Growers bear a lot of responsibility, not only for raising enough crops to fit the needs of a growing population, but to also be stewards of the land. One element key to overcoming these challenges is getting enough nitrogen in the field – and keeping it there.
The process of keeping nitrogen available to nourish crops is complicated. Learn how you can protect against nitrogen loss with Koch solutions.
Nitrogen management is essential to prevent nutrient loss, maximize yield potential and optimize economic return — it’s especially important when your nitrogen program includes a fall application.
Crops are the most valuable source of income for most farm operations. That’s why you protect your livelihood by insuring your crops every year. In the event of significant crop loss due to weather, insect or disease, insurance will step in to make up for a portion of the lost income.
Efficiently using resources and good crop management go hand-in-hand on any successful farming operation. This is no trade secret — you want to minimize the inputs needed to produce the highest yield possible. That’s why optimizing your nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) is critical to getting the most out of your fertilizer investment and ultimately, a better bottom line.
As fall approaches and soil temperatures drop, many growers in the Northern Corn Belt will be taking to the field to start fall nitrogen applications. While fall is a great time for nitrogen applications, it comes with varied weather conditions and the risk of nitrogen loss, making it beneficial to use a nitrification inhibitor such as CENTURO nitrogen stabilizer.
CENTURO nitrogen stabilizer is the next-generation nitrification inhibitor for anhydrous ammonia and UAN that offers highly effective protection and unequaled flexibility in an easy-to-handle solution that is noncorrosive to the metals used in anhydrous and UAN equipment.
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?
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.
Record-setting rainfalls in late 2018 left many growers in the U.S., specifically the southern states and the Northeast, with saturated fields and the need for a new nitrogen game plan.
With unpredictable spring weather, protecting your nitrogen investment is critical to your overall yield potential. Environmental factors such as soil moisture, temperature, pH and compaction can all play a role in nitrogen loss.
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.
If the last couple of years have taught us anything it’s that things don’t always go according to plan. But that doesn’t mean looking ahead is a fruitless practice. With that in mind, have you started thinking about your 2021 nitrogen plan? A strategically applied fall anhydrous ammonia can deliver significant agronomic and operational benefits come spring. But how can you be confident your nutrient investment will still be available when crops need it next year?
UAN is a combination of urea, ammonium nitrate and water that forms to combine this liquid fertilizer.
2019 was a record-breaking year in more ways than one – devastating floods plagued most of the Midwest, preventing many growers from planting spring crops on more than 19.4 million acres according to the USDA.
The hard fact is that there are things on your operation that are out of your control. Spring rains and soil temperature both adversely impact your crop’s overall yield potential. But another fact is just as powerful – research has proven that the technology built into nitrification inhibitors can protect your UAN investment and your overall profitability.
Nitrogen is one of the most critical nutrients for a corn crop and plays a large role in plant growth, development and yield potential. Depending on several environmental factors, nitrogen can be lost to from the rooting zone of the crop which can lead to a nitrogen deficiency.
As fall approaches, many growers across the Great Plains will be taking to the field to start late summer and early fall nitrogen applications on wheat acres.
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.
Fall fertilizer decisions can be one of the most important decisions a grower can make to help boost crop performance and help provide efficiencies when it comes to spring workload.
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.