Classification of yield variability for site-specific management. Agron. J. 95, 1105-1120. Dobermann, A., and J.L. Ping. 2004. Geostatistical integration of yield monitor data and remote sensing improves yield maps. Agron. J. 96, 285-297. Franzen, D.W., J.H. OBarr, and R.K. Zollinger. 2003. Interaction of a foliar application of iron HEDTA and three postemergence broadleaf herbicides with soybeans stressed from chlorosis. J. Plant Nutr. 26:2365-2374. Franzen, D.W., J. H. OBarr, and R.K. Zollinger. 2004. Influence of certain postemergence broadleaf herbicides on soybean stressed from iron deficiency chlorosis. Agron. J. 1357-1363. Hopkins, D.G. and D.W. Franzen. 2003. Argillic horizons in stratified drift: Luverne end moraine, eastern North Dakota. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 67:1790-1796. Ping, J.L., and A. Dobermann. 2003. Creating spatially contiguous yield classes for site-specific management. Agron. J. 95: 1121-1131. Simbahan, G.C., A. Dobermann, and J.L. Ping. 2004. Screening yield monitor data improves grain yield maps. Agron. J. 96, 1091-1102. Wang, P., Changa, C., Watson, M. E., Dick, W. A., Chen, Y., and Hoitink, H. A. 2003. Maturing Indices for Composted Dairy and Swine Manures. Soil Biology & Biochemistry. Yang, H.S., A. Dobermann, J.L. Lindquist, D.T. Walters, T.J. Arkebauer, and K.G. Cassman. 2004. Hybrid-Maize - a maize simulation model that combines two crop modeling approaches. Field Crops Res. 87, 131-154. Book chapters, conference proceedings & selected extension publications: Adamchuk, V.I., A. Dobermann, and J.L. Ping. 2004. Listening to the story told by yield maps. Extension Circular 04-704, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE. http://ianrpubs.unl.edu/fieldcrops/ec704.pdf Adamchuk, V.I., E. Lund, A. Dobermann, M.T. Morgan, 2003. On-the-go mapping of soil properties using ion-selective electrodes. p. 27-33. In: Stafford, J.V., Werner, A. (ed.), Precision agriculture. Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen. Adamchuk, V.I., C. Wang, D.B. Marx, R.K. Perrin, and A. Dobermann. 2004. Assessment of soil mapping value - potential profitability (Part II). In Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Precision Agriculture and Other Resource Management, July 25-28, 2004, Bloomington, MN. CD-ROM. ASA, CSSA,S SSA, Madison,WI [CD-ROM]. Dobermann, A., and K.G. Cassman. 2004. Environmental dimensions of fertilizer N: What can be done to increase nitrogen use efficiency and ensure global food security? p. 261-278. In A.R. Mosier et al. (ed.) Agriculture and the nitrogen cycle: assessing the impacts of fertilizer use on food production and the environment. SCOPE 65. Island Press, Washington,D.C. Dobermann, A., J.L. Ping, G.C. Simbahan, V.I. Adamchuk, 2003. Processing of yield map data for delineating yield zones. p. 177-185. In: Stafford, J.V., Werner, A. (ed.), Precision agriculture. Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen. Dobermann, A., and H.S. Yang. 2004. In-season prediction of attainable maize yield using the Hybrid-Maize model. p. 235-236. In S.-V. Jacobsen et al. (ed.) VIII ESA Congress: European Agriculture in a Global Context. The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Copenhagen. Dobermann, A., B.S. Blackmore, S.E. Cook, and V.I. Adamchuk. 2004. Precision farming: challenges and future directions. In T. Fischer et al. (ed.) New directions for a diverse planet: Proceedings of the 4th International Crop Science Congress, Brisbane, Australia, 26 September  1 October 2004 [CD-ROM]. The Regional Institute Ltd, Gosford, NSW. Dobermann, A., T. Arkebauer, K.G. Cassman, R.A. Drijber, J.L. Lindquist, J.E. Specht, D.T. Walters, H. Yang, D. Miller, D.L. Binder, G. Teichmeier, R.B. Ferguson, and C.S. Wortmann. 2003. Understanding corn yield potential in different environments. p. 67-82. In L.S. Murphy (ed.) Fluid focus: the third decade. Proceedings of the 2003 Fluid Forum, Vol. 20. Fluid Fertilizer Foundation, Manhattan, KS. Dobermann, A. and C.A. Shapiro. 2004. Setting a realistic corn yield goal. NebGuide G79-481-A. University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE. http://ianrpubs.unl.edu/fieldcrops/g481.htm Ferguson, R.B., A. Dobermann, C.S. Wortmann, D.T. Walters, C.A. Shapiro, D. Tarkalson, and D.D. Baltensperger. 2004. Developing recommendations for site-specific nitrogen management of irrigated maize. In Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Precision Agriculture and Other Resource Management, July 25-28, 2004, Bloomington, MN. CD-ROM. ASA, CSSA, SSSA, Madison, WI [CD-ROM]. Ferguson, R.B., Shapiro, C.A., Dobermann, A., Wortmann, C.S., 2003. Fertilizer recommendations for soybean. NebGuide G87-859-A. University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE. Franzen, D.W. and N. Peterson. 2003. Land and Homesite judging contest. NDSU 4-H. Franzen, D. 2003. Fertilizing sugarbeet. SF-714 (revised). Franzen, D. 2003. Managing saline soils in North Dakota SF-1087 (revised). Franzen,D. 2003. North Dakota Soil and Fertilizer Handbook. EB-65. 90 p. Franzen, D.W. and T. Nanna. 2004. Delineating N management zones. In Proceedings of the 7th International Precision Agriculture Conference, July 26-28, 2004, Minneapolis, MN. Univ. of MN, St. Paul. Franzen, D.W., N. Cattanach, J. Giles, and M. Khan. 2003. Improvements in sugarbeet growth with amendments in sandy soils with a history of poor sugarbeet performance. p. 106-113. In 2002 Sugarbeet Research and Extension Reports. Vol. 32. Sugarbeet Research and Education Board of Minnesota and North Dakota. Franzen, D.W. and T. Nanna. 2003. Comparison of nitrogen management zone delineation methods. p. 114-118. In Proceedings North Central Extension-Industry Soil Fertility Conference, Nov. 19-20, 2004, Des Moines, IA. Potash & Phosphate Institute, Brookings, SD. Gao, G. Y., Watson, M. E., Boggs, J. F., and Chatfield, J. A. 2003. Choosing Soil Testing Labs. In: Chatfield, J. A., Boggs, J. F., Draper, E. A., and Bennett, P. J. Ornamental Plants Annual Reports and Research Reviews 2002. OARDC Special Circular 189 p. 151-156. http://ohioline.osu.edu/sc189/sc189_112.html. Gelderman, R. 2003. Soil and Water Research. Plant Science Pamphlet no. 9. Annual Progress Report. Ag.Expt.Sta. SDSU, Brookings, SD. Kelling, K. A., J. B. Peters and P. E. Speth. 2003. "Effect of Soil pH and Alfalfa Stand Density on Alfalfa Nitrogen Credits." Proceedings of the 2003 Wisconsin Fertilizer, Aglime and Pest Management Conference. p. 333-341. Kelling, K. A. and J. B. Peters. 2004. "The Advisability of Using Cation Balance as a Basis for Fertilizer Recommendations." Proceedings of the 2004 Wisconsin Fertilizer, Aglime and Pest Management Conference. p. 366-371. Kelling, K. A. M. Myers and J. B. Peters. 2004. "What Ignoring Lime Can do to Corn and Soybeans." Proceedings of the 2004 Wisconsin Fertilizer, Aglime and Pest Management Conference. p. 411-414. Motavalli, P.P., G. Stevens, P. Scharf and M. Nathan. 2003. Color instructional poster (16.5" x 21.5") for "Soil Nutrient Deficiencies & Toxicities in Missouri Crops". Nanna, T. and D.W. Franzen. 2003. A weighted classified method for nitrogen zone delineation. p. 177-184. In Proceedings North Central Extension-Industry Soil Fertility Conference, Nov. 19-20, 2004, Des Moines, IA. Potash & Phosphate Institute, Brookings, SD. Nathan, M. 2003. Soil Testing and Plant Diagnostic Services. Integrated Pest and Crop Management Newsletter. Vol. 13: No. 4. Nathan, M. and B. Freesenberg. 2003. Soil Testing for Lawns. MU Guide G6954. University of Missouri Extension Publications. Nelson, K.A., P.P. Motavalli, and M. Nathan. 2004. The impact of foliar potassium fertilizer source on crop response and weed control in a no-till weed and feed glyphosate-resistant soybean production system. pp. 149-155. Vol. 21. Proceedings of the 2004 Fluid Forum, Scottsdale, AZ. Peters, J. S., Combs, B., Hoskins, J., Jarman, J., Kovar, M., Watson, M. E., and Wolf, N. 2003. Recommended Methods of Manure Analysis. http://www1.uwex.edu/ces/pubs/pdf/A3769.pdf. Peters, J. B., editor. Recommended Methods of Manure Analysis. Feb. 2003. UW Ext. Publication A3769 (web based), Cooperative Extension Publishing Operations, Madison, WI. http://uwlab.soils.wisc.edu/pubs/A3769.pdf Peters, J. B., K. A. Kelling, and S. M. Offer. 2003. "Minerals in Forages: Plant Considerations." Proceedings of the Four-State Forage Conference. MWPS-4SD15, Midwest Plan Service, Iowa State University. p. 31-36. Peters, J. B., editor. 2004. Wisconsin Procedures for Soil Testing, Plant Analysis and Feed & Forage Analysis. Soil Science Department, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Extension-Madison. http://uwlab.soils.wisc.edu/procedures.htm Peters, J. B., and S. M. Offer. 2004. "Crop and Soil Responses to Fibrous Paper Mill Sludge." Proceedings of the 2004 Wisconsin Fertilizer, Aglime and Pest Management Conference. p. 359-365. Ping, J.L., and A. Dobermann. 2004. Utilizing fine-scale secondary information for improving maps of soil attributes. In Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Precision Agriculture and Other Resource Management, July 25-28, 2004, Bloomington, MN. CD-ROM. ASA, CSSA, SSSA, Madison, WI [CD-ROM]. Scharf, P., and M. Nathan. 2003. Watch for unusual soil test potassium results this fall. Integrated Pest and Crop Management Newsletter. Vol. 13: No. 23. Thompson, W. H., Millner, P., Leege, P. B., and Watson, M. E. 2003. Test Methods for the Examination of Composting and Compost. U. S. Composting Council. http://www.tmecc.org/tmecc/. Walters, D.T., A. Dobermann, K.G. Cassman, R.A. Drijber, J.L. Lindquist, J.E. Specht, and H.S. Yang. 2004. Changes in nitrogen use efficiency and soil quality after five years of managing for high yield corn and soybean. In Proc. of the 34st North-Central Industry-Extension Soil Fertility Conference, November 17-18, 2004, Des Moines, IA. Potash & Phosphate Institute, Brookings, SD.