Simply Sustainable

	Wilbur Miller of Westcliffe,Colorado,is cutting back chemical fertilizers to trim expenses, protect water and leave the ranch in better shape for his granddaughter, Stephanie. Cool, Clear Water Nutrient Management Reduces Costs, Cleans Water Colorado rancher Wilbur Miller has long wanted to stop using chemical nitrogen and phosphate to fertilize hay meadows on his 1,200-acre ranch. The chemicals, he says, are costly to his operation and to the environment. Miller laid out test plots, each 40 feet wide and an eighth of a mile long, applying varying rates of fertilizer including zero (FW02-003). His soil tests were the same between years and plots, and yield differences were negligible, persuading Miller to wean his fields from the nutrients. “I’ve always suspected that this was the route to go. I really detest putting on nitrogen fertilizer or any fertilizer at all,” says Miller, who has never used pesticides in a lifetime of ranching. No matter if by reducing, eliminating or redistributing agricultural nutrients, careful management can save money, improve crops and livestock and protect water above and below the ground. In Hawaii, cattle producer Dwayne Cypriano is assessing whether nutrient cycling—in a rotation system involving legumes, grass and cattle—can heal the nutrient-depleted soils on former sugar cane lands now exposed to erosion from wind and water (FW03-018). Dan Sullivan of Oregon State is collaborating with university scientists in Idaho, Oregon and Washington to train ag professionals in better communications about nutrient management (EW00-011). The goal: help landowners manage nutrients in ways that avoid harming human and environmental health. Western SARE projects are teaching dairy operators how to manage the nutrients that enter and leave their farms as a way to reduce cost and protect water quality. Washington nutrient specialist Joe Harrison is training dairy and poultry professionals in the use of computer models and software that can help producers manage feeds brought to the farm. The idea is to achieve nutrient balance and economic analysis for entire operations (EW03-003). In a related project, Harrison has set up in-line flow meters on the Werkhoven Dairy in western Washington to measure nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in manure (FW03-302). Coupled with soil tests, the nutrient measures will help the dairy with its long-term strategy to achieve whole farm nutrient balance. Utah dairy specialist Allen Young is collaborating with researchers in Maryland to help dairy producers fine-tune the nutrients that enter and leave the dairies (SW99-024). Young is adapting a nutrient-management computer program, developed at the University of Maryland, to dairies in the West. To capture the nutrients from commodities considered as wastes from other processes, Dale Zobell, an animal scientist at Utah State University, is testing the feed value of whey and cereal crop residues for both beef and dairy cattle (SW01-001).   “SARE’s regional structure ensures that our national program stays relevant. Our four regions—with advice from local stakeholders on our administrative councils—shape regional priorities, recommend funding decisions and tailor information to those who really want it.” Jill Auburn, director, National SARE, Washington, DC Simply Sustainable Home Top