Episode Player
S4E11: Managing Nitrogen with Soil Organic Matter and Your Microbial Herd
Agronomy Highlights
Chapters
0:00
Cold Snap, Farm Updates, Set Up
1:39
Introducing Dr. Richard Mulvaney
5:15
Nitrogen’s Role And Microbial Control
10:55
Soil Organic Carbon And N Cycling
18:41
Why Some Soils Don’t Need Added N
24:31
Inside The Illinois Soil Nitrogen Test
30:10
Population, Tillage, Rotation, And N Supply
37:10
Fertilizer N And Long‑Term Carbon Loss
46:20
History Lessons: Hopkins, Howard, Albrecht
53:30
Livestock, Manure, And Feasible Paths
Agronomy Highlights
S4E11: Managing Nitrogen with Soil Organic Matter and Your Microbial Herd
Jan 06, 2026
Season 4
Episode 11
Penn State Extension
Recorded: 12/18/2025
Nitrogen may be one of the most mysterious nutrients that we deal with in agriculture. The dynamic elements of the nitrogen cycle make nitrogen quite a fickle nutrient in our systems. In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Richard Mulvaney of the University of Illinois to discuss how Soil Organic Matter and Microbial activity drive N availability to our crops. We also discuss the question, are we applying too much chemical N?
Hosts: Ryan Spelman and Dwane Miller
Guest(s): Dr. Richard Mulvaney
Links:
Soil Organic Matter and Cover Crop-based Nitrogen Recommendations for Corn
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