Farmers are feeling the pinch of fertilizer prices, especially with high phosphorus costs. AGVISE Soil scientist John Breker says farmers are asking how much they can cut back on their phosphorus use without hurting yields. After a soil test, Breker advises focusing cuts on fields with high phosphorus levels while maintaining applications on low-testing fields. “In some fields, they might not be able to budge on it, but if they have some fields that have high or very high P levels, those are the ones where they can maybe get away with just a starter application”, said Breker. “It’s also important to know what your nitrogen levels are from last fall. Some of the later crops, like corn, there’s actually quite a bit more nitrogen after corn than people were expecting.” AGVISE is sharing the latest soil fertility research at seminars in Minnesota, South Dakota, and North Dakota this month. While registration is closed, more information is available at Agvise.com.
