Back-to-Basics: Regional Updates Archive

Statistics on the quantity of fertilizer sold in various states in the Northcentral region have recently been compiled and provided by The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) and the Association of American Plant Food Control Officials (AAPFCO). Data are now available from 1955 to 2009. Historical, annual data were available from 1975 to 2009. From 1955 to 1975, data were available every 5 years.

The Northcentral region in IPNI is composed of the following states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Data for N, P, and K were aggregated across these states.

Approximately 3.93 million short tons of N were sold in the Northcentral region in 2009, representing 34.4% of the total N sold in the U.S. This was down about 0.16 million tons from 2008, but was still higher than all years previous to 2004.

The quantity of P sold in 2009 was 1.12 million short tons of P2O5 and was the fourth lowest quantity since 1955. Sales were down 28% from 2008. The amount sold in 2009 was just slightly higher than that sold in 1965. Tonnage in 2009 represented 35.1% of U.S. sales which was similar to previous years and indicated that P use throughout the U.S. was down. In fact, U.S. sales of P in 2008 were also the lowest they have been since 1965.

Potassium sales for 2009 totaled 1.39 million tons of K2O, representing 45.1% of U.S. sales. This was the highest percentage since 1987, indicating disproportionately more K sold in this region than has historically been the case. Even so, K sales in 2009 were 0.69 million tons lower than in 2008, representing a 33.2 % decrease. Potassium sales volume was at a level not seen since 1965.

Sales volumes for P and K were no doubt muted because of the higher prices of these nutrients. The lack of similar decreases in N volume indicate that the nutrient emphasis in the North Central region in 2009 was on N – not P or K.

To access state-specific graphs, visit http://nanc.ipni.net/articles/NANC0004-EN.

Cropland in the Lake Erie drainage basin is under scrutiny again as a potential source of the P that is thought to be fuelling the burgeoning algal blooms. No one knows fully why loads of soluble P in the rivers are increasing, but we know enough to say that placement and timing practices are important for responsible management of plant P nutrition. Opportunity has arrived for 4R Nutrient Stewardship to demonstrate responsible care – see the IPNI presentation from the Conservation Expo held in Montpelier, Ohio. Recent soil test summaries and cropland nutrient balances show that rates of application are trending in the right direction. Placement and timing are the keys to keeping the P where plants need it and to protecting it from loss to water.

Is There More than One Way to Get Something Done? Surface Broadcast Urea Compared to Side-Banding Urea at Planting.

One of the greatest lessons I learned in my career in agriculture was soon after I graduated from university in 1979. I worked under Dr. Wayne Lindwall, who was a research scientist at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Research Station in Lethbridge, AB. Dr. Lindwall was conducting some of the pioneering research for no-till or direct-seeding research in western Canada. In my work I had the pleasure to work alongside Mr. Bill Racher, a retired farmer from the Champion, AB area, living in Lethbridge.

Bill missed farming, but had been forced to retire from full-time farming because of a heart condition. He took the opportunity to work at a physically less-demanding job as a technician at the research station on the same direct-seeding research project I was coordinating. I was a young ag-grad soil scientist and mistakenly thought I knew everything about cropping.

One day when we were doing our work at one of our off-station research sites near Warner, AB, I was all concerned about taking some soil samples using a certain procedure. After listening to my complaining that the day’s work wasn’t going as well as I had planned, Bill said to me: “Tom you worry too much – there is more than one way to get a job done.” He then suggested how we could take our soil samples more easily in a different way. I listened and followed his suggestion. We completed our task more easily and earlier than I had thought possible.

One part of my research on the above mentioned direct-seeding research project was to evaluate side-banding urea N fertilizer during the planting operation compared to pre-plant broadcast surface applications. Generally, our research back in the early 1980s showed that banding was more efficient than broadcasting. In the Prairie Provinces of Canada it is now generally thought that side-banding N, or so-called “double-shooting” during the planting operation of spring-seeded crops, is the best way to apply N fertilizer.

