Iowa State University Extension, in collaboration with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, has scheduled a workshop to train livestock producers and service providers on how to use the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation 2 and the Iowa Phosphorus Index in nutrient management and manure management plans.

The RUSLE2 workshop will be held online Aug. 10-14. Each day, one session will be held from 2:30 to 4 p.m. using Zoom. Participants will need to install the free Zoom Software Application to participate. A web link will be sent daily to the participants to join the Zoom session online.

The sessions of this introductory workshop will provide hands-on software orientation for RUSLE2, including an introduction to the operating parameters, selection of input values, and developing and saving management operations. RUSLE2 software calculates soil loss for a given field, which is needed to figure out the Iowa Phosphorus Index.  

Nutrient management planning

Real field examples will be used in the sessions to determine risk calculations of the Iowa Phosphorus Index and how to incorporate these numbers into manure and nutrient management planning requirements. Manure management planning, soil sampling requirements, common errors and the IDNR’s review process also will be discussed.

An orientation into the new soil loss calculation software called Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) will also be provided. The workshop sessions will be taught by Don Corrington with NRCS; Kapil Arora and Dan Andersen, ag and biosystems engineering specialists with ISU Extension; and Jeremy Klatt, of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

“Nutrient and manure management plans require updated RULSE2 and P-Index calculations every four years. These online sessions will be a great refresher for those producers who develop their own plans or for consultants who are new to this planning process,” Arora says.

Register early, save money

The five workshop sessions cost $150 if registering by Aug. 5, and $175 after that date. Participants must have an MS Windows-compatible laptop or desktop computer equipped with camera and audio speakers; Microsoft Excel software; and the administrator password to the computer to install the software.

Workshop coordinators will work with registered participants before the workshop to pre-install the needed software. The workshop is limited to 15 participants, and all participants must preregister. Crop adviser credits (6 SW, 1 NM) are available for this workshop.

The agenda for different daily sessions and registration instructions, and additional workshop details are available on the RUSLE2 Workshop website. Participants interested in attending the workshop can register online.

Source: ISU, which is solely responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.