Field Screen:

Field Names

• No two fields on a farm can have the same name.
• Can not include any character that is not a letter, number, dash or period. This means no commas, apostrophes, or quotes. This is true for all fertilizer and nutrient source names in Snap-Plus.
• Are sorted alphabetically by the software, not by numbers. So use 01, 02... instead of 1, 2...
• Must be the same as the names used on the soil test report for electronic importing soil test data.

Field Slopes and Slope Lengths
Replace the defaults with measured values if you have them. The default slope and slope lengths are from a Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) database. See the NRCS document RUSLE 2 Planning Choices for more information about the correct method for measuring slope and slope length

N restrictions
When a symbol appears in the N restrictions column after a soil mapping unit is selected for an individual field, it indicates that there is a comparatively high risk of nitrates leaching to groundwater from this soil.

Definition of symbols:

• p - High permeability soils
• r - Soils with less than 20 inches to bedrock
• w - Soils with less than 12 inches to apparent water table
• + - This map unit may have any of the three restrictive features listed above, however an on-site investigation is needed to identify which restrictions may actually be present.

The Nutrient Management Planning Standard 590 places limits on late summer and fall nitrogen applications on these soils. If applications in excess of these limits are applied in Snap-Plus, a warning message will appear in the nutrient application planning window and the application will be in red type on the cropping screen.

Below Field Distance and Slope to Water
These fields are for entering the distance and slope of the flow path or channel for runoff from the lower edge of the field to surface water. This information is used in the P Index for estimating the proportion of the phosphorus running off the field that is likely to be transported to the nearest stream or lake.

• The ranges are broad because big changes in slope and slope length make relatively small changes in expected P delivery
• Soil maps are useful to estimate the average slope. The soil mapping units of the land along the drainage pathway between the lower edge of the field and the nearest stream or lake will have a slope designation.

Rotation start year: This is the crop year that Snap-Plus will use as the start of the rotation string for calculating rotational soil loss, P Index, P₂O₅ and K₂O balances. When a field is added, the current planning year will appear here as a default. You can change the start year here on the Field screen or as you enter field management information on the Cropping Screen or in the Rotation Wizard.

Field notes: This column is for entering information about a field that will be helpful to remember during the planning process. It is a good place to note if the field has winter manure spreading restrictions due to slope or proximity to water.

Cropping Screen:

Rotation settings
The rotation length in number of years starting with the year you indicate will be used to indicate the string of crop years included in rotational soil loss, P Index, and P₂O₅ and K₂O balance calculations.

Checking contour will set all tillage and planting operations used in RULSE2 to be on the contour with the relative row grade 10 percent of slope grade.

Crop year
A crop is assigned to the calendar year that it is harvested.

Crop years go from the completion of harvest of the previous crop to harvest of the present crop. The Snap-Plus crop lists includes crop names for "double crops" that describe the crops in a crop year when a second crop is planted after harvest of the first, such as "Winter wheat (forage) to soybeans".

Fall manure and fertilizer applications are assigned to the crop year that the crop they feed is harvested.

Tillage:
Snap-Plus tillage choices are linked to the following specific RUSLE2 basic tillage descriptions for calculating soil loss:

• Fall Chisel, disked = Fall chisel, twist, disk, fcult
• Fall Chisel, no disk = Fall chisel, twist, fcult
• Field Cultivation = fcult
• Fall MB Plow = Fall moldboard plow; disk, fcult
• Spring Chisel, disked = Spring chisel, twist, disk, fcult
• Spring Chisel, no disk = Spring chisel, twist, fcult
• Spring Cultivation = Sfcult
• Spring MB Plow = Spring moldboard plow; disk, fcult
• No Till = No-till
• Strip-till = Strip Till

Choose the tillage that most closely resembles the practices on a given field. Where there is no exact tillage match available, choose one that includes more passes or disturbs soil more aggressively than the one actually used on the field. That way you will be likely to overestimate soil loss, ensuring that a field meeting T in this Snap-Plus analysis really does meet T.

Manure Applications Spread Method
Unincorporated - Manure remains on surface for three or more days following application
Incorporated - Manure is mixed into the soil by some sort of tillage within three days following application
Injected - No manure is left on the surface following application
Grazing - Manure is applied to the field by direct excretion from the animal

Fertilizer Applications Spread Method
Unincorporated - Fertilizer remains on surface for three or more days following application
Incorporated - Fertilizer is mixed into the soil by tillage following application
Banded - Fertilizer is applied below the soil surface, no fertilizer is on the surface following application

Reports:

Farm Data
shows the prepared date, counties in which the farm fields are located, and the farm narrative. It can be reported by sub farm.

Animal Numbers
shows the animal type, number of animals, % solid collected, % liquid collected, other liquid (gal), bedding (cu ft/day/animal) for the report year. It then calculates from book values found in the 590 Standard's Wisconsin Conservation Planning Technical Note WI-1 the yearly tons, yearly gallons, and farm totals. The animal units are roughly matched with the animal categories in NR 243 Wis. Admin. Code, Table 2A, as their reference. Not all animal categories are included in NR 243 could be included in this estimator. Please refer to NR 243a Table 2A to calculate animal units for any animal type not shown here. Both of these documents can be viewed from the "Help/References" menu or by clicking the links on the Livestock estimator screen.

