News

Concern heavy rains could lead to nitrogen loss

Heavy rains trekking north into the Upper Midwest this week could lead to nitrogen loss.

But University of Minnesota Extension water resources educator Brad Carlson tells Brownfield he’s not that concerned.

“Because the year has not been excessively wet there is the capacity in the soil to absorb a fair amount of that precipitation, provided it doesn’t fall too fast.”

Remnants of tropical storm Cristobal are expected to bring two to three inches of rain, or more up through the Mississippi River Valley as far north as Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Carlson says leaching could occur.

“But because we have not experienced a lot of that yet this year, it’s not likely that we’ll actually lose nitrogen. We could probably move it to the soil profile.”

He says denitrification is possible in soils that remain under water for several days.