Viewing a thread - No Fertilizer

Forums | Classifieds (149) | Skins | Language

You are logged in as a guest. ( logon | register )

No Fertilizer	View previous thread :: View next thread
Forums List -> Crop Talk	Message format

dg25

Posted 12/23/2015 11:57 (#4981330)
Subject: No Fertilizer

Northwest IL

Some guys you talk to haven't put on any dry yet. I am in the same boat. Depending on price of both corn, beans and fertilizer, might skip a year. What is yield loss for skipping a year of map and potash?

951

Posted 12/23/2015 12:05 (#4981349 - in reply to #4981330)
Subject: RE: No Fertilizer

If it's owned ground at least put a dab on.

Prices have come down enough I actually going to put more K on and run a touch more P too. Last year (2015) was when I cut back. Bare bones corn and didn't even get beans spread because of rain.

If it's short term rented and if your location is NWIL, probably wouldn't see much effect for one year. So if you really need to, skip it.

Dmpaul89

Posted 12/23/2015 12:12 (#4981360 - in reply to #4981349)
Subject: RE: No Fertilizer

Sw. Ill

What if prices are worse next year? Then youll really take a hit

951

Posted 12/23/2015 12:16 (#4981368 - in reply to #4981360)
Subject: RE: No Fertilizer

Dmpaul89 - 12/23/2015 12:12

What if prices are worse next year? Then youll really take a hit

you talking fert of corn/soybean prices?

sed

Posted 12/23/2015 12:20 (#4981377 - in reply to #4981360)
Subject: RE: No Fertilizer

southwest illinois

If fertilizer is cheaper, you made money

Also, U of I should be updating nutrient removal rates, based on samples took this year

My guess is they will be under scrutiny to refine the numbers downward, because original numbers were padded higher to make sure farmers wouldn't underapply

I would imagine joel gruver has better insights to this

sed

Posted 12/23/2015 12:15 (#4981366 - in reply to #4981330)
Subject: RE: No Fertilizer

southwest illinois

IMO too many variables to give definite answer

I have omiited P and K on farms that are getting urban developed following year (ie I would be wasting lime,p,k)

Biggest variables is weather, rotation, previous years yield followed lastly by soil test levels

I have put on reduced rates prior to urban development and felt like I got a response, but also skipped fertilizer in same scenario and didn't feel like I had any loss

Just too many variables to make any kind of recommendation in your back yard

Lookingglass

Posted 12/23/2015 18:02 (#4982042 - in reply to #4981366)
Subject: RE: No Fertilizer

Southwest Illinois

sed - 12/23/2015 11:15

I have omiited P and K on farms that are getting urban developed following year (ie I would be wasting lime,p,k)

So are you losing a significant portion of your acres to urban sprawl in the next year? Even the most robust urban growth in the metro east is consuming minimal acres compared to 10-20 years ago.

sed

Posted 12/23/2015 18:25 (#4982139 - in reply to #4982042)
Subject: RE: No Fertilizer

southwest illinois

This is 10 years back reference time frame..........but it is starting to pick back up

Lookingglass

Posted 12/23/2015 18:32 (#4982166 - in reply to #4982139)
Subject: RE: No Fertilizer

Southwest Illinois

sed - 12/23/2015 17:25

This is 10 years back reference time frame..........but it is starting to pick back up

I would agree but most of what I see is filling in of existing developments. A few new developments on very small scale but still a drop in the bucket compared to the late 90's early 00's.

jd43

Posted 12/23/2015 12:52 (#4981438 - in reply to #4981330)
Subject: RE: No Fertilizer

Northeastern Pa.

I would regret not putting on fertilizer but have never regretted putting it on. Soil tests are your best tool in this situation. To me this is the year to fertilize where needed with the lower fertilizer prices . Choosing the right seed hybrid is my biggest challenge. Only you know what your budget can do. Good luck .

RealFarmer

Posted 12/23/2015 13:05 (#4981462 - in reply to #4981330)
Subject: RE: No Fertilizer

No yield loss if your p and k levels are in the m-vh range. Don't skimp on the n.

GrainTrader

Posted 12/23/2015 13:38 (#4981529 - in reply to #4981462)
Subject: RE: No Fertilizer

20 Miles West of Indianapolis Indiana

+1

Soil testing and knowing levels becomes important in these leaner times.

thunderhut

Posted 12/23/2015 13:24 (#4981503 - in reply to #4981330)
Subject: RE: No Fertilizer

I skipped this year ahead of beans, best yield I have ever had. That said we had a larger fertilizer bill this fall trying to catch up. Our land was at good levels. Was told by a neighbor that you can cheat on fertilizer but never cheat on lime.

AGB

Posted 12/23/2015 13:27 (#4981512 - in reply to #4981330)
Subject: RE: No Fertilizer

Mid-Michigan

Its very hard to fertilize when you aren't going to make anything but I'd at least put on removal rates. On my home farm the old guy kept planting until it wouldn't grow anything then he put it in crp for 15 yrs. Then I bought it. Things were all screwed up. They were easily fixable with a lot of $$$ except for P. If you let you P get out of whack you will really have a difficult time getting things back.

KRM

Posted 12/23/2015 13:36 (#4981524 - in reply to #4981330)
Subject: RE: No Fertilizer

NC Kansas

We could never get away with skipping a year, especially N and you better not skip starter P on wheat... but we are in different worlds as far as soils go and yield potential... most guys are shooting for 120-150 bu corn here. If everything is perfect there have been 100 acre size fields touch 180 here but that is RARE. 150# of N is the most guys put on here with a few exceptions... this year they may cut back to 120 but we are getting good moisture this time of year, and our spring subsoil profile will be better than it's been in years so that may push the N usage higher if the weather forecast looks favorable.

