With so many variables in play, farmers are always asking their agronomic team questions about practices that will help them obtain optimal yields.
Agronomists and scientists at Beck’s routinely hear three general questions:
How can I improve nitrogen efficiency?
What planter attachments should I consider when upgrading or buying a new planter?
How do I make my spray pass more profitable?
During a summer field day at AgRevival in Gibbon, Minn., Jim Schwartz, Beck’s director of research, agronomy and the company’s Practical Farm Research program, and Jason Gahimer, Beck’s PFR manager, offered the following advice:
N efficiency. Simply put, timing and placement matter, Schwartz said, when it comes to split N applications, anhydrous placement and starter fertilizer rates.
Split applications of N help mitigate risk and make the crop more profitable, he said. Citing four-year multisite research data, 30 units UAN applied 2 by 2 and 160 units UAN sidedress at V3 showed an average increase of $72.36 per acre over the control of 190 units UAN preplant. At 95 units preplant plus 95 units sidedress at V4, corn averaged a $55.88-per-acre increase over the control.
Depth placement of anhydrous preplant is critical, according to Schwartz. Placing a band of ammonia (NH3) 8 inches or deeper, and seven-plus-days preplant is safer for seedlings and provides better yields.