Get The Most Out Of N

A recent article by Lee Hart posted on the AgCanada website explores different methods to enhance nitrogen efficiencies.

Pat Kunz, who farms 2,400 acres near Beiseker, Alberta had this to say about applying nitrogen where it’s needed “Our main interest… was to insure fields were left with residual nitrogen of 25 to 30 pounds per acre,” says Kunz. “If we had that residual then we could be fairly sure the crop had what it needed. But in soil testing, we found some areas of the field had zero nitrogen and other areas had 200 or 300 pounds. It was ridiculous.”

Working with agronomists at their local DynAgra farm service centre in Beiseker (www.dynagra.com) he set up a VRT system to better match nutrients to the productivity potential of the soil. “If you have a crappy area in a field, it is always going to be crappy,” says Kunz. “That doesn’t mean you can’t look at ways to improve the productivity of some areas over time, but throwing more fertilizer at it doesn’t work.”

Using a combination of tools that include yield maps, soil analysis and satellite imagery known as normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), the DynAgra agronomist can develop a fertilizer prescription for the various zones in each field. With a VRT system on the seed drill, the perscription varies nitrogen rates according to the productivity of the various zones in a field. It applies more in those areas where the soil has most yield potential, and less on the less productive sites.”

Read the article at http://www.agcanada.com/Article.aspx?ID=18008.