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20 Crops www.FarmProgress.com ● November 2010 Wallaces Farmer Fertilizer N prices move higher By ROD SWOBODA I N early October, a fertilizer dealer in central Iowa was offering farmers the opportunity to contract for anhydrous ammonia for $775 a ton. But you had to pay by Oct. 24. Was the $775 offer a good deal? Nitrogen fertilizer prices have risen significantly this fall. The price of anhydrous ammonia has increased more than 50% since midsummer. “You need to weigh the advantages of applying anhydrous in the fall and the risk of possibly higher prices in the spring,” says Steve Johnson, Iowa State University Extension farm management specialist. “Consider also the risk of any planting delays that might occur because of spring nitrogen application.” Many prefer to apply anhydrous ammonia in the fall due to spring’s time con- straints and compaction concerns. With harvest wrapping up early, more farmers are applying anhydrous this fall. Johnson offers two thoughts on this decision. First, an increase in anhydrous from $500 per ton this past summer to $775 per ton this fall is an extra $31 per acre. The price for 2011 corn has gone up more than $1.50 per bushel since midsummer. If you average 180 bushels of corn per acre in 2011, that’s an increase of $270 per acre. Corn and fertilizer prices move in the same direction. By spring, if December 2011 corn futures are more than $5 per bushel, Johnson would expect anhydrous prices to be even higher than those witnessed this fall. Second, take a look at the new Natural Resources Conservation Service website at nfat.sc.egov.usda.gov, which explains various nitrogen application methods and timing. A key question is: How much fall anhydrous ends up being lost? Weigh the risk of loss There is no solid answer, says John Sawyer, Iowa State University Extension soil fertility specialist. It depends on fall soil temperatures, spring rainfall, spring temperatures and field drainage. With little rainfall and slow conversion of nitrogen from the ammonium form to the nitrate form in the soil, little nitrogen loss will occur. But with fast conversion, high rainfall and well-drained soils, N losses could be high. To help reduce the risk of loss of fallapplied N, you need to wait until soil temperatures are cold enough before applying. State soil and water conservation officials and ISU Extension specialists have been reminding farmers of that caution this fall. The rule of thumb is anhydrous should not be applied before daily soil temperatures at the 4-inch depth drop below 50 degrees F and continue trending lower. Historically, soil temperatures cool below 50 degrees F in the northern third of the state during the first week of November. In central and southern Iowa, soil temperatures cool below 50 degrees during the second and third weeks of November. Visit extension.agron.iastate. edu/NPKnowledge to view daily and previous day and the three-day history of average soil temperatures in every county in Iowa. Also, follow long-term forecasts. Don’t go until 50 or below At AgriGold, we select hybrids from an extensive germplasm pool and the world’s fourth largest breeding program. This produces one of the most diverse genetic bases for corn hybrids in the business. COMBINE OUR GENETICS WITH OUR AGRONOMIC KNOWLEDGE— genetic diversity, planting populations, nitrogen timing—and you’re looking at GIANT results. • EXCEPTIONAL, DIVERSE GENETIC BASE • SUPERIOR AGRONOMIC KNOWLEDGE • PROVEN RESULTS This is why IN THE LAND OF GIANTS AGRIGOLD STANDS OUT. GENETICS. AGRONOMICS. RESULTS. www.agrigold.com AgriGold® and design are registered trademarks of Vilmorin USA Corp. The Corn Specialist is a registered trademark of AgReliant Genetics, LLC. Always follow grain marketing and IRM requirements and pesticide label directions. B.t. products may not yet be registered in all states. Check with your seed representative for the registration status in your state. Genuity™, Genuity and Design™, Genuity Icons, SmartStax™, and SmartStax and Design™ are trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC. Growers should refer to Monsanto’s Technology Use Guide for information on crop stewardship regarding the potential movement of pollen to neighboring crops. Know Before You Grow® is a registered service mark of National Corn Growers Association. For more information call 1-866-SELL CORN. OFFERING NEWEST TECHNOLOGIES: “By waiting for cold soil temperatures, the applied ammonia will have a better chance to be retained in the soil and benefit the corn crop next spring,” says Barb Stewart, state agronomist with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in Iowa. “Cooler soil temperatures slow biological activity, which slows conversion of ammonium to nitrate, allowing the N to stay in the ammonium form longer. The nitrate form is mobile and is more prone to loss, while the ammonium form of N is more stable in the soil.” Heavy rain during the growing season caused many yellow cornfields this summer due to nitrogen loss. Stewart says applying anhydrous ammonia prior to soils dropping below 50 degrees could produce similar results next year. “With high anhydrous prices this fall, farmers should consider a spring application or split spring/sidedress application to make the best use of the nutrients,” she says. ISU research indicates lower yields can result when anhydrous is applied in the fall vs. spring, depending on losses. Also, crop residue cover can be reduced by the tillage action of anhydrous application, increasing risk of soil erosion. “Anhydrous knives can do more tillage and bury more crop residue than you may realize,” says Stewart.