reducing crop production costs: focus on fertility€¦ · 1. expect 1 ppm decrease in soil test...

January20,2017©2017PurdueCenterforCommercialAgriculture

ReducingCropProductionCosts:FocusonFertility

JimCamberato,ProfessorofAgronomy&SoilFertilitySpecialist

MichaelLangemeier,Professor&AssociateDirector

JamesMintert,Professor&Director


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EstimatedRevenueandCosts/Acreona50/50Corn/SoybeanFarmonAverageQualityIndianaLand

Cost/Acre Revenue


(VariableCost+FixedCost)÷ Yield=TotalCostperBu.

Reducecostby:1. Reducingvariablecostwithoutimpactingyield

2. Reducingfixedcost(lowersfixedcostperbushel)

3. Improvingyieldwithoutincreasingvariableorfixedcost


Top6CostCategoriesforCornandSoybeans$PerBushel, AverageProductivityIndiana Farmland

CostCategory RotationCorn RotationSoybeans

Land(Fixed) $1.14 $3.73

Machinery(Variable&Fixed) $0.80 $2.42

Seed(Variable) $0.71 $1.38

Fertilizer(Variable) $0.64 $0.77

Pesticides(Variable) $0.32 $0.90

Labor (Fixed) $0.24 $0.79

Sub-Total $3.85 $10.00

TotalCostperBushel $4.40 $10.88


MaximizeefficiencyofNapplication

1. ApplyasmuchofthetotalNin-seasonaspossible,preferablybetweengrowthstagesV3andV7

2. Ifusingpre-plantanhydrousammoniaaimfor10-14daysbeforeplantingandensurethedepthofapplicationis7-8inchesorprecisionplacebetweenwheretherowswillbe


MaximizeefficiencyofNapplication

3. InjectedbandsofUAN(28-32%)arelesspronetoNlossthanbroadcastUAN

4. Donotleaveureaorurea-containingNfertilizersonthesoilsurface

5. AdjusttherateofapplicationbasedoncostofNandanticipatedvalueofgrain


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Grainyield(bu/ac)

TotalappliedNfertilizer(lbs N/ac)

YieldresponsetoNisnotastraightline


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Optimumfertilizationrateoccurshere


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YieldresponsetoNstopsbeyondtheagronomicoptimumNrate

YieldusuallyplateausatsomeNrate


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Grainyield(bu/ac)

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Est.yld

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AONR=227lb N/aEONR=200lb N/a


OptimalNitrogenratesvarybyregionandpredominantsoiltypesinthoseregions


Nraterecommendations

https://www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/corn/news/timeless/NitrogenMgmt.pdf


https://www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/corn/news/timeless/NitrogenMgmt.pdf


UsetheCornNitrogenRateCalculator…http://cnrc.agron.iastate.edu


Phosphorusandpotassiumfertilization

•Build-up,maintain,drawdownphilosophyofPandKfertilizationbasedonsoiltestingwasbuiltaroundsoilfertilitystewardship,landownershiporlong-termrenting,minimizingriskofyieldloss


15 3040

SoiltestP(ppm)associatedwithlimitsforcornandsoybeans


Traditionalrecommendation

Lessthancropremoval



Cropremoval



Cropremoval+¼amt.tobuild-upsoiltocriticallevel


Traditionalrecommendation– 200bu/a

75

lb P2O5/a

125


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Likelihoodandmagnitudeofprofittofertilizerappliedinaseason


Alternativefertilizerrecommendation

~45lb P2O5/a

~90


Phosphorusdrawdownisslow

• Expect1ppmdecreaseinsoiltestper20lb P2O5removedinexcessofapplication

• Forexample:

• 200bu/acrecorngrownremoving75lb P2O5 peracre

• ExpecteddecreaseinsoiltestPisabout4ppm


75+2.5CEC +30 +50

Soil test K levels (ppm) associated with limits


Alternativefertilizerrecommendation

~50lb K2O/a

~100


PotassiumdrawdownisnotasslowasP

1. Expect1ppmdecreaseinsoiltestper6lb K2Oremovedinexcessofapplication

2. Forexample:

200bu/acrecorngrownremoving55lb K2Operacre

3. ExpecteddecreaseinsoiltestKisabout9ppm


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reducing crop production costs: focus on fertility€¦ · 1. expect 1 ppm decrease in soil test...

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