Livestock producers across Ohio and the Midwest were unable to apply manure this fall and early winter due to saturated field conditions. Most livestock farmers are really pressed for manure storage room. Waiting for frozen ground to apply manure is likely to be their only available option.
Farmers might have an opportunity to replace some commercial fertilizer on wheat and corn crops after an unusually wet fall and warm winter left livestock producers with an abundance of manure, says Glen Arnold, an Ohio State University Extension researcher....More
Graphs presented here show monthly fertilizer prices beginning in the fall prior to planting through spring and summer. From fall 2008 though summer 2011, prices generally decreased from fall through spring. This decreasing pattern exists primarily because of the dramatic price decreases occurring in 2008-2009. Comparing price patterns across all three years does not suggest a predictable pattern between fall and spring prices....More
Taking advantage of new and powerful corn hybrids requires getting the most out of yield-building nitrogen (N). And efficient phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and other soil-nutrient use keeps input costs in line....More
The hypoxia, or “dead zone,” in the Gulf of Mexico is one of those issues that seems to go on and off the radar of environmental activists. But farmers and government officials like Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey are continuing to work on the problem. Northey talked about those efforts following a presentation at annual Integrated Crop Management Conference at Iowa State University....More
Wind + water + air = nitrogen (N) fertilizer.
It’s a formula that could bring farmers a local, renewable supply of ammonia, more stable N prices and vast new markets for Midwest wind power – markets that would not depend on building costly new transmission lines....More
Eric Rund got oddball soil-test results a few years ago from a strip-till cornfield. Some of the nutrient levels were higher than the Pesotum, IL, farmer expected.
Now near the end of a four-year soil test variability study with University of IllinoisExtension Soil ScientistFabian Fernandez, Rund hopes they’re getting closer to answers from Rund's farm and others on how best to manage soil-test variability on band-applied fields....More
Manure and cover crops are a natural combination, but livestock farmers are often too busy in the fall with harvesting and manure application to worry about putting in a cover crop. Now, a new seeding technique makes it more practical for Midwest growers to reap the benefits of cover crops without an extra field pass. Slurry seeding combines liquid manure injection, low-disturbance tillage and cover-crop planting – all in one efficient operation....More
Ohio farmer Bill Bayliss thought some of his fields had a manganese deficiency, and did some tissue testing to find out for sure. Just over 600 miles away, Fredericksburg, IA, farmer Kyle Wendland has completely reengineered his fertility program based on six years of test results....More
It is almost time that anhydrous ammonia (NH3) applications could begin (remember 50° F and cooling 4-in. soil temperature). However, many soils in Iowa are quite dry this fall. So, can anhydrous ammonia be applied to dry soil? Will it be held in dry soil?...More
As the price of natural gas goes up, the cost of producing anhydrous ammonia rises as well, according to a recent report from the University of Illinois. “The two are related because natural gas is a major input into the production of anhydrous ammonia,” says Agricultural Economist Gary Schnitkey. “It is the major variable cost item in the production of anhydrous ammonia.”...More
