AgriSuite is the Ontario government’s agricultural and environmental suite of tools related to crop management, nutrient management and minimum distance separation.
The Field Management Plan combines the Crop Nutrient calculator, the Organic Amendment calculator and the Fertilizer calculator to help determine crop nutrient needs/nutrient removal, available nutrient contributions from organic sources, and additional fertilizer needed to supplement crops for maximum economic yields. Whether for an individual field or multiple farms and fields, nutrient balances for each crop and/or crop rotation help maximize nutrient efficiency along with environmental risk indicators that reveal potential losses.
The field management tool uses location data, and yield goals to calculates crop nutrient balances using Ontario data bases, lab information, crop recommendations and field management information. The tool identifies economic and environmental risks and allows users to make adjustments by comparing various management scenarios.
Purpose
The information provided by the Field Management calculator helps to balance the nutrients applied to crops from various sources with crop requirements to maintain soil fertility levels in a range that maximized economic yield while protecting the environment from nutrient losses. Ensuring sustainable crop production requires nutrient balancing that ensures adequate nutrients are available for each crop without building soil fertility levels that negatively impact the environment. The Field Management calculator performs complex agronomic equations to help farmers ensure adequate soil nutrients for economic crop production.
This tool allows farmers and crop consultants to quickly, run different scenarios to assess the best course of action for their land for a single crop or multiple cropping seasons. Crop consultants and farmers use these calculations to project fertilizer and amendment needs and nutrient application schedules.
Reach
This calculator is a part of the AgriSuite online set of tools. Calculators in AgriSuite are used to develop both voluntary and regulatory Nutrient Management Strategies and Plans for producers needing to comply with Ontario’s Nutrient Management regulations. They provide opportunities for planning and recordkeeping on a farm/field basis for crop nutrient needs/removal, fertilizer and manure application and can help determine best agronomic and economic practices with respect to crop nutrient management. Environmental risk indicators are included to help prevent nutrient loss to nearby water sources.
Learn more about the AgriSuite tool set and the use of this calculator here.
Potential impacts
Decisions made based on the results of the Field Management calculator have the capacity to target nutrients to where economic return is highest and improve nutrient balances by ensuring crop needs are met over one crop year or full crop rotation. Various scenarios adjusting rate, timing and placement of nutrients quickly displays impact of management decisions for potential environmental or economic losses.
Internal use policies
The information can be saved, shared and printed by the user. Information is not accessible to anyone beyond those selected by the user.
Government staff have access to this calculator and tool set to run scenarios that help support policy development and emergency management response activities. There are no requirements or guidance on when, how or if these tools should be used. The Nutrient Management team at OMAFRA often uses AgriSuite tools when reviewing submitted plans and strategies. Learn more about Ontario's Nutrient Management program here.
Technical description
The Field Management calculator was developed by OMAFRA, it uses databases based on science, field and lab data collected or relevant to the province of Ontario. AgriSuite is an on-line web browser based product that allows users to complete calculations quickly or alternatively sign in as an authenticated user to save and potentially share their work with people they choose.
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