SYRACUSE, N.Y. — It is well acknowledged that manure can help build soil organic matter, enhance nutrient supply and cycling, and in general improve soil health and climate resilience. More than 20 years ago, the Land grant University developed a manure crediting system that guides farmers with manure management decisions. It recognizes that manure contains all the 17 essential nutrients for crop production and should be valued as a nutrient source, not as a waste.

In this New York Farm Viability Institute project, Quirine Ketterings who leads the Nutrient Management Spear Program (NMSP) at Cornell University, farmers will conduct on-farm trials to address two gaps in current knowledge: 1) the need for information about manure nutrient crediting of variable sources of manure (liquid, post digestors, solids, etc.) and application methods (with or without incorporation or injection); and 2) the potential economic, as well as yield and forage quality, benefits of manure as a replacement for synthetic nitrogen. The knowledge gained from these on-farm trials will be used to assess the current manure crediting system and identify if changes are needed.

The New York Farm Viability Institute runs a competitive grant program that seeks to create and share knowledge. This project is one of 17 that were funded in our most recent grant round. To learn more about the organization and other work it has supported, please visit www.nyfvi.org.

–New York Farm Viability Institute