|
SW Iowa | So I have brainstormed how strip-till, dry spread, planter applied, and other methods of applying fertility could fit in my operation. This decision is very dependent upon location and operation, for sure. So the attached picture is a decent representation of most of my fields located in SW Iowa. As for the operation, I am very young and get across acres by myself. Money, I may be short on, but time, I still have some as of now.
So currently, I have the coop spread P&K, and I knife NH3 in the fall. My main question is for those who have made changes and found a practice they use for fertility in similar circumstances. What would you recommend going to (or staying with) to improve fertility and margin on fertility? I think strip till would be great, but due to the field size and equipment owned, I don't think I would be able to adequately take advantage of the costly investment. Spreading has seemed to work as my soil test and yields have shown, and I thought of possibly just buying a pull-type spreader capable of VRT and trucking my own P&K by hopper bottom. This seems possibly the lowest cost of investment, but may not be adding anything agronomically that's not already being done. The planter applied just seems costly and such a hassle at that time of year. If my soils were more sandy and erodible, I definitely think the return would be worth it.
 (Screenshot 2025-11-03 070209 (full).jpg)
Attachments
----------------
 Screenshot 2025-11-03 070209 (full).jpg (108KB - 20 downloads)
| |
|
Fertility Fun
