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SW MN and Gold Canyon AZ | from my yrs and yrs experience of banding, there is no free lunch, if you take it off you need to replace it. maybe won't show up right away but down the road it will, believe me. I'm having a hard time keeping values up on the highest producing areas of the field (grid samples) with manure applications.
I don't know what your situation is with your landlord but maybe somehting put in your lease with soil fertility would be more benefical. Alot of farmers do that with lime applications.That way with these high corn prices you can go for top yields and still protect yourself. Depending on initial fertilizer values banding will allow you to skimp a few yrs but do you really want to do that with 7$ corn??If corn was 2 bucks it changes things. it doesn't take many bushels to pay for an extra 50$ of fertilizer, and if you don't use it all its still there kind of like a savings account. With these high prices many farmers need tax deductions anyway, just as well keep the fertility up then give it to uncle sam especially if you own the land, thats a no brainer.
You might consider grid sampling that way only the areas of the field that really need fertility get it. VRT has not really changed my total P and K needs per bu it just changed WHERE I needed it in the field. Those areas of the field that are lighter soil typs very rarely need P and K because one never pulls a big crop off them. if your banding thru those areas with the same rate as the rest of the field you are applying to much there.
Edited by Mlebrun 8/14/2011 08:59
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Any negatives to banding P&K?
