A frequent topic of discussion among farmers is whether or not to cut back on fertilizer usage, especially in the face of increasingly tight margins. However, hasty decision making could cause farmers to face higher fertilizer prices in the spring. Instead of relying on knee-jerk reactions, Champion Seed Agronomist Brandon Hulme said farmers should consider data in all circumstances.
In order to build soil fertility, Hulme said farmers need to add more than just the removal rate of fertilizer, which will optimize their yields next year.
As yields become higher every year, the amount of fertilizer that leaves the field during harvest increases as well. Hulme said leaving the stover in the field to be reabsorbed by the soil could provide more value than baling it up and selling or using it.
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