Cropping Trends
helps determine if your crop rotations and corresponding nutrient applications will be adequate for the operation being planned. This report shows the year you select and all other future years, liquid manure produced and used (thousand gallons), dry manure produced and used (tons), NPK produced (lbs), NPK applied (lbs), and various crop production (acres and bushels).

Field Data and 590 Assessment Plan
combines the reports of the field data and the 590 assessment plan. This report contains field name, field group sub farm, FSA tract and field numbers, field acres, county, soil map unit, soil name, field slope (%), field slope length (ft), below field slope to water (%), distance to water (ft), N restriction, and contoured/filter strip, crop rotation, tillage for each crop, report period for each field rotation, field's tolerable soil loss (T in tons/ac), the rotation's average soil loss (tons/ac), rotation's average P Index, soil test P (ppm), and rotation's P₂O₅ balance. The rotation shown for each field is the one with the start year and duration specified on the cropping screen for that field. This report is for each field on the farm for all years. The soil test P shown is the one that is reported for the first year in the rotation.

Soil test
displays all the soil test reports for this farm by field. It can be printed in a short version or long (with micros) and with all soil test from the past or just the most recent. This report shows field name, acres, soil map unit, soil name, soil test date, soil test lab, lab sample number, number of samples, acres per sample, pH, OM(%), ppm P, K, and S (optional Ca, Mg, B, Mn, Zn), buffer pH, and CEC.

Spreading and NM Sorted by Crop
combines the reports of the spreading plan and the NM plan with specific nutrient credit information. For each crop type the report includes: name, acres, field slope(%), soil series, map unit, N restriction, prior crop, the specific crop year and crop, yield goal, tillage, product and its analysis being applied, application rate and method, N-P₂O₅-K₂O credit, total amount applied for the field, soil test P and K (ppm), UW soil test recommendation for N- P₂O₅- K₂O, planned application and credits for N- P₂O₅- K₂O, over or under UW recommendations for N- P₂O₅- K₂O. The report calculates total acres of each crop, total application volume of each source and the season in which it is applied. The bottom of the report calculates the total planned acres, total planned applications by source for the farm, total manure volume (tons, gallons), total planned manure applications, and remaining manure.

DNR CAFO
is the annual spreading report required for DNR permitted farms. Much of the information for this report is available from Snap-Plus, but some additional information will be required from the user. This report should be copied into a spreadsheet after records for a crop year have been updated in Snap Plus to reflect actual management and field applications. This report shows date of application (hand entered in spreadsheet), field name, acres applied (hand entered in spreadsheet), slope (%), soil test P average (ppm), manure/wastewater source name(hand entered in spreadsheet), current crop, N and P₂O₅ crop nutrient need (lbs per NMP or soil test), N and P₂O₅ manure analysis (lbs available per ton or 1000 gallons) (hand entered in spreadsheet), manure application rate (tons or gallons) (hand entered in spreadsheet), manure applied (lbs / acre) (hand entered in spreadsheet), previous crop, legume credit (lbs N), 2nd year manure credit (lbs) N and P₂O₅, additional fertilizer (lbs/acre), total nutrients applied + credits (lbs/acre), soil condition (saturated, non saturated, frozen, snow covered)(hand entered in spreadsheet), application spread method (hand entered in spreadsheet), and banked yes or no? (should be hand-entered in spreadsheet).

590 Assessment Plan
gives the total acres, field name, report period for each field rotation, FSA tract and field numbers, acres, contoured/filter strip, field slope (%), field slope length (ft), soil name, soil symbol; N restriction, crop rotation, tillage for each crop, field's tolerable soil loss (T in tons/ac), the rotation's average soil loss (tons/ac), rotation's average P Index, soil test P for first year in rotation (ppm), rotation's P₂O₅ balance, rotation's K₂O balance, and lists fields with N applications in excess of 590 guidelines. The rotation shown for each field is the one with the start year and duration specified on the cropping screen for that field. This report is for each field on the farm for all years.

Field Data
shows field name, field group sub farm, FSA tract and field numbers, field size, county, soil map unit, soil name, subsoil group, N restriction, field slope (%), field slope length (ft), below field slope to water (%), distance to water (ft), and contoured/filter strip.

Nutrient Management Plan
shows the field name, acres, soil name, soil symbol; N restriction; average soil test P and K (ppm); previous crop; current crop; yield goal; tillage; and N-P₂O₅-K₂O soil test recommendations, total planned application credit, over or under UW recommendations, and fields with N applications in excess of 590 guidelines. This report is for each field on the farm for one crop year.

Spreading Plan
shows the nutrient source name and type; N surface, N incorporated, P₂O₅, K₂O, and S credit for that source; dry matter content (%); total volume (tons or gallons); volume applied, volume remaining, and volume applied by season for each source. If the cost of N, P₂O₅, K₂O, and S is entered into the Nutrient Sources screen, then this report can provide the value of these nutrients in the manure applied by nutrient source and total nutrient. For fertilizer it will list the name, form (liquid or solid), and N, P₂O₅, K₂O, S, Mg, Ca (%), total applied, unit cost ($), and total cost

Spreading Excess
lists the fields that have N applications in excess of 590 Standard allowances for the report year along with the explanations that were entered for each over-application. This report can not be generated for crop years prior to 2008 which is when the excess N warning system began.