Rethink Fertilizer Use: Read These 5 Stories

As nutrient prices climb to alarming levels, Jon Stevens’ decade-long series of input trials is paying dividends in 2022. The Minnesota grower adheres to a simple formula: The only data worth keeping is found on-farm.

Urea can be used to replace part of your spring nitrogen needs, but be aware of the risks before you decide to move forward. The same is true for a mono-crop, especially if you choose continuous corn. Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie addresses some questions farmers are asking.

Farmers have long focused on banding starter fertilizer 2x2 at planting — 2" over and 2" below the seed. While the process works, Farm Journal Field Agronomist Missy Bauer says delivering nutrition to a plant’s roots sooner might be worth the effort.

For years, Brian Scott tried to grow corn and soybeans on a rented farm that featured nine acres of sandy soils fit for a Florida beach. In 2017, he bought the farm, and in 2021, he seeded the sandy patch to a prescribed pollinator mix and enrolled it in CRP. “We figure by the third year, we’ll make a little money,” he says. “If nothing else, we're reducing fertilizer, energy and pesticide costs.”