Alberta Farm Fertilizer Information and Recommendation Manager (AFFIRM)

Version 2.0 for Windows
Copyright (C) 2005
All Rights Reserved
Revised July 2005

Description

The Alberta Farm Fertilizer Information and Recommendation Manager (AFFIRM) is an interactive user friendly system that allows the user to select a crop to be grown, identify the field's agro-climatic region, input soil and crop management practices and enter soil test results from a laboratory report into the model. In addition, the model requires values for fertilizer costs and an expected crop value. The model is designed to access a series of databases to retrieve various coefficients based on the information entered by the user.

Periodic updates of these database files will be available from this page.

Introduction

Optimizing fertilizer requirements for crop production is influenced by many soil, crop, climatic and management factors. The interaction of these factors can be complex. The Alberta Farm Fertilizer Information and Recommendation Manager (AFFIRM) software will allow the user to evaluate fertilizer nutrient requirements for crop production based on Alberta research and production economics. Information specific to the user's situation is entered into this decision support system to obtain a fertilizer recommendation and/or to test various cropping scenarios. Based on the results of these scenarios, the user can make a final decision on fertilizer requirements.

AFFIRM is an interactive user friendly system that allows the user to select a crop to be grown, identify the field's agro-climatic region, input soil and crop management practices and enter soil test results from a laboratory report into the model. In addition, the model requires values for fertilizer costs and an expected grain value. The model is designed to access a series of small databases to retrieve various coefficients based on the information entered by the user. These coefficients are then used in a series of calculations designed to generate N, P205, K20, S and micronutrient fertilizer requirements and crop yield response to incremental rates of fertilizer nitrogen for the major crops and agro-climatic zones in Alberta. The yield response model uses a set of empirical equations for dryland and irrigated crops. These equations utilize soil test nitrogen, incremental fertilizer nitrogen rates, spring soil moisture and expected growing season precipitation based on long-term normals for the region. The predicted crop yield response plus fertilizer cost and expected crop value are used to estimate the economic return from fertilizer use.

AFFIRM is a full spectrum fertilizer recommendation system for N, P, K, S plus micronutrients. It will accept soil test results from a variety of laboratories that use various soil test procedures. AFFIRM uses unique calibration functions for each soil test method. AFFIRM provides an economic analysis based on marginal revenue vs. marginal cost for each 10 pound/acre increment of fertilizer nitrogen. It demonstrates the economic relationship that marginal revenue product must be greater than marginal factor cost for an input to remain economic at a given use level. The producer is told how much he is expected to make from each dollar he spends on fertilizer and how this will change if he spends an extra dollar on nitrogen fertilizer (or cuts back by a dollar).

This software is designed to be used by a wide range of users, including crop specialists, farm consultants, industry agents, producers and students to assist in the selection of optimum fertilizer rates.

It is based on:

1. Current field and laboratory research
2. Soil test analyses
3. Irrigation level (if applicable)
4. Crop to be grown
5. Soil and moisture conditions
6. Cost per pound of nutrients
7. Economic factors influencing the sale of crops

• Able to use soil test results from numerous laboratories
• Estimated Nitrogen Release (ENR) calculator
• Individual field agronomic recommendations and economic analysis.
• Whole farm optimization to allocate fertilizer budget based nutrient requirements, crop response to applied nitrogen fertilizer, fertilizer costs and crop prices.
• Historic fertilizer cost information.
• Help function with links to background and interpretation information.
• Tutorial guide for user instructions.

• Designed to assist with making fertilizer decisions for your farming operation and budget limitations.
• Calculate economic marginal returns for fertilizer application for making fertilizer decisions
• Allows the user to consider various crop choices, and economic scenarios of crop prices and fertilizer costs.
• Provides the impact of various spring soil and growing season moisture conditions.
• Diagnosis of soil and crop problems.
• Maintain historic records of soil test information, fertilizer costs and crop prices.
• Record field specific user notes.

• Uses dry, medium and wet moisture conditions based on soil regions, precipitation probabilities, and soil texture.
• Presents fertilizer recommendations, economic analysis and farm optimization in easy to understand statements, tables and graphs
• Evaluates the effects of different management strategies, such as crop selection,
• AFFIRM is based on field and laboratory research from real Alberta and/or western Canada. AFFIRM is designed for Alberta conditions and should not be used outside of the province of Alberta.

• Pentium with Intel, Celeron, AMD Processor.
• Windows 95, 98, 98 SE, Me, NT 4.0, 2000, and XP.
• Video Display: minimum resolution of 600 x 800 dpi.
• A minimum of 2.0 Megabytes free hard disk space is required.

1. Download file AFFIRM.exe (approx. 2 MB) to a directory on your hard drive.
2. The AFFIRM software does not have an installation routine.
3. The AFFIRM.exe can be copied onto the Windows Desktop or kept in a directory of your choice.
4. On the Windows Desktop double click the AFFIRM icon to start the AFFIRM software.
5. In the directory containing AFFIRM.exe, double click on the AFFIRM.exe file to start the AFFIRM software.

• Len Kryzanowski: Nutrient Management Specialist (780) 422-1252
• Guangzhi Liu: Research Analyst / Programmer (780) 422-4430

• Len Kryzanowski, P.Ag., Nutrient Management Specialist
• Guangzhi Liu, Research Analyst / Programmer
• Alana Kelbert, P.Ag., Research Agrologist
• Renn Breitkreuz, Production Economist, Crops
• Roger Andreiuk, Reduced Tillage Linkages