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POTENTIAL FOR REDUCING NITROGEN POLLUTION THROUGH IMPROVED AGRONOMIC PRACTICES 1
Author(s) -
Trachtenberg Eric,
Ogg Clayton
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
jawra journal of the american water resources association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.957
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1752-1688
pISSN - 1093-474X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1752-1688.1994.tb03356.x
Subject(s) - environmental science , agriculture , nutrient , fertilizer , nutrient pollution , surface runoff , manure , watershed , pollution , water quality , agricultural science , business , agricultural economics , agronomy , geography , economics , ecology , archaeology , machine learning , computer science , biology
According to the 1990 National Water Quality Inventory nutrient runoff from agriculture is one of the largest contributors to watershed contamination. Nutrient balance studies suggest that many farmers use more fertilizer than necessary because of insufficient crediting for nutrients coming from manure and legumes. Using data from the USDA's 1990 Farm Costs and Returns Survey, we found that farmers raising only conventional crops spend between $470 to $624 million more per year on fertilizer than necessary. This accounts for a range of 24 percent to 32 percent of total annual nitrogen (N) purchases. The excess N amounts to between 2.5 to 3.3 billion pounds N and has considerable water pollution potential. Farmers and the fertilizer industry have responded positively to highly focused research and education programs which support improved crediting of these nutrients.