ROCHESTER, Ind. — Farmers in northern Indiana are weighing Purdue University’s new recommendations for using nitrogen.<br>
The nitrogen rule of thumb – which for corn following soybeans, was one pound of nitrogen per bushel of corn – is no longer the standard. Now, with the cost of nitrogen ranging from 43-60 cents per pound, the bottom line is that nitrogen is expensive and its price continues to increase, said Bob Nielsen, Purdue extension agronomist and corn management specialist.<br>
In the last year or so, nitrogen fertilizer has become one of the most costly variable input costs for corn production, which is much of the reason behind the nitrogen work Purdue has done in the past few years. This comes as no surprise to Tom Weaver, who farms 1,200 acres in Fulton County.<br>
“In 2005, I paid $110 for nitrogen,” he said. “By 2006, the price had gone to $160. Last year, it was $260. I bought my supply for 2008 then, wondering if I’d done the right thing.”<br>
As it turns out, he definitely bought right. Phil Runkle of North Central Co-op (NCC) at Burket said nitrogen this year will sell for close to $400 per ton, while Frick Services, Inc. of Leiters Ford quoted $742 per ton. Weaver was quick to point out that the Frick price was based on anhydrous while the NCC quote was on 28 percent nitrogen.<br>
“If you consider the difference,” he said, “the Frick price breaks out at 46 cents per unit while NCC’s is 72 cents.”<br>
Runkle said all commodity prices are strong and as a result, all plant food is substantially higher than a year ago.<br>
Some area farmers are applying less nitrogen to bring the cost ratio into perspective. Others, including Weaver, have begun applying manure. “They talk about corn prices doubling,” he said. “Well, nitrogen costs have tripled.”<br>
He can get free hog manure from a nearby farm where the fields tested too high in phosphate, but will have to hire a 7,000-gallon tanker to apply it. The application will cost between 1-1.5 cents per gallon. “If we do it in the winter, the neighbors don’t smell the odor,” he said.<br>
In talking with other Fulton County farmers, including friends Alan Gohn and Ron Clauson, Weaver found they also used manure. “It makes a difference,” they said.<br>
They also agreed it is important to take pre-side-dress nitrogen tests. “That way, you can tell if the food value of nitrogen outweighs its cost,” Weaver said. “The way things stand now, I’m going to shoot for one pound or less per bushel. There’s no prescription that fits all.”<br>
He applies some nitrogen when he plants, some when he sprays with chemicals and some after the crop is up and growing.
“By spoon-feeding three times, we can use less nitrogen because, hopefully, we’re not losing as much by putting it out there early. If it’s too early, it tends to wash away or evaporate,” Weaver said.
He’s already forward-contracted grain prices into 2010, but he said, “I can’t lock in nitrogen prices.”<br>
In nitrogen rate trials conducted by Nielsen and Jim Camberato, Purdue extension soil fertility specialist, they found the rate needed for maximum yield for corn following soybean rotation is about 173 pounds of nitrogen per acre.<br>
Nielson qualified that by saying, “If nitrogen costs 60 cents per pound and the grain price for corn is $4, then the economic optimum rate drops to only 147 pounds of nitrogen per acre. For corn following corn, optimum nitrogen rates are about 30 pounds more.<br>
“If growers think they’ve had a lot of nitrogen loss prior to the time of side-dressing, they may want to bump the nitrogen rates up to 20-30 pounds to account for the nitrogen they’ve lost,” he said. “In a drier year where we expect less nitrogen loss from the soil, growers actually may be able to back those midpoint recommendations by 20-30 pounds.”<br>
Using the midpoint numbers, Purdue estimates the new nitrogen rate recommendations would increase the dollar return from nitrogen fertilizer by about $5 per acre for corn following soybeans, or corn following corn with nitrogen fertilizer priced at 60 cents per pounds. For a 1,000-acre farm, that would mean a savings of at least $5,000.<br>
Growers interested in conducting their own nitrogen rate comparisons can contact Nielsen at 765-494-4802 or rnielsen@purdue.edu or Camberato at 765-496-9338 or jcambera@purdue.edu