Journal
JOURNAL OF SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION
Volume 64, Issue 2, Pages 120-133Publisher
SOIL WATER CONSERVATION SOC
DOI: 10.2489/jswc.64.2.120
Keywords
fertilizer; manure; New York State; nutrient balances; phosphorus
Categories
Funding
- USDA Conservation Innovation Grant
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New York State has a large dairy industry resulting in considerable amounts of manure being applied to cropland. Cropland phosphorus (P) balances (manure and fertilizer P minus crop P removal) combined with soil P assessments are illustrative of both challenges and opportunities for long-term sustainability of cropland management at the farm, county, and state scales. Our objectives were to (1) estimate state, regional, and county-level cropland P balances for NY in 2002 (2) evaluate P-balance trends over time (1987, 1992, 1997, and 2002), and (3) quantify, the impact of improved herd nutrition and reduced fertilizer use on cropland P balances. Cropland P balances were derived from animal and cropland data from the Census of Agriculture and NewYork Agricultural Statistics Annual Bulletins and annual farm-use fertilizer sales data. In 2002, cropland P inputs were estimated at 12.7 and 20.9 million kg (28.1 and 46.1 million lb) of P for fertilizer and manure, respectively of the manure P, 69% originated from dairy cows. Crop P removal was 21.1 million kg (46.5 million lb), resulting in an overall P balance of +12.5 million kg (+27.6 million lb) or +8.0 kg P ha(-1) was (+7.2 lb P ac(-1)), a considerable improvement over 1987 when the statewide P balance was 24.4 million kg (+53.7 million lb) or 15.4 kg P ha(-1) (+ 13.8 lb P ac(-1)). Without taking into account recent improvements in dairy herd nutrition (i.e., assuming a P excretion of 28 kg cow(-1) [62 lb cow(-1)] per production period), the ratios of P in manure to P in crops were 1.10, 1.12, 1.00, and 0.99, for 1987, 1992, 1997, and 2002, respectively. Thus, the decrease in P balance from 1987 to 2002 reflected reduced fertilizer P use. When improvements in dairy nutrition were taken into account (a decrease in P excretion of dairy cows from 28 to 18 kg cow(-1) [62 to 40 lb cow(-1)] per production period), the 2002 statewide P balance decreased from +8.0 to +4.8 kg ha(-1) (+7.2 to +4.3 lb ac(-1)). This additional reduction illustrates the impact of precision feeding on overall cropland P balances. With a P excretion of 18 kg cow(-1) (40 lb cow(-1)) per production period, increased yields in 2006 (reflected in crop P removal of 23,255 versus 21,104 Mg [25,639 versus 23,268 tn] in 2002) and reduced P fertilizer sales (10,508 versus 12,725 Mg [11,586 versus 14,030 tn] in 2002), the estimated P balance for 2006 amounted to + 1.7 kg ha(-1) (+1.5 lb ac(-1)). These assessments illustrate (1) the importance of precision feeding and cropland fertility management for the long-term sustainability of the dairy sector, and (2) the progress made through enhanced agricultural environmental management in NewYork.
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