Montana Wheat Farmers Improve Nutrient Use Efficiency Through Research Collaboration
“This was a landmark study because we knew we were losing nitrogen, we just didn’t know how we were losing it,” says farmer Curtis nitrogen fertilizers are applied to the soil surface using certain application practices, a significant amount can be lost when the nitrogen converts to ammonia gas and enters the atmosphere. This process, known as volatilization, represents an economic loss for farmers and is a source of atmospheric on-farm study lead by Montana State University Soil Scientist Richard Engel and funded by SARE has shed light on the urea fertilization practices that are most susceptible to nitrogen volatilization. The team also studied nutrient losses from a green manure cover crop. They developed recommendations that have improved the sustainability of wheat farms across Montana. As a result of this work, farmers statewide are saving an estimated $5 million per year in improved nutrient use efficiency and crop learn more, visit SARE’s database of project reports:
