The Cornell Small Grains Breeding Program has announced the release of LakeEffect, the first winter malting barley released by the program in its 118-year history.
“We’re excited about LakeEffect because it couples the agronomic performance farmers want with the superior malting qualities brewers and distillers are looking for,” said Mark Sorrells, professor in Cornell’s School of Integrative Plant Science (SIPS), who led the breeding effort.
“What’s truly remarkable is that we took this from first cross to commercial release in just seven years – which is incredibly fast to move a new variety to market,” he added.
Certified seed growers are expected to harvest seed crops for commercial growers in summer 2026 for fall 2026 planting. For more information on seed availability, contact the New York Seed Improvement Program at (607) 255-9869 or nysip@cornell.edu.
Aidan Villanueva1, Juan Carlos Ramos Tanchez1, Kirsten Workman1,2, and Quirine M. Ketterings1
1Cornell University Nutrient Management Spear Program (NMSP) and 2PRO-DAIRY
Introduction
Manure contains all seventeen essential nutrients and, when properly managed, can contribute to a circular economy by offsetting fertilizer needs and building soil resiliency. Of all nutrients contained in manure, the most difficult one to manage is nitrogen (N). Manure contains N in different forms, some of which is released within the growing season following the application, while portions of the organic N can be mineralized and converted to plant-available N over multiple years.
Over the past three years, New York Farm Viability Institute (NYFVI), Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP), USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (NYSAGM) Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) co-sponsored the “Value of Manure” project, an initiative of the New York On-Farm Research Partnership of the Nutrient Management Spear Program (NMSP). The Value of Manure project now contains data for nineteen on-farm research trials collected over three seasons, and the results have been summarized each year: 2024, 2023, 2022. Here we report on the yield responses and fertilizer offsets for two trials at two different farms (Farm A and Farm B) where we collected two years of data, in the year of application, and in the year after manure application.
Trial Design
Each Value of Manure trial had three strips that received manure in 2023 and three that did not, for a total of six strips and three replications per treatment. At sidedress time, each strip was subdivided into 6 subplots and assigned varying rates of sidedress from 0 up to 200 lbs N/acre. No manure was applied in 2024 so that we could evaluate 2023 manure’s carry-over N contribution to yield in 2024 (2nd year benefits). For each trial and each year, we calculated the Most Economical Rate of Nitrogen (MERN), the point at which adding extra fertilizer stops paying for the extra yield increase. The MERN calculation assumed a fertilizer price of $0.73/lb of N, a $55 per ton silage value (at 35% DM), and a $4.2 per bushel grain value (at 85.5% DM). Farm A is in central New York and the trial field was a Lima silt loam soil (SMG2). Farm B is in northern NY and the trial field had a Grenville loam soil (SMG 4). See Table 1 for information about manure composition and application.
Findings 2023-2024
For farm A (Figure 1):
Without sidedress N, manure-treated plots yielded 101 bu/acre in 2023, compared to 69 bu/acre for plots without manure, a 32 bu/acre advantage from manure application. In 2024, without sidedress N, manure plots produced 64 bu/acre versus 57 bu/acre in non-manured plots, reflecting a 7 bu/acre benefit in the second year after application.
At the MERN (Figure 1), manured strips yielded 176 bu/acre in 2023 compared to 155 bu/acre in non-manured strips, a 21 bu/acre gain from manure application beyond what was gained from N fertilizer application. In 2024, the manured strips produced 200 bu/acre, while non-manured plots yielded 187 bu/acre, reflecting an additional 13 bu/acre benefit from manure in the second year after application.
At the MERN, manure plots required 13 lbs/acre more sidedress nitrogen than no manure plots to reach their economic optimum in 2023. In 2024, manure offset 36 lbs/acre of inorganic nitrogen, demonstrating its continued contribution in the second year after application.
Over the two years of the study, manure positively impacted yields and reduced fertilizer needs. Without sidedress nitrogen, manure provided a cumulative yield benefit of 39 bu/acre. At the MERN across both years, manure reduced fertilizer N requirements by 23 lbs N/acre and increased yields by 34 bu/acre, resulting in an economic gain of $159/acre, excluding costs of manure and sidedress application.
Figure 1. The most economic rate of N (MERN) without manure (dashed gray line) and with manure (dashed brown line) in 2023 (left) and 2024 (right) for farms A (corn grain, top) and B (corn silage, bottom).
For farm B (Figure 1):
On Farm B in 2023 (Year 1), without sidedress nitrogen, manure-treated plots yielded 24.8 tons/acre compared to 20.6 tons/acre for non-manured plots, a 4.2 ton/acre gain from manure. In 2024, without sidedressing, manure plots yielded 14.2 tons/acre versus 12.5 tons/acre in plots without manure, reflecting a 1.7 ton/acre benefit in the second year after application.
In 2023, at the MERN, manured plots yielded 24.3 tons/acre compared to 22.9 tons/acre for strips that did not receive manure, a 1.4 ton/acre increase due to manure beyond what was gained from N fertilizer application. In the second year (2024), yields were 17.3 tons/acre for manured strips versus 16.5 tons/acre without manure, resulting in a 0.8 ton/acre yield advantage due to the previous year’s manure application.
At the MERN, the plots that did not receive manure in 2023 required an additional 109 lbs N/acre of sidedress fertilizer to reach the MERN (Figure 1) compared to plots where manure had been applied. In the second year (2024), manure did not offset inorganic N fertilizer needs, as MERNs were similar for both manured and non-manured plots.
Looking at the two-year benefits from manure (Table 2), without sidedress N, the yield benefit from the manure amounted to 5.9 tons/acre. At the MERN across both years, manure reduced fertilizer nitrogen requirements by 109 lbs N/acre and increased yields by 2.2 tons/acre, resulting in an economic gain of $206/acre, excluding the costs of manure and sidedress application.
In Summary
Manure application increased yields in both 2023 and 2024, demonstrating both immediate and carryover effects at both study sites. Over the two years, when no N was sidedressed manure provided cumulative yield benefits of 39 bu/acre at Farm A and 5.9 tons/acre at Farm B. At the MERN (the point when N was optimally applied through sidedressing), total yield gains due to manure were 34 bu/acre at Farm A and 2.2 tons/acre at Farm B. Additionally, manure reduced fertilizer N needs by 23 lbs N/acre at Farm A and 106 lbs N/acre at Farm B over the two years. The combined benefits of N replacement and yield increases over both years resulted in overall economic gains of $159/acre at Farm A and $206/acre at Farm B, excluding fertilizer and manure application costs. These results highlight the significant agronomic and economic value of manure. Both trials will continue into 2025 to assess the three-year impacts on yield and fertilizer savings. Would you like to see similar data for your farm? Join the Power of Manure project!
We thank the New York Farm Viability Institute (NYFVI), Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP), USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (NYSAGM) and Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), participating farmers, consultants. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and should not be construed to represent any official USDA or U.S. Government determination or policy. For questions about these results contact Quirine M. Ketterings at 607-255-3061 or qmk2@cornell.edu, and/or visit the Cornell Nutrient Management Spear Program website at: http://nmsp.cals.cornell.edu/.
Manuel Marcaida III1, Kirsten Workman1,2, and Quirine M. Ketterings1
1Cornell University Nutrient Management Spear Program (NMSP) and 2PRO-DAIRY
Introduction
Soil fertility often varies within a single field, impacting crop yield and efficiency of crop inputs. Grid soil sampling offers more detailed fertility information than whole-field sampling, enabling more targeted lime and nutrient applications. But is this added precision worth the investment and what grid size should be used? In collaboration with farmers and crop consulting firms, we analyzed the results of 20 New York corn silage fields (1149 total acres) with grid sample data at 0.5-, 1.0- and 2.5-acre resolution, to assess within-field variability in soil pH, phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) levels. Recommendations based on grid sampling were compared to those derived from conventional, whole-field, composite samples.
Key Findings
Grid sampling revealed substantial variability in soil nutrient levels
Although most fields had 2-8 (average 4) different soil series represented, soil series within a field all belonged to the same soil management group. However, each field showed a considerable range in pH, soil test P and soil test K (Figure 1). For some fields, grid sampling revealed low pH, P or K areas while for other fields, hot spots were identified (Figure 2).
Figure 1. Measured pH (A, B), phosphorus (C), and potassium (D) levels across fields, based on New York guidelines. Bar length shows total field area, and color changes indicate varying nutrient levels. The percentages at the end of each bar show the area needing lime or P or K fertilizer.Figure 2. Field maps from two sample fields (A3, A1) showing the changes in lime (A), phosphorus (B), and potassium (C) recommendations based on the size of the soil sampling grid. This suggests that grid sampling helped identify areas that were suboptimal in pH and/or phosphorus-deficient, which would have been overlooked using whole-field averages. Management classifications were based on New York’s nutrient management guidelines (http://nmsp.cals.cornell.edu/guidelines/nutrientguide.html).
Lime and fertilizer recommendations vary depending on soil nutrient variability
For lime and P, grid sampling increased the recommended amount of lime for corn in alfalfa rotations (rotation target pH of 7.0) for many of the fields (Figure 3). This suggests that grid sampling helped identify areas that were suboptimal in pH and/or P-deficient that would be overlooked with use of whole-field averages. In contrast, for several fields, grid sampling revealed areas with sufficient K, which could result in K fertilizer savings (Figure 3).
Figure 3. Comparing the total cost or potential savings when using grid-based sampling at various grid sizes versus traditional whole-field recommendations for corn in rotation with alfalfa. All prices for lime and fertilizers were based on current rates from the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service at the time of our analysis.
Grid sampling increased total fertilizer or lime recommendations for 12 out of 20 fields, discovering low-pH or soil test P and/or K deficiencies that would have been missed using whole-field averages. On the flip side, seven fields had lower lime and nutrient input costs with grid sampling because there was no need to apply lime and fertilizer in already optimally limed or fertilized areas within the fields.
Half-acre grid size provides more detailed fertility insights, but it is also more costly (both in sampling costs and analytical costs). A cost-effective long-term strategy is to start with high-resolution (0.5-acre) sampling to characterize soil fertility and establish fertility-based zones (such as low, medium, optimum, high, very high). In subsequent years, sampling can then be done per fertility zone at a lower grid resolution of 2.5 acre within each zone, significantly reducing costs while still maintaining the benefits of precision nutrient management. This approach aims to homogenize the field over time through targeted applications, potentially leading to more uniform soil conditions.
Conclusions
Grid soil sampling enables more precise fertilizer and lime application by identifying within-field nutrient variability. Although results of this study suggested that for many of the 20 fields, grid-based sampling added to the cost of production and crop input needs, it should be recognized that detection of deficient areas allows a farmer to address yield barriers. Whether grid sampling leads to higher costs or significant savings, the long-term value is in applying fertilizer and lime only where needed. A cost-effective approach could be to begin with high-resolution (0.5-acre) sampling to define zones of low, medium, optimum, high or very high fertility, followed by lower-resolution (e.g., 2.5-acre) sampling within each fertility zone in future years.
Full citation
This article is summarized from our peer-reviewed publication: Marcaida, M., K. Workman, and Q.M. Ketterings (2025). Implication of Soil Grid Sampling on Lime, Phosphorus, and Potassium Management of Corn. Agronomy Journal 117: e70074. https://doi.org/10.1002/agj2.70074.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the staff of Champlain Valley Agronomics, Western New York Crop Management Association, and participating farmers for field selection and sampling. Funding came from the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program, the New York Corn and Soybean Growers Association via the New York Farm Viability Institute, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the New York State Department of Agriculture. This research was also supported, in part, by the intramural research program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Hatch 2021-22-210. The findings and conclusions in this publication have not been formally disseminated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and should not be construed to represent agency determination or policy.
For questions about these results contact Quirine M. Ketterings at 607-255-3061 or qmk2@cornell.edu, and/or visit the Cornell Nutrient Management Spear Program website at: http://nmsp.cals.cornell.edu/.
