Subject: Livestock Waste Application to the Conservation Reserve Program Contract Lands

This establishes NRCS guidance addressing the application of all livestock waste to land under contract in the Conservation Reserve Program for Kansas.

Kansas Department of Agriculture has established regulations for the application of swine waste to meet the requirements contained in House Bill 2950 (1998 Session) and the Kansas Chemigation Safety Law, K.S.A. 2-3302 et. seq. Kansas NRCS Will follow the guidance established for Kansas Department of Agriculture Nutrient Utilization Plan Form (attached), published by the Kansas Secretary of Agriculture, December 15, 1998.

Any swine facility that has the capacity of 1000 animal units (equivalent to 2500 head for most operations. 10,000 head for nursery operations) or more must follow the established regulations required by House Bill 2950 (1998 Session) when applying waste to any land.

The rates for livestock waste applications to CRP land will be determined by a current soil test and a nutrient analysis of the waste product. The soil test must first be acquired to determine phosphorus levels and plant-available nutrients in the soil. If soil test P from CRP land exceeds the level outlined in Table 1 of the Nutrient Utilization Plan Form, no applications will be allowed unless the livestock waste contains less than 0.2 percent P.

If soil test P does not exceed these levels, applications may be made on the basis of the plants nutrient needs (2-CRP, (Rev. 3), KS Amend. 1 KS Page 11-5 and 2-CRP, (Rev. 3), KS Amend. 4 KS Page 11-6). However, soil tests will be taken prior to the first application each year to monitor potential phosphorus buildup and determine existing plant available nutrients. Soil tests will also indicate if possible salinity problems exist. If this occurs applications rates will be salinity based.

Phosphorus Based Applications:

Applications to native grass species will be based on the P₂O₅ availability and plant removal rate, without exceeding the recommended nitrogen application rate as described below. Application rates will be determined utilizing Table 3 of the Nutrient Utilization Plan Form, with a P₂O₅ removal rate from Table 2 of 4.6 lbs./ton. Cool season grass applications will be based on a P₂O₅ removal rate of 13 lbs./ton, utilizing Table 3 of the Nutrient Utilization Plan Form. The first application will be based on 2 tons of production for native and 3 tons of production for cool season species.

Nitrogen Based Applications:

Applications to Native grass species will be based on the Agronomic Nitrogen Requirement of 33lbs. N/ton of production. The first application rate will not exceed a maximum of 66lbs. N /ac. removed unless there is evidence of higher production potential for the field. Clipping and weighing or other standardized procedures may be used to determine total production of the field. The application rate would then be calculated by multiplying the total tons/ac produced X 33 lbs. N/ton/ac. = lbs. N / ac. needed. Example: 2.5 tn/ac X 33 lbs. N = 83 lbs. N/ac.
  _{83 lbs. N/ac. — lbs. Avail ./Soil test = application rate}

Applications to cool season species will also be based on the agronomic nitrogen requirements of 40lbs./ton of production. The first application will not exceed a maximum of 80 lbs. N/ac. unless there is evidence of production capabilities for the field. The application rate would then be calculated by multiplying the total tons/ac. produced X 40lbs. N/ton of forage produced/ac. = lbs. N/ac. needed. Subtract the N available in the soil based on a recent soil test.

Salinity Based Applications:

If EC_e exceeds 8 mmhos/cm no application will be made.

If EC_e of the soil exceeds 6 mmhos/cm, application rates should be salinity based or reduced by ½ the recommended nutrient rate and will not be applied more than one time per year. If the waste product has a C:N ratio of 20 or above and total salts less than 4%, nitrogen removal rates may be used to determine waste application rates.

To calculate total salts in waste products: Total Salts = (% K + % Ca + % Mg + % Na) X 2 (Agric. Waste Mgmt. Field Handbook, ch. 6. pg, 9).

Soil tests will include:

• % OM Organic Matter
• Soil pH (1:1 saltwater)
• Nitrate-Nitrogen,pmm NO₃-N
• Phosphorus (plant avail.), ppm P
• Potassium, ppm K
• Sulfur, ppm S
• Zinc, ppm Zn
• Calcium, ppm Ca
• Magnesium, ppm Mg
• Sodium, ppm Na
• EC (1:1 soil:water)
• Percent sodium, % Na
• Soluble salts (1:1 soil:water)
• Cation exchange capacity (CEC by summation)

The nutrient analysis of the waste product will include:

• % TKN Total nitrogen
• % NH₄-N Ammonia-nitrogen
• % NO₃-N Nitrate-nitrogen, (optional for beef and swine, required for poultry)
• % Organic nitrogen (Org-N = Total N - NH₄-N - NO₃-N)
• % Moisture
• % DM Dry matter (total solids)
• % VS Volatile solids C:N Ratio
• % P Total phosphorus
• % K Potassium
• % Ca Calcium
• % Mg Magnesium
• % Na Sodium

Nutrient losses of surface applications without incorporation vary widely depending on storage method, handling procedures and environmental conditions at the time of application. For CRP applications, Plant available nitrogen will be calculated by; Org-N/3 + (NH₄-N X 40%) + NO₃-N.

Chemigation: No more than 1 inch of equivalent irrigation water will be applied at a time and applications will be at least 30 days apart in acquiring the recommended nutrient rate.

Copies of the Nutrient Utilization Plan Worksheet, soil test, and nutrient analysis will be filed with the CRP contract folder.

Applications will not be made during prime nesting season. Applications will not be made on frozen soil unless slopes are less than 1% and ground cover well established to reduce potential runoff and erosion. Maintenance of the stands will need to be monitored and producers should be encouraged to burn native grasses periodically to reduce potential weed problems and stimulate grass production.

Application of waste products to land in CRP has been determined a permissible activity by the Kansas State Committee and requires County Committee review on a case by case basis prior to approval.

The attached flow chart is intended to assist you in evaluating which nutrient-based applications to select.

/s/ Leroy Ahlers for

TOMAS M. DOMINGUEZ
State Conservationist

DIST: A, F, 5, NPR, RRT, FSA (3), Cheney PO, Schulze, Kuiper, Sherraden

The following documents require Acrobat Reader.

Attachment 1 (PDF; 208 KB)
Attachment 2 (PDF; 725 KB)