‘All About Phosphorus’: Feb. 18 Nutrient Management Conference Will Focus Entirely on P Management

The 17th annual Nutrient Management Conference will be held in St. Cloud, Minn. on Tuesday, February 18. For the first time, the conference will focus entirely on one nutrient: phosphorus.

"There is a lot of research on phosphorus being conducted in Minnesota and across the Midwest, so we thought that this year it would be an ideal time to dive deep into this nutrient and hear about all the great research that is being done with this nutrient," said Fabian Fernandez, U of M Extension nutrient management specialist and co-organizer of the event along with the Minnesota Agricultural Water Resource Center.

The conference will be available in-person in St. Cloud (lunch included) or online. The cost to attend is $20.

Register now: in-person or online

The conference is divided into three parts: P fertilizer sources and soil testing, recent P studies from across the Midwest, and P research in Minnesota. There will be a farmer panel and presentations from experts from around the country, including Andrew Margenot and John Jones from the University of Illinois, Javed Iqbal from the University of Nebraska, and Jason Clark from South Dakota State University.

"Phosphorus is a very important nutrient for crop production because it is required in large quantities," said Fernandez. "It is also important environmentally as loss of phosphorus to lakes and rivers can create algae blooms and environmental degradation."

Certified crop advisers (CCA) can earn continuing education credits (CEUs) in soil and water, and nutrient management by attending the conference.

Full agenda:

• Farmer panel (Tim Radatz, Dan Janski, Jared Nordick, Dave Nicolai): Boots on the ground panel: Lessons from the field during 2024
• Brian Bohman (OCP North America): Understanding phosphate fertilizers: sources and agronomic considerations
• Craig Struve (SoilView, LLC): Soil sample results – What should you expect?
• Andrew Margenot (Univ. of Illinois): Considerations on P management from Illinois: Early insights from updating the Illinois Agronomy Handbook
• Javed Iqbal (Univ. of Nebraska) Optimizing phosphorus fertilization strategies for sustainable agriculture in Nebraska
• John Jones (Univ. of Illinois): Efficient use of soil-test and fertilizer phosphorus: Lessons from Wisconsin and Iowa
• Jason Clark (South Dakota State Univ.): Soil Health and phosphorus management: Is there a connection?
• Lindsay Pease (Univ. of Minnesota): Management practices that minimize edge-of-field phosphorus loss in Minnesota
• Melissa Wilson (Univ. of Minnesota): Manure phosphorus basics
• Daniel Kaiser (Univ. of Minnesota): Can you afford to cut phosphorus applications?

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If you have questions or comments, please email us at nutmgmt@umn.edu.