5-31 IAN Importance of Fertilizer

 We know that now spring is here growers are preparing their fields. Fertilizer prices may have recently dropped a bit – but other input costs are still high for farmers and they may be looking for ways to cut back on operating expenses. According to Mosaic Agronomist Dr. Dan Froehlich - it's risky to make cuts to fertilizer programs. “The way they really need to look at this is like a checking or savings account. If your balance is high, you can draw from it without too many problems, but you have to realize that you will be drawing down that balance and at some point you’re going to need to replenish that. The big question is will it cost more to replenish it, build those levels back up in the future than it will cost now.”

 You almost have to become a soil chemist. Froehlich points out that fertilizer helps boost yields - and losses can occur when nutrient levels drop. So optimizing fertilizer efficiency is the best way to reduce costs and part of that is keeping balanced soil fertility. (Froehlich) “If you don’t have enough phosphorous in the soil, or in the fertilizer application itself, you can have a couple of negative effects. The lack of phosphorous can reduce the crops ability to take up nitrogen efficiently, probably more important the applied nitrogen will be converted to a nitrate form in the soil, and then it’s subject to leaching. The story’s kind of the same with potassium fertilizer, potassium has an impact on the nitrogen uptake efficiency as well.”