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Browse by Author: Steph Kulesza
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Best Management Practices for Agricultural Nutrients

By: Ekrem Ozlu, Deanna Osmond, Daniel Line, Luke Gatiboni, Steph Kulesza SoilFacts

This factsheet for farmers describes ways to control the harmful effects of excess nutrients while maintaining healthy, productive farm crops. Steps covered include testing your soil and following the soil testing recommendations, setting realistic yield goals, choosing the most suitable nitrogen sources, applying nitrogen correctly, using manure as a nutrient source, controlling erosion, managing water flow and fencing animals away from water flow.

Swine Manure as a Fertilizer Source

By: Steph Kulesza, Mahmoud Sharara SoilFacts

This factsheet explains the three factors of proper swine manure management: the nutrient content of the manure, the percentages of those nutrients that are available to the plant and the nutrient requirements of the plant.

Soils and Water Quality

By: Luke Gatiboni, Steph Kulesza, Deanna Osmond SoilFacts

North Carolina has an abundant supply of clean water, a resource vital to our high quality of life. Rivers, lakes, groundwater aquifers, and coastal estuaries are crucial to public health, economic development, and recreational opportunities. However, our water sources are constantly threatened with degradation by such activities as imprudent development, improperly managed agricultural and industrial activities, and unsound waste disposal practices. The soil exerts an important influence on water quality. How we manage the soil and what we put on it determine, in part, the level of treatment required to make our water supplies safe and enjoyable. This fact sheet explains how soils influence water quality and why efficient soil management helps protect water quality.

North Carolina Soybean Production Guide

By: Katherine Drake Stowe, Rachel Vann, Carl Crozier, Gary Bullen, Jim Dunphy, Wesley Everman, Luke Gatiboni, Adrienne Gorny, David Hardy, Ryan Heiniger, Steph Kulesza, Deanna Osmond, Nick Piggott, Dominic Reisig, Gary Roberson, Heidi Schweizer, Lindsey Thiessen, Derek Washburn

This publication provides information to growers about soybean production in North Carolina. It discusses economic trends and forecasts, cultural practices, variety selection, planting decisions, nutrient management, diseases and pests, and other production practices.

Poultry Litter as a Fertilizer Source

By: Steph Kulesza, Mahmoud Sharara SoilFacts

This factsheet describes the nutrient composition of poultry manure and land application techniques based on matching the nutritional requirements of the crop with the nutrients available in manure. This publication also includes a worksheet to determine the nutrient needs of your crop.

Starter Phosphorus Fertilizer and Additives in North Carolina Soils: Use, Placement, and Plant Response

By: Luke Gatiboni, Deanna Osmond, David Hardy, Steph Kulesza SoilFacts

Phosphorus (P) is the second most important nutrient in crop production but is often found in relatively low amounts in native soils. Decades of fertilizer application have led to P enrichment of most North Carolina agricultural soils. Excess soil P that leaves agricultural fields via runoff and drainage can cause algal blooms in water resources that lead to impaired drinking water quality and can limit recreational activities. Maintaining adequate soil P levels for crop growth can reduce P runoff, save money, and protect the environment

Guidelines for the Commercial Application of Poultry Litter

By: Steph Kulesza SoilFacts

A summary of North Carolina rules and regulations governing the purchasing, handling, application and reporting of poultry litter by commercial haulers. This publication also includes a sample agreement between growers and haulers regarding who has responsibility for the various stages of litter handling.

Fertilization and Nutrient Management

By: David Hardy, Steph Kulesza, Luke Gatiboni

This publication, chapter 6 of the North Carolina Soybean Production Guide, covers fertilization and nutrient management in soybean production.

Dairy Manure as a Fertilizer Source

By: Steph Kulesza, Mahmoud Sharara SoilFacts

This factsheet explains how to use dairy manure as a fertilizer source. Included are descriptions of nutrient content, application rates and application methods to ensure optimum benefit from the manure. A worksheet is provided for calculating application rates.

Deep Soil Sampling for Nutrient Management

By: Steph Kulesza, Deanna Osmond, David Hardy SoilFacts

Soil samples that determine lime and fertilizer needs of crops routinely come from the top 4 to 8 inches of soil. However, deep soil samples will be needed for the Phosphorus Loss Assessment Tool (PLAT), and this publication describes how to take these 28- to 32-inch deep samples.

