Year after year, fertilizer is the big gorilla in the room when it comes to farm expenditures. In 2014, the readers of No-Till Farmer spent an average of $85,513 per farm to feed their crops — far outpacing the average of $69,732 spent on average, per farm, for land rent.
With wheat prospects looking reasonably good so far this season in many areas, producers may be wondering if it would pay to add chloride to their topdressing blend. Chloride is a highly mobile nutrient in soils, so split or topdress application may be beneficial, especially in regions of sufficient precipitation or with coarse texture soils that may cause leaching.
In the chemical age of agriculture that began in the 1960s, potassium chloride (KCl), the common salt often referred to as potash, is widely used as a major fertilizer in the Corn Belt without regard to the huge soil reserves that were once recognized for their fundamental importance to soil fertility.
Mastering the A, B, Cs of soil fertility means managing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium first, then taking care of secondary nutrients and micronutrient levels, a soil-testing expert says.
When no-tillers get the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium levels in their fields at optimum levels to maximize yields, they need to focus on secondary and micronutrients, says Ray Ward, owner of Ward Laboratories Inc. in Kearney, Neb.
Soil samples and testing, and determining the amount of nutrients removed by the no-tilled crop, are just some of things you need to do when fertilizing.
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Known as a proving ground and innovation showcase for consumer technology, the annual Consumer Electronics Show draws an international crowd seeking the latest in technological breakthroughs. John Deere established ag as a player at the the 2019 show and Joel Dawson, director, production and precision ag, explains the manufacturer's motivation and takeaways from the event.
Farmers and ag professionals from around the state are coming together again to share and learn about all things cover crops at the Wisconsin Cover Crops Conference being held Feb. 19-20, 2019 in Stevens Point, Wis.
Finding solutions to the problems farmers face is what inspired Harry and Etta Yetter to open a small machine shop in west central Illinois in the 1930s. Today, four generations later, Yetter continues the tradition of solving agricultural problems to meet the needs of producers all over the world.
Needham Ag understands the role of technology in making better use of limited resources within a specific environment by drawing on a wealth of global experience to overcome the challenges facing today's farmers, manufacturers and dealers.