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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.
This publication discusses how to use controlled drainage as way to to reduce nutrient losses from agricultural land to surface waters and groundwater. It includes information on controlled drainage systems, structure location and management, and water quality and crop yield benefits.
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.
This publication discusses how excess zinc and copper from animal manure can lead to soil toxicity and harm crops in North Carolina. It covers where zinc and copper come from, potential harmful effects, and ways to prevent toxicity. Management strategies include soil testing, accurate manure application, record-keeping, and adjusting animal feed. Mitigation methods like soil turnover and pH modification are also discussed.
Iron (Fe) is an essential micronutrient required for numerous physiological processes in plants, including chlorophyll synthesis, respiration, and enzymatic activity. While iron is necessary in small amounts, its availability is often a limiting factor in vegetable production due to its interactions with soil pH and other nutrients. Proper management is crucial for crops such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, broccoli, and cabbage to ensure optimal growth, yield, and quality. This publication explores the importance and dangers of iron, adequate levels in soil and foliage, fertilizer sources, methods for identifying deficiencies and correcting them, and the influence of soil pH and water management on iron availability.
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).
Anaerobic swine lagoon sludge sampling allows operators to determine the nutrient concentration in the sludge through laboratory analysis. This publication provides information about different options for sampling sludge in these lagoons.
As a newly legal crop, little information exists about optimum nutrient levels in hemp. This publication provides additional information on hemp leaf tissue nutrient ranges from a survey conducted between 2017 and 2020.
This publication provides basic information on animal production systems and reviews the movement of nitrogen in concentrated feeding operations for swine.
This publication provides updated recommendations for phosphorus fertilizer application in corn, soybean, and small grains crops. It includes background and historical information about phosphorus critical levels, phosphorus rate recommendations, phosphorus accumulation in soils, and changes in recommendations.
This publication provides nitrogen and potassium fertilizer recommendations for optimum floral hemp yield and cannabidiol production while also understanding how nutrient rates affect THC production.
Boron (B) is a critical micronutrient essential for the growth, development, and productivity of vegetable crops. Although required in trace amounts, boron plays a fundamental role in plant physiology, influencing cell wall integrity, reproductive success, and metabolic processes. In North Carolina, where diverse soil types and vegetable cropping systems coexist, managing boron availability is vital to optimize yields and ensure crop quality. This publication provides a comprehensive overview of boron’s role in plant health, its behavior in soils, and strategies for effective management.
This publication discusses how the Nitrogen Loss Estimation Worksheet Tool can be used to account for agricultural nitrogen levels as an alternative to water quality monitoring.
This publication discusses the results of recent nitrogen rate trials in the North Carolina coastal plain that assessed the recommendations of the Realistic Yield Expectation (RYE) database.
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.
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.
Zinc (Zn) is an essential micronutrient for plant growth, playing a critical role in numerous physiological processes, including enzyme activation, protein synthesis, and hormonal regulation. While required in small amounts, zinc is indispensable for high-quality vegetable production. Deficiencies can severely affect crop performance, leading to reduced yields and quality. This publication focuses on zinc management for tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, broccoli, and cabbage, addressing its importance, adequate soil and foliage levels, fertilizer sources, and strategies for identifying and correcting deficiencies.
Transporting livestock manure to nutrient deficient fields can often be cost prohibitive without manure processing. Pyrolysis converts manure solids into biochar resulting in significant mass and volume reduction, while retaining high nutrient value. This fact sheet introduces the basics of pyrolysis technology, discusses the benefits and end uses of manure-derived biochar, and provides an overview of cost and technology limitations.
This publication summarizes research conducted in North Carolina that evaluated sorghum's potential as a bioenergy feedstock when planted on land that receives large quantities of animal waste effluent.
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.
Screw press separators can divide a single by-product stream into a solid and liquid stream to improve handling and management. These processing systems are commonly used in manure handling systems but can be used for management of many organic streams. For example, a wet digestion system that accepts food waste may also integrate the technology following anaerobic digestion. Regardless of the application, screw press separators are more efficient in removing solids from manure slurry streams (greater than four percent total solids or dry matter content) than with more dilute liquid manure streams. The systems are known to improve manure handling as well as reduce environmental impacts of livestock systems.
This guide provides North Carolina bell pepper growers with a comprehensive approach to nutrient management through foliar analysis. Foliar analysis offers a precise method for assessing nutrient levels within plants, enabling targeted nutrient adjustments at key growth stages—vegetative, flowering, and early fruit set. This document covers essential sampling techniques, including optimal leaf selection, handling, and transportation, to ensure accurate results. It also provides recommended nutrient sufficiency ranges, allowing farmers to interpret foliar analysis data effectively and adjust fertilization practices to enhance crop health and yield. Additionally, guidelines for foliar fertilization are provided, emphasizing timing, solution preparation, and application methods to prevent plant damage and ensure nutrient uptake. By integrating foliar analysis into regular crop management, bell pepper growers can optimize nutrient application, improve fruit quality, and support sustainable production.
This factsheet summarizes key technologies used to produce pellets from animal manures and the impact of process variables (temperature, pressure, moisture content) on the final product. The factsheet reviews key quality indices used to evaluate manure pellet quality. It also presents an overview of how scale, cost and environmental benefits, and trade-offs impact technology adoption.
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.
Manure is among the lowest methane yielding feedstocks in digesters, but it is widely used in agricultural anaerobic digestion systems due to its continuous availability in one location, its capacity to resist changes in pH, and its relatively easy integration into existing manure management systems. System types, costs, and environmental benefits are discussed.
