The purpose of this publication is to provide annual forage options that can be used in cover crop mixtures for livestock grazing and/or hay production. The use of cover crops in a cropping rotation has been resurrected in recent years due to greater awareness of their environmental and ecological impacts on our natural resources.
This is a much delayed update to the original, which was a North Central Regional Publication 341, but the national AES doesn't support publications anymore, so this will be an NDSU publication. It includes use of low rates of planting time fertilizer with or near the seed, use of foliar fertilizers and approximate elemental composition of many regional crops.
The presence of salts and high water tables in North Dakota soils due to an extended climactic wet cycle recently has stimulated interest in the installation of tile drainage systems. The tile controls the water table and encourages the leaching and removal of salts from the soil above the tile lines. This improves soil productivity, culminating in improved crop yields
The yield-based N rate formula has been terminated. These recommendations have been updated to reflect that yield and N rate are not related between environments. Also, N recommendations for western ND have been modified to incorporate the special requirements for achieving malting grade in that environment.
Saline soils contain salts in great enough abundance that crop yields suffer and sometimes makes successful crop production impossible. This publication talks about testing your soil, salinity management, mapping, crop selection and tile drainage.
Research from 2011 to 2013 has resulted in a data base that supports the use of active-optical sensors to direct side-dress N rate in corn. Previously, rates were determined using a grower's best guess.
This publication defines sodicity and explains the effects it can have on crop production. There is information on the remediation of sodic soils, brine spills, and the importance of calcium amendment mixing.
This publication talks about soil organic matter and its classifications and benefits. It also describes how to build organic matter and how it is destroyed.
All of NDSU soil fertility recommendations now have no yield-based formulas. The soybean fertility recommendations were modified to be in line with these new guidelines.
Low pH or soil acidity affects nutrient availability, microbial activity as well as plant growth. This publication covers a definition of soil acidity, causes of soil acidity, effect on soil nutrients and crops, and how to identify this issue.
