Farmers are being asked to do more with less, especially with fertilizer. With input costs remaining a concern and profit margins already stretched thin, producers are looking for every possible way to save money. But there is a limit to how much you can cut before those savings start affecting production. It’s like wringing out a dish rag. Eventually, you cannot squeeze another drop from it, yet you’re still expected to keep washing with a rag you cannot re-wet.
That is the challenge facing farmers as they balance fertilizer expenses with crop production. Dr. Chad Godsey, a soil scientist and chief agronomist with Green Evolution Technologies, says years of improving nutrient efficiency have left some producers with very little room to make additional reductions.
Godsey says nitrogen provides a good example of just how far farmers have already pushed those efficiencies. Some producers are targeting applications of seven-tenths to eight-tenths of a pound of nitrogen per bushel, compared with traditional textbook figures of 1.2 to 1.3 pounds. However, reducing those rates even further could begin to affect yields.
That creates a difficult balancing act for producers. Saving money on fertilizer does not necessarily improve the bottom line if the resulting yield losses outweigh those savings. Godsey believes the next improvements in nutrient efficiency may have to come from looking beyond conventional fertilizer practices.
Godsey says biological products and other emerging technologies are among the approaches being evaluated to help farmers make better use of available nutrients.
The challenge is no longer simply finding ways to apply less fertilizer. It is finding ways to make the nutrients farmers already purchase work harder without sacrificing yield. With agricultural margins remaining tight, that balance could become increasingly important as producers make decisions for the next growing season.
