Pre-flood nitrogen fertilizer application can set the stage for a rice crops yield potential and ultimately a grower’s profit. But without the right protection, a grower could be forfeiting the potential benefits of a pre-flood nitrogen application.
The process of keeping nitrogen available to nourish crops is complicated. Learn how you can protect against nitrogen loss with Koch solutions.
Consider treating UAN investments with a nitrogen stabilizer that protects against ammonia volatilization.
Having enough feed throughout the fall and winter can be an expensive operating cost for growers and ranchers — but fall stockpiling of forage can provide some relief. Stockpiling allows producers to manage these costs and ensure adequate feed supplies throughout the winter.
Soil is a nonrenewable resource that directly and indirectly produces about 95 percent of the world’s food1 — so while defining soil health may not be easy, understanding its value is.
You might think that when nitrogen fertilizer is in the ground, it's safe. New research suggests you need to think again. When shallow banding unprotected urea less than two inches deep, researchers found that nitrogen loss due to ammonia volatilization can be even greater than unprotected broadcast urea.
A study by Dr. Rick Engel from Montana State University proved that surface-applied urea still loses a significant amount of nitrogen due to ammonia volatilization in cold weather, even under freezing conditions. High ammonia volatilization loss under cold conditions was mainly related to high soil moisture and soil pH.
While fall applications of nitrogen can help take pressure off spring field work, allowing for more timely planting, these applications are still at risk of nitrogen loss. We’ve debunked two common myths concerning nitrogen loss in fall-applied nitrogen to help ensure growers are maximizing their nitrogen fertilizer inputs.
Soil is a nonrenewable resource that directly and indirectly produces about 95 percent of the world’s food* — so while defining soil health may not be easy, understanding its value is.
The goal in crop production with nitrogen is to ensure as much of it as possible is available for plant uptake, where it can then be converted to grain throughout the growing season. While we know nitrogen is important to our crops, do we know what role it plays and how to ensure it’s available for optimal crop growth and production?
In studies conducted in 2017 and 2018 by the University of Missouri showed the yield benefit of corn when using SUPERU fertilizer and AGROTAIN nitrogen stabilizer compared to ContaiN.
According to the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center, growers across the U.S. may start noticing the impacts of El Niño as we progress into the fall and winter seasons.
Growers should soon be planning their winter top-dress applications. While crop progress and weather conditions vary, the 4Rs of fertilizer application pertain across the wheat belt.
Urea-Ammonium Nitrate, also known as UAN, is an excellent source of nitrogen for crops. However, farmers may dismiss the risk of nitrogen loss from UAN, incorrectly assuming that liquid forms of nitrogen are not subject to appreciable volatilization losses.
Record-setting rain during the 2018 fall limited or prevented fertilizer applications in many regions of the U.S. Add to that an abundance of late winter precipitation, below average temperatures and large snow melt have led to record-setting floods in parts of the Midwest and saturated fields in other parts of the U.S., making it difficult for growers to hit the ground running this spring.
With persistent wet weather patterns across the U.S. causing logistical strain and delay of many growers getting into their fields, some are already making the switch from anhydrous ammonia to other nitrogen sources. This means now is the time to discuss nitrogen source alternatives and nitrogen protection options with your growers.
Each year, new agronomic solutions are introduced for growers to consider using to help them better their operation. The best of those allow growers to use fewer resources, potentially saving them money in the long run and promoting a more sustainable future.
Thanks to agronomic research being conducted around the world, advances are being made each day to help growers produce more with fewer resources. And that work not only helps to feed people across the globe, it also creates value for society as a whole.
As you plan for the next growing season, fluctuating commodity prices may have you looking at your expenses. In order to manage tighter margins, you could even be tempted to cut input costs but it may end up hurting your bottom line.
This episode features Kate Koehler, the director of product management and communications for Koch Agronomic Services, and Edwin Suarez, technical agronomist with Koch Agronomic Services. They discuss the information growers need to make their input plan for next season, the benefits of fall applications and how the decision to use a stabilizer can help growers achieve a higher return on their nitrogen investment.
Was your crop given the right source at the right rate, at the right time and in the right place? Learn best management practices from the 4R Nutrient Stewardship initiative.
The Field Notes podcast series from Koch Agronomic Services (Koch) will break down the science and technology behind agronomy to help growers do more with less. Crop science experts and others in the agriculture industry will discuss topics ranging from nitrogen loss and soil health to ways growers can increase operational efficiencies.
Rarely does Mother Nature give growers perfect weather conditions for their crops. Over the last several years, growers have dealt with weather conditions ranging from intense downfalls to warm, dry wind.
Nitrogen volatilization can occur in all weather conditions, including both warm and cold temperatures. But no matter how or when fertilizer is applied, without a stabilizer, it’s vulnerable to loss.
You might not be able to control what you aren’t expecting, but you are capable of minimizing nitrogen loss. When your applied nitrogen is affected by ammonia volatilization, your return on investment decreases.