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OMAFRA AgriSuite tools continue to roll out

AgriSuite, a variety of free agricultural and environmental tools developed by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), recently released their organic amendment calculator. This tool will help determine manure or other organic amendment inputs based on the available and applied nutrients in a field.

Other tools currently accessible are the crop nutrient calculator and fertilizer calculator. The crop nutrient calculator, the first tool to be released, determines the nutrient needs of a crop. When soil test, location, planned crop and yield goal are provided, the crop nutrient needs and nutrient removal information is displayed. The information provided is based on Ontario data and includes the nitrogen calculator for corn crops. This information can be saved and printed by the user and is not accessible to anyone beyond those selected by the user. The fertilizer calculator allows a producer to determine application rates and applied nutrients for a commercial fertilizer application on a single field.

OMAFRA continues to develop tools for AgriSuite, hoping to have their phosphorus and nitrogen loss assessment tool, called the PLATO calculator, ready in spring 2020. Also in the works is a Field Management Plan, which will allow producers to enter cropping, fertilizer application and material application information to develop a field management plan for a single field or whole farm.

AgriSuite can be accessed at agrisuite.omafra.gov.on.ca/.