Nitrogen Smart is going digital! Podcasts, videos will help more farmers improve N fertilizer practices

Abstract

Understanding how nitrogen behaves in the environment is more important than ever. Having access to unbiased, research-based information is crucial for growers as they try to make the most efficient input decisions for their farms, maximizing profits while at the same time minimizing nitrogen loss to the environment. For the last decade, the Nitrogen Smart curriculum at University of Minnesota Extension has been examining and unpacking the latest in nitrogen research. This program is now being presented in short, topic-specific podcasts and easy-to-watch videos. The new program, Advancing Nitrogen Smart, will feature timely topics for Minnesota farmers and agricultural professionals. The defining principle of Nitrogen Smart has always been that participants are not told what to do; instead, they are given the information necessary to make their own best decisions. In this short episode, U of M Extension educator Brad Carlson introduces the Advancing Nitrogen Smart series and some of the topics to be discussed in future episodes, such as nitrogen fundamentals and how N behaves in the environment, nitrogen recommendations and the research that went into them, adapting management practices, and more.