We’re coming off of a record-setting, high-yielding crop year; in some areas of the country, this marks the third highly productive year in a row. As we focus on soil fertility fundamentals, higher yields equate to higher nutrient removal. Harvesting a crop removes nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and other macro and micronutrients from the field, which require replenishment to maintain soil productivity for subsequent cropping seasons.

One way to shift your focus toward fertilizer fundamentals is by creating a crop nutrition plan for your operation. A major component of