Waste Analysis

By: Steph Kulesza, Kristin Hicks, Mahmoud Sharara SoilFacts

This factsheet clarifies the importance of waste analysis and describes the procedures for taking reliable samples and submitting them to the Agronomic Division of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services (NCDA&CS).

Nutrient Removal by Crops in North Carolina

By: Luke Gatiboni, Steph Kulesza, Deanna Osmond, Jihoon Kang SoilFacts

This publication discusses nutrient removal by crops, which is useful in comparing the nutrient demands of different crops in conjunction with soil testing. The publication also includes a table of the estimated nutrient removal rates of various crops.

Use of On-Farm Records for Modifying a Certified Animal Waste Management Plan

By: Steph Kulesza, John Havlin SoilFacts

Changes in the interpretation of North Carolina water quality rules and technical standards allow for the use of on-farm records in the development of waste management plans. This publication describes the use of such records, citing examples. The use of on-farm records can work to an animal producer’s benefit by providing more site-specific information about how an animal waste management system should be operated, particularly with respect to the number of acres of crops necessary to properly utilize the nutrients (mainly nitrogen) in the wastewater.

Certification Training for Operators of Animal Waste Management Systems - Type A

By: Steph Kulesza, Mahmoud Sharara, Marti Day, Stefani Sykes, Amanda Hatcher, Nancy Keith, Max Knowles, Becky Spearman

This training program is designed to provide operators of animal waste management systems with the basic understanding needed to operate and maintain these systems in an efficient and environmentally sound manner. This manual is not intended to provide all of the technical details for the complete design of a waste management system or an approved animal waste management plan.

Spinner Spreader Calibration for Land Application of Poultry Litter

By: Sanjay Shah, Steph Kulesza

This publication discusses using poultry waste as a nutrient treatment for field crops. It provides practical information that can be used to calibrate spinner spreaders for the most effective land-application of poultry litter. A spreader calibration worksheet is included.

Applying Animal Waste to Cover Crops

By: Steph Kulesza, Christine Lawson

This publication provides guidance on applying nutrients from animal wastes on cover crops. It provides guidance on cover crop management, nitrogen credits, and application windows.

Nitrogen Fertility Management in Organic Tobacco Greenhouse Production

By: David Suchoff, Matthew Vann, Steph Kulesza, Alex Woodley

This publication provides recommendations for managing essential nutrient concentrations when growing organic tobacco in greenhouses using a float system.

North Carolina Realistic Yield Expectations and Nitrogen Fertilizer Decision Making

By: Deanna Osmond, Luke Gatiboni, Steph Kulesza, Rob Austin, David Crouse

This publication discusses the Realistic Yield Expectations database as a resource for nitrogen fertilization rate decisionmaking. Topics include recent research and the resulting updates to the database for improved nitrogen fertilizer rates based on new yield data.

Phosphorus Management for Land Application of Biosolids and Animal Waste

By: Steph Kulesza, Luke Gatiboni, Karl Shaffer, Deanna Osmond, Sanjay Shah SoilFacts

This publication addresses nutrient management concerns as they relate to land application of animal wastes, municipal biosolids, industrial residuals and agricultural by-products, with a focus on phosphorus application and its impact on the environment. Methods for reducing phosphorus loss from land application sites are presented as general guidance for managers of land application systems, who must be knowledgeable of regulatory issues and permit restrictions as they relate to phosphorus and nutrient management.

Making Use of Surplus Milk

By: Stephanie Ward, Steph Kulesza

This publication provides information on using surplus milk for land application, as a waste product or fertilizer, or as animal feed. Topics include practical and nutrient management considerations, safety, and nutrient information for feeding.

Reducing Drift and Odor With Wastewater Application

By: Steph Kulesza, Sanjay Shah, Mahmoud Sharara, Chad Poole SoilFacts

This publication addresses application techniques that affect drift and odor problems associated with wastewater application, so that managers and designers of land application systems can make wise decisions on how to apply wastewater with minimal impact on neighbors and the environment.