#1 Soil Test

        Nothing (again....nothing) you do will have the potential to save money during high fertilizer price periods than to soil test.  This message is nearly as old as soil itself, but we continue to find many producers who for unknown reasons don’t place a high priority on soil testing.  It is impossible to make an informed decision about eliminating or reducing phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) fertilizer inputs without a good set of field soil tests.  The cost is minimal compared to the potential returns.  Fields testing Very High for a particular nutrient have less than a 5 percent probability of having a yield increase from additional applied fertilizer. 

#2 Have a Plan!

        Crop fields are a lot like kids-----each is different and must be treated as such to get the most out of them. If you treat every corn field the same in terms of the amount of fertilizer or manure applied, you don’t have a plan (at least not one that’s maximizing resources and returns).  Plans can be simple or detailed, but you need a plan AND you need to follow it.  The guiding element of a cropping/nutrient management plan is .......are you ready?........a good set of soil tests.    

#3 Take Credit Where Credit is Due

        Like the soil test pitch, taking appropriate nutrient credits for forage legumes and manure has more than passed the point of being repetitive.  Also like soil testing, there are still a number of producers who aren’t even close to making the most of nutrients supplied by manure and legumes.  First-year corn after alfalfa is a no-brainer-------additional purchased N is simply not needed.  Second-year corn after alfalfa-----figure a 50 lb. N credit per acre.  Manure is like liquid gold these days, but similar to soil, it must be tested and applied uniformly on fields.  When manure comes up short of nutrient supplying expectations it’s often because little or no attempt was made to verify the nutrient content and applied rate.  

#4 Remember the Golden Rule

        The first increment of nutrients applied has the greatest efficiency and potential for economic return.  In other words, it’s better to spread resources over many field units than take an all or nothing approach.  

#5 Think Maximum Returns, Not Maximum Yields

         Most producers who win yield contests don’t manage the bulk of their acres in the same way that the contest field was managed.  Why?  Because they would lose money.   Yield is important to profitability, but so is the cost side of the ledger. 

#6 Compare Nutrient Sources

        The relative nutrient availability to crops is the same between different fertilizer sources; the price may not be. Think creatively......it may be to your advantage to apply nutrients in a different way than you have in the past simply based on the cost of different fertilizer forms. 

#7 Consider Starter Effect vs. Nutrient Effect

        Why do we use starter fertilizer for corn?  Simple question........complicated answer, but one that has to be understood to make an informed decision about eliminating or reducing starter fertilizer.  In the case of P and K, starter fertilizer often has a two-fold purpose.  First, it offers the “starter” effect by being close to the seed and potentially improving early season emergence and plant vigor.  Second, there is often enough P and K applied to supply crop needs for the growing season and maintain current soil fertility.  Far less P and K is needed in starter fertilizer to accomplish the “starter” effect.  Further, this effect does not always translate into more profit at the end of the growing season, especially when both fertilizer prices and soil fertility levels are high.  In this situation, spending $2 per pound of P applied (the cost of some liquid forms) to accomplish a starter effect doesn’t make economic sense.  If soil test levels are optimum or below, supplying nutrients for crop growth and to maintain soil fertility levels is needed.  This can be done at planting or as a pre-plant broadcast application.   

#8 Timing is Everything

        Nitrogen (N) is subject to several types of losses early in the growing season.  Too much rain and nitrate-N denitrifies and is lost as N₂ gas.  Place urea forms of N on the soil surface and up to 20 percent of the N can volatilize into the atmosphere if conditions stay dry for several days.  The problem of course is that corn takes-up most of its N after mid-June.  Nitrogen applied early in the growing season is subject to loss throughout May and early-June.  This isn’t a big deal if the weather cooperates, but it becomes a real problem if it doesn’t.  Often N has to be reapplied where soil conditions remain saturated for extended periods (see 2004 and 2008).  To lower this risk, sidedressing N in early- to mid-June is a management alternative.  Also see #9. 

#9 Stabilize Nitrogen

        If N is applied early in the growing season, nitrification inhibitors (e.g. N-Serve) and urease inhibitors (e.g. Agrotain) are products designed to stabilize N and reduce the risk for loss over a longer period of time following application.  As the price of N increases, N stabilizers become more cost effective.  The cost of the stabilizer is cheaper than over applying N to account for losses or reapplying N after losses occur.  Where the risk of N loss is high, consider using N stabilizers. 

#10 Don’t Be a Sucker

        There are conventional fertilizer products and there are non-conventional fertilizer products.  Many in the latter category are ineffective and waste of money.  Before buying the latest “can’t miss” fertilizer product or additive, verify that marketing claims are backed by solid research.  Ideally, obtain information from a non-biased source to insure research data isn’t “cherry picked.”