The commercial nitrogen optimization pilot grant program (NOPP) supports on-farm research projects that use nitrogen in a manner that will sustain soil fertility and crop production while reducing nitrogen loss to the atmosphere, groundwater, and surface water.
Donor Name: Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP)
State: Wisconsin
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 01/31/2023
Size of the Grant: $50,000
Grant Duration : 2 Years
Details:
The Department of Agriculture, Trade & Consumer Protection (DATCP) provides funding to agricultural producers to focus on commercial nitrogen optimization activities through the Nitrogen Optimization Pilot Program (NOPP).
Program Goal
Agricultural producers will collaborate with the University of Wisconsin (UW) System scientists to conduct research projects that enhance understanding of and refine new methods that optimize commercial nitrogen applied to agricultural fields.
Funding Priorities
Funding priorities are set in statute and include:
- Projects located in different parts of the state to incorporate data from differing soils and geological characteristics.
- Innovative projects not currently funded by other state or federal programs.
- Multi-year projects, with a minimum of two years required.
Funding Information
- The maximum award per agricultural producer is $50,000 over two years.
- Of the amount awarded to a producer, up to 20% ($10,000) will be awarded to UW for their monitoring and research assistance.
- Multiple agricultural producers may work together to submit a single application; each agricultural producer who is part of the application is eligible to receive up to the $50,000 maximum award.
Eligibility Criteria
The project application must be from an agricultural producer and meet all the following criteria:
- The project design must be for at least two years, with priority given to longer-term projects.
- Awards will be for a two-year project unless otherwise specified in the contract.
- The producer must collaborate with the UW as detailed in this RFP and allow both DATCP and UW project personnel farm access throughout the project duration.
- The project should be innovative. This should be a new project for the agricultural producer or the agricultural producer’s land. The project should include current and emerging crop management techniques that are able to be evaluated through simple protocols and contribute to data generated by the network of on-farm trials being conducted through this program.
- The project should not currently be funded through other state or federal programs.
- The producer agrees to voluntarily conduct commercial nitrogen optimization field studies and agrees to plan and manage on-farm research or has chosen to partner with consultants or other farmers to plan and manage the on-farm research.
- Grant recipients agree to use the same commercial nitrogen fertilizer products and other inputs consistently throughout the study and for each N treatment and replicate. Producers may select the commercial N fertilizer for their study. Variants or exceptions to this that may be necessitated by crop type or planned crop rotation should be discussed and approved by UW collaborator.
- Producers agree to keep all other agricultural management factors constant in the study area form the project duration, to the extent possible. Any known divergences of management factors, including those due to crop type or planned crop rotations, must be included in the project summary.
- Producers must supply current year detailed crop plans, including planting data, crop protection, nutrient application, yield data, etc.
- Participating producers agree to implement a zero lb. N/acre test strip or treatment.
For more information, visit DATCP.
