The Crop year selected for manure and fertilizer applications should always be the same as that of the harvested crop that follows these applications and uses the nutrients. SnapPlus crop choices are based on a crop year that generally runs from the day after the fall harvest to the next fall’s harvest, with some variation for crops that do not fit this schedule (for example, winter wheat harvested before fall).  When two crops are planted or harvested in a single crop year, these crops are treated as “double crops” in SnapPlus.  Both crops in a double crop system appear in the crop name. Examples of a double crop are: winter wheat followed by a late-summer seeding of alfalfa or red clover; canning peas followed by snap beans; and a first cutting of alfalfa hay followed by soybeans. Some crops are followed by “cover crops” which are not harvested and do not have a nutrient requirement.

Selecting Seasons of Application:

Fall: Use for late summer and fall applications that are applied prior to a crop that will be harvested the following that crop year. Also use for late summer or fall applications prior to cover crops that will not be harvested, as these nutrients will be returned to the soil and should be credited to the following harvested crop.

Winter: Use for applications that are planned for the time when the soil is likely to be frozen or snow-covered, preventing effective incorporation, usually December through March or mid-April, depending on location.

Spring: Use for applications that are planned for after the soil has completely thawed and before mid-June.

Summer: Use for mid-June to August applications for hay crops or crops that will be harvested in that crop year, including crops that are seeded in the summer for a late summer or fall harvest.

Examples:

•Manure is planned following wheat harvest in summer of 2019 and no other crop is planned for this field until corn will be planted in spring 2020. This application is for Fall of Crop year 2020.

•Manure is planned following corn silage harvest in September 2019 before seeding a rye cover crop (will not be harvested). This application is for Fall of Crop year 2020.

•Manure is planned following corn silage harvest in September 2019 before seeding a rye forage crop that will be harvested in May 2020. This application is for Fall of Crop year 2020.

•Manure is planned following the next-to-last cut of alfalfa in the summer of 2019. This application is for Summer of Crop year 2019.

•Manure is planned following the last cut of alfalfa in the late summer or early fall of 2019. This application is for Fall of Crop year 2020.

•Manure is planned following winter wheat in late July of 2019 before seeding a forage crop that will be harvested in the fall of 2019. This application is for Summer of Crop year 2019.

•Manure is planned following winter wheat in late July of 2019 and no crop is planted until the following spring. This application is for the Fall of 2020 because the 2020 crop will be the first to use the nutrients.

•Manure is planned following winter wheat in late July of 2019 and a cover crop (not harvested) is seeded in August. This application is for the Fall of 2020 because the cover crop does not require the nutrients.

•Manure is planned following winter wheat in late July of 2019 and a late-summer seeded perennial forage crop is seeded in August. This application is for the Summer of 2019 because the forage seeding will use the nutrients.