New app helps farmers record how much nitrogen they are putting on their fields In hopes of reducing overapplication. (Getty Images)
LINCOLN — Eleven years ago, Wade Ellwanger began analyzing reports submitted by farmers detailing the amount of fertilizer being applied on cornfields in his area of north-central Nebraska.
What he found was a “shocker” — 91% of farmers were overapplying nitrogen fertilizer to their crops, with some spreading up to 30 pounds more per acre than recommended by agronomists at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
That extra nitrogen didn’t result in higher yields, but instead was available to leech into the sandy soils of the region, contaminating groundwater in some areas above recommended healthy levels for human consumption in several areas.
Ellwanger, the general manager of the Lower Niobrara Natural Resources District, turned the revelation into a teaching moment.
The NRD, which is tasked with managing groundwater supplies and its quality, began showing local farmers how much excess fertilizer they were applying as a way to persuade them to reduce their use, save some money and help provide clean drinking water.