By Dan Crummett

This is part two of a two-part series. Read part one, The benefits of sidedress nitrogen applications on corn.

Ohio farmers Gary Siebert and Mark Houts were introduced to split fertilizer applications in the 1980s by crop consultant Tom Menke of Greenville, Ohio. In the 38 years Menke has been operating Menke Consulting Inc., he says he's looked at "over 2 million acres of soil samples in west-central Ohio and east-central Indiana" and is convinced that fall-applied nitrogen for corn is not a good practice in his part of the Corn Belt.

Related: Water quality on the farm: Staying ahead of the regulatory curve

"We like to put at least two-thirds of the N on as late as possible to be sure it's there when the corn really needs it up through tasseling," says Ohio crop consultant Tom Menke.

"First, because of leaching and volatilization within the soil, much of fall-applied nitrogen is lost into the environment by the time the corn plant needs it the following summer," he says. "This causes problems in some areas with high nitrate levels in streams and surface water, and that is fueling calls for more regulation on farmers and their practices.

For fertilizer prices, news and information, check out the Farm Futures Weekly Fertilizer Review.

"And, of course, there's the sheer economics of wasting fertilizer you've paid for by allowing it to leach into the tile and run into the creek. It's just expensive and wasteful."

Sidedressing makes economic sense
Menke says sidedressing makes economic sense because corn doesn't need a lot of N at planting – only residual from manure applications or a starter solution.

~~~PAGE_BREAK_HERE~~~

"We like to put at least two-thirds of the N on as late as possible to be sure it's there when the corn really needs it up through tasseling. When it's time to sidedress, you can make decisions based on the price of fertilizer and the crop's potential that year. It's a critical time to evaluate many things because you know the market better, as well as yield potential, and it keeps you from being locked into a single application made six months previously – that may or may not be there when you need it most."

From the corn hybrid you select to the seeding rate and row width you choose, every decision you make influences the size and scope for corn yields. Download our FREE report: Maximizing Your Corn Yield.

Houts and Seibert say they sample fields right after corn planting to determine available N and usually have their results back when the corn is 6 to 8 inches tall. Then, working with Menke they determine a target sidedressing rate to account for yield goals based on the price of fertilizer. At sidedressing time, they take into account expected rainfall, growing conditions and crop price expectations, and then adjust the target rate accordingly.

Both men farm on 30-inch rows and run their 28% liquid UAN side-dress application down the middles. "That makes it simple and gives us some leeway for error," Siebert says.

Houts agrees, noting twin-row and narrow-row corn management makes the N sidedressing process a bit trickier. Still, for those moving to narrower-rows, other variable-rate technologies for nitrogen application are available.

Both farmers have been fertilizing for a 200-bushel corn yield goal, and with the nearly optimum conditions they experienced in 2014, both broke that goal by a long shot.

"After I hit 220 to 230 on some of the better farms, I'm probably going to raise my goals, particularly on the better ground," Houts concludes.

Crummett writes from Oklahoma.