How do we keep nitrogen fertilizer in the soil until it is needed? An old question with some new answers. Suggestions and products from Koch Agronomic Services.
AUDIO: Michael Berry, Koch Agronomic Services
AUDIO: Profit Matters 12-11-19
Ken Root: Michael Berry, with Koch Agronomic Services, spoke to me about the difficulty of keeping nitrogen where it could be used by the plants this year.
Let’s talk about nitrogen. Everybody’s going to be using it to bring the next year on. We had plenty of loss with the year we’ve had and we need to replenish.
Nitrogen efficiency. Is that the key?
Michael Berry: Absolutely; it is. A year like this where we’ve gone through and seen significant losses in yield impact that that can have. It drives home the point for us as farmers as how important that nutrient is and how susceptible it can be to loss during certain conditions.
Ken Root: Are the products such that they’re easy to handle, easy to apply? Do they add much cost?
Michael Berry: Great question. Our portfolio is focused around nutrients, nitrogen efficiency, regardless of what source you’re applying. Solutions for urea, UAN and anhydrous ammonia. For this fall season, as hopefully more ammonia is going out this year versus last year, our solution for that treatment is CENTURO nitrogen stabilizer. (It?s) an easy to handle product, low freeze point, non-corrosive low odor, and the agronomic is, there’s a table stakes. That’s the base level expectation of a grower – For Koch to bring a product to the marketplace they’re going to trust our science back to information and data, and have that peace of mind. They know that the performance is gonna be there. The handling characteristics kind of put this product, CENTURO, over the top.
Ken Root: Do you have anything for people who want to have spoon feeding, if you will, of nitrogen? Most of them want a quick release of that, which is just the opposite of what we’re trying to do with the other.
Michael Berry: As you think about that split application process, it’s thinking about whenever you’re putting that fertilizer down, whichever source you’re using. What are the environmental and risk factors for loss that you need to think through? If you’re applying Urea, that’s a good example. A lot of that volatilization that can happen, that loss of urea, can happen within the first 72 hours of application. So even if you’re wanting that quick release with a side dress application, it’s important to protect it for that short window whenever it can be most susceptible to loss.
Ken Root: You guys reach all of our part of the world, don’t you? You’re just a short distance away from every Iowa farmer.
Michael Berry: That’s absolutely right. Our products are widely distributed, and our team in Iowa is strong and willing to come out and have conversations and help educate on where the right agronomic fit is for our portfolio.