Interestingly enough, when I began working for the International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI), four years ago, my geography of experience was expanded. I had previously worked mostly in western Canada, but now my IPNI work responsibilities also included the states of North Dakota and Montana. During my first visit to Montana, I asked a Montana State University (MSU) cropping researcher how much of the Montana spring-seeded small grains, dryland cropped area was planted using direct seeding? He said well over 90%. I then asked how much of that was planted using “double-shoot” air-drills. I was surprised when he said: “Very little, most of the area has the N applied as a surface broadcast operation a day or two before single-shoot direct-seeding.” I was greatly surprised and a bit astounded. “But that isn’t the best way to apply N fertilizer, is it?” I questioned. “Well, Tom,” he answered, “We have done research and surface broadcasting just before direct-seeding works well under our usually drier Montana conditions. Having a fertilizer dealer custom apply the urea N a few days before planting, a grower only applies some seed-row blend, mostly P and K with a little N, and thus handles much less fertilizer at planting. This allows planting to be done in a shorter window of time in the busy spring season.”

Since then I have reflected back to the statement by my former work colleague Bill Racher, “Tom you worry too much – there is more than one way to get a job done.” I have been working with researchers the past year in Alberta and Montana comparing surface broadcast applications of urea to side-banding N at the time of planting. We are not only using regular granular urea, but we have also included some recently available technologies or methods for further comparison. 1.) Urea treated with a urease inhibitor (Agrotain), that can reduce potential volatile ammonia losses from urea applied to the surface of a soil; 2.) Urea treated with a urease inhibitor plus a nitrification inhibitor (DCD, or N-Serve), that can reduce both volatile ammonia losses as well as dentrification losses if saturated soils are experienced; 3.) Large granule urea usually called “Forestry Grade Urea” (10 mm or ½ inch in diameter), compared to regular size granule urea (3 mm or 1/8 inch in diameter), use of large urea granules has been shown to result in greater yields than regularly sized urea under some conditions; and lastly 4.) Fall-applied compared to spring-applied treatments. Application in the fall helps spread out field work.

There was one research site done in 2010, near Edmonton by the University of Alberta, where we planted spring barley. In that initial experiment the broadcast applications in the fall or spring did as well, or better than side-banding urea at planting. I was surprised at the results and realized we cannot make any firm conclusions from one site and one year of results. So we are repeating the spring barley experiment at Edmonton, as well as expanding the research to a spring wheat site near Acadia Valley in Alberta conducted by the Chinook Applied Research Association (CARA). There is also a winter wheat site at Moccasin, Montana conducted by MSU.

The potential benefits of using a surface applied urease-treated urea in the spring and or a urease and nitrification inhibitor treated urea in the fall, compared to side-banding N at planting, are as follow:

If this initial research shows an advantage for fall application of the large granule urea treated with urease and nitrification inhibitors, this may become a viable option compared to side-banding N at planting for farmers in the NGP.

Spring conditions across the region are somewhat mixed, but for the most part it is fairly dry. The latest Drought Monitor map (March 8) shows the majority of the region in abnormally dry to extreme drought conditions. Large areas of western Texas have been burned by wildfires in recent weeks, as the wet conditions of the past year produced plenty of fuel. As of mid-March, Kansas wheat was rated as 34% fair, 26% in the good to excellent range, and the remainder (40%) in the poor to very poor range. Texas wheat was rated 26% fair, 18% good to excellent, and 56% poor to very poor. Winter wheat conditions are generally not as good as they were last year at this point. Soil moisture conditions could be better, and can certainly improve as spring progresses.

As we move into the 2011 season, it is a good time to remember that crop nutrition is among the controllable factors affecting production and that the yield boost from appropriate fertilizer inputs helps spread fixed and variable costs over more harvested units (bushels, bales, etc.), thereby lowering the production cost per unit. Remember too that plant nutrients interact to provide benefit beyond those achieved from a single nutrient, so balanced fertility is essential to extracting maximum benefit from fertilizer inputs and optimizing overall system efficiency.

I’ll end this quarter’s report with a few general comments about N management taken from a recent IPNI Plant Nutrition Today publication (Snyder, Spring 2011, no. 6). Past research indicates that on average, about 35 to 45% of the N applied (as fertilizer and/or manure) is recovered in the above-ground portion of the targeted crop during the year/season of application. However, with good management and the application of appropriate technologies, it is possible to increase this to the 60-70% range. Here are some examples of things one could do to help optimize N management.

Highlighted in the winter update was the increase in wheat acreage throughout the Southeast. We have seen wheat acreages spike in previous years, but unfortunately have not often seen great yields accompany the area increase. So far this year, the southern wheat crop looks promising. Reports from Florida to Louisiana indicate that the wheat is in good to excellent condition and has responded well to early spring N applications. I have visited several fields across Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas and the wheat looks very healthy and is nearing the time for final topdress N applications.

If the weather cooperates, we could be in for some great yields in the region this year. The only concerns about the wheat crop seem to be in the northern states of the region where very cold December weather limited fall tillering and a tough winter resulted in the wheat in those states, particularly the Carolinas, not looking too good. Some growers are questioning whether the wheat should be abandoned for a spring crop. However, a recent article in the Southeast Farm Press suggests that growers should not be too quick to pull the plug on wheat. Wheat can take some pretty tough winter conditions and still make a decent crop, particularly if spring moisture becomes available. Even if the wheat yields are lower than expected, current pricing suggests that it might still be more profitable than a replacement crop. The article says that a “wait and see” attitude is not often the best approach in farming, but as far as the 2011 wheat crop is concerned, it just might be the way to go. One tendency of growers waiting to see what a crop does is to hold off on inputs and in the case of wheat, we are talking about the spring N that needs to be going out now. Choosing not to fertilize the crop will lower yield even more than low tiller densities have already. Prices are strong enough that topdress N requirements should be met in anticipation of keeping the crop. If the wheat turns out to be bad enough to destroy, little of the applied N would have been taken up anyway and most of it will be there for the replacement crop.

Another crop off to a good start in the Southeast is rice. Conditions in Louisiana have been perfect for planting and over 20% of the 2011 crop is in the ground, which is well over the 5-year average for this time in the year. Rice often gets a negative label for its environmental impact. However, when N fertilizer is used in drill-seeded, delayed-flood rice production according to best management practice recommendations, it is the one of the most efficient users of N of all agriculture row crops. Dr. Dustin Harrell at the LSU Rice Research Station has written an outstanding article on N management for rice. His article discusses N source, rate, application timing, and nutrient placement options for rice production in the South. Highlights from the article include:

To view Dr. Harrell’s full article, visit http://www.lsuagcenter.com/en/our_offices/research_stations/Rice/Features/Newsletters/2011-Rice-Research-Newsletters.htm

Make plans now to join us at InfoAg 2011. Topics for 2011 will include advancements in equipment and communications, a session on how various countries are implementing precision agriculture technologies, and a session called Precision Ag 101, a back-to-basics session for advisers and industry agronomists working with clientele just getting started in precision agriculture. InfoAg 2011 will be held in Springfield, IL, July 12-14. For more information, visit www.infoag.org. Early registration and lodging information are available and program and speaker information will be posted soon.

As we move into spring, there seems to be talk about nutrient budgets everywhere I turn.

Dairies in California are now required to keep track of all the N being added to fields and the amount of nutrients removed in the harvested crops. A recent study by the University of Idaho on P budgets compares P additions and removal on corn silage fields receiving animal manure. The Central Coast Regional Water Control Board in California is poised to require strict N accounting for users of commercial fertilizer. The California Nitrogen Assessment at the University of California, Davis, is soon completing a survey of all N use in the state that will account for all the inputs and outputs, including environmental losses. IPNI is continually updating our nation-wide inventory of agricultural nutrient usage (NuGIS). Our recently completed survey of soil fertility in North America confirmed that the K budgets in much of the continent are negative, where more is removed in harvested crops than is replaced back again in fertilizers and manures.

With all the interest in tracking the inputs and outputs of nutrients, this is a good time to consider how you are using nutrients in your operation. Are you considering how well they balance? There are times when it is desirable for nutrients not to totally balance, such as when building up the fertility level in previously deficient soils. However, a close look at nutrient balances can be a good place to examine nutrient use.

If your nutrient budget is tilted towards building the soil fertility, make sure there are no undesirable losses occurring. If the budgets are skewed towards mining nutrients from the soil, remember that nutrient depletion is not a good long-term strategy for sustainability.

It always helps to go through the checklist of the 4Rs. Are you using the right sources of nutrients at the right rate, at the right time, and in the right place? Begin with these four “Rights” and take a look at how closely nutrients balance on each field.