District growers: keep an eye on your mailbox for something new from the NRD. This winter with your annual Phase II/III and Hastings Management Area Reports you will receive a Nitrogen Use Summary Report based on the information you report annually. The district is now able to provide detailed reports to every producer in the district that will illustrate nitrogen use efficiency on a field-by-field basis.
                                                                                              
Aggregating data from across the district will allow producers to benchmark NUE with other reporting producers in the district. All information will be kept confidential. No producer will be able to see information specific to another’s field, however, they will be able to see anonymized and aggregated information about NUE.
 
These new nitrogen use reports are meant as an educational tool and a companion to the water use summaries sent to producers earlier this year. The NRD staff is hopeful that this information will equip district producers to make data driven decisions about their nitrogen and water management practices.