No soil disturbance

Posted 12/23/2015 13:38 (#4981528 - in reply to #4981330)
Subject: RE: No Fertilizer

As others have said above, I have put hours into researching response to N, P, and K on our farm. My favorite method is to use SMS and take yield maps divided by Application maps and see what the average bushel per # or gallon yielded is. Obviously the law of diminishing returns comes into play eventually but typically variable rating P has led to higher application rates resulting in much lower bushel per # results.

I have found crops if Phosphorous levels are even remotely high has very little response to P. Obviously, if P levels are low and/or you get a perfect growing condition year you will probably regret skipping P. Often times I see a visualy difference in the check strips where little or no P is applied but rarely translates to yield.

Nitrogen, however is a different animal. Can see a very substantial response to Nitrogen in my opinion. The same formulas that I apply to Phosphorous levels I apply to Nitrogen and whereas P yields per # decrease as application rates increase. Yields per gallon of liquid Nitrogen stays constant or increases per gallon applied indicating that the nitrogen did translate to yield.

It's far from a perfect scientific study, but good enough to me to think the Nitrogen has much higher response than Phosphorous. I should add however, most of our fields have average Phos levels >25ppm, have very few fields with P <20ppm.

cbellfarms

Posted 12/23/2015 13:40 (#4981533 - in reply to #4981330)
Subject: RE: No Fertilizer

NW IL, Mercer County

If your soil tests are good I wouldnt hesitate to take a year off if thats what you need to do. I have been putting quite a bit on the last 6 years and my soil tests are starting to show it. I could afford to cut back quite a bit on most fields.

GrainTrader

Posted 12/23/2015 14:48 (#4981656 - in reply to #4981533)
Subject: RE: No Fertilizer

20 Miles West of Indianapolis Indiana

have u started to work on any of the more accessable micros after getting macros in better shape or onto the path of better shape?

alnciowa

Posted 12/23/2015 14:48 (#4981658 - in reply to #4981330)
Subject: RE: No Fertilizer

nw/nc iowa on the banks of West Buttrick Creek..

If I owned the farm and had high levels of p and k, it would not hurt to skip a year. If the landlord is playing the game for the highest cash rent, you probably won't have it in '17 anyhow, go ahead and rape the farm, I had a landlord that allowed N only and we went 6 years before the bottom fell out.

GrainTrader

Posted 12/23/2015 14:50 (#4981663 - in reply to #4981658)
Subject: RE: No Fertilizer

20 Miles West of Indianapolis Indiana

never heard of N only from a Land Lord. what was his reasoning?

Blusteryknollfarm

Posted 12/23/2015 18:06 (#4982058 - in reply to #4981663)
Subject: RE: No Fertilizer

North Central Illinois

Sounds to me like the lease did not require maintaining fertility.

behog

Posted 12/23/2015 15:19 (#4981713 - in reply to #4981330)
Subject: RE: No Fertilizer

frederick, MD

Very common here to not put p or k on. Works fine for awhile. Next guy that gets the ground has a big hill to climb

hinfarm

Posted 12/23/2015 16:15 (#4981817 - in reply to #4981330)
Subject: RE: No Fertilizer

Amherst WI

Depends on soil samples but since fertilizer is stupid cheap compared to where it's been I'd at least apply removal rates.

Doing nothing is like never changing the oil in your tractor, it will "save money" for a while...

Midsize farmer

Posted 12/23/2015 16:19 (#4981829 - in reply to #4981330)
Subject: RE: No Fertilizer

north central il

Wife and a I bought a farm 7 years ago. It had no fertilizer put on it for over thirty years. The previous farmer just farmed it thinking, that the landlord was to pass away as she was in nursing home for almost two decades. The soils tests were low on ph but the p and k were in the mid range. This farm is a big producer with high cecs. Skipping a year or two is not going to hurt a darn thing, especially in our area. It took 20000 years of glacial till and Prairie grass to build these great soils. They don't just run out of fertility in a couple of seasons.

Keith Mudd

Posted 12/23/2015 22:13 (#4982956 - in reply to #4981330)
Subject: Nobody mentioned

Monroe City, MO

Remember a neighbor who only fertilized P and K every forth or fifth year. Not a problem as long as you put on enough to last.

Most farmers don't know the difference between what we spread (0-0-60 or 18-46-0) and what we test for.

Each pound of potash on your soil test is equal to 4 pounds of what we spread. So, a 300 pound (150 ppm) soil test is the same as 1200 pound of actual K or another way to view it is a 150ppm soil test has one ton of Potash in the soil. Likewise it takes 100 pounds of 0-0-60 to raise your soil test 15 pounds or 7.5ppm.

Same with Phosphorus, each pound on your soil test equals between 10 and 14 pound of what we spread. A 45 pound (23ppm) test is at least 450 actual pounds of what we spread or 1000 pounds of material like 18-46-0. That means it takes 100 pounds of DAP to raise your P test 4 or 5 pounds.

abordone

Posted 12/24/2015 02:13 (#4983169 - in reply to #4982956)
Subject: RE: Nobody mentioned

SW Indiana

Search this forum
Printer friendly version
E-mail a link to this thread

(Delete cookies)