The Fertilizer-Cost-andAvailability Crisis Requires Farmers to Practice Precision Farming to Stay in Business
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BY NOEL GARCIA, CCA – Chief Operating Officer & Senior Consultant, TPS Lab
ince the onset of 2020, fertilizer prices have been exploding. But now, simply the availability in addition to evermore outrageous cost of fertilizer due to a variety of well-publicized reasons has become very seriously problematic. Presently, there seems to be no ceiling to cost escalation or foreseeable end to limitations on supplies. This means that every pound or gallon of fertilizer applied must be utilized by the crop to the greatest extent possible. About “Precision Farming”: This term has implied mechanical means of precise seed and fertilizer placement, variable-rate fertilizer applications based on grid soil sampling and near-infrared ærial surveys, metered applications of fertilizers through irrigation systems and GPS guidance of tractors and sprayers. But realistically, these approaches address only a modest part of achieving maximum crop performance with the most efficient use of money and resources. Whether or not precision mechanical means are used, here some of the most important considerations when attempting to get the most out of the least:
“Traditional” practices have got to go! Here are the biggest mistakes I’ve seen farmers make over and over again during my 30-plus years with TPS Lab: ● The major application of fertilizer being made at the start of the growing season, expecting it to suffice for the entire season. ● The wrong fertilizer for the soil type or crop. ● Not keeping up with the latest advances and discoveries in crop nutrition. ● Not using bio-stimulants to improve crop performance and its resistance to disease and insects. ● Ignoring existing soil nutrients which are plant-unavailable, especially in calcareous, high-pH soils. ● Ignoring irrigation and spray water quality. ● Ignoring soil health/life.
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● Not planning beyond this year’s crop using the “Regenerative Agriculture” approach. The key issues in efficient crop production are: ● Timing and placement of fertilizer applications. ● The correct fertilizer for your soil type, the crop and its stage of development. ● Acceptable irrigation and spray water quality. ● The use of biological inoculants and bio-stimulants, such as amino acids, growth hormones and other beneficial products that may not be essential for plant growth.
Timing and Placement of Fertilizer Applications Is Crucial – Many farmers apply the bulk of their fertilizers at the onset of the season. This is colossally wasteful, as plants develop their appetites and tastes with growth, much of the fertilizer has been dissipated by the time the plants start needing it the most. This is particularly true with N. Remember that crop nutritional needs change throughout the growing season, so applying the wrong fertilizer at the wrong time for your particular crop wastes much of your money. As to placement, with row crops, side-dressing can require much less fertilizer and starter “pop-up” fertilizer is astonishingly effective in getting crops off to fast vigorous starts. After emergence, the use of foliar sprays is the most efficient method of getting nutrients into plants.
About Foliar Sprays – In some areas of the country, particularly the Corn Belt, foliar sprays of plant-beneficial and nutritional agents are typically seldom used, as this area of the country has been historically known as having the highest-producing capacity of corn and soybeans per acre. Unfortunately, the Midwest’s rich soil nutrient pool is declining due to reduction of soil organic matter (soil carbon) much like the rest of the country. This leads to nutrient deficiencies, especially micronutrients, that limit plant genetic potential resulting in reduced yields and quality. As a result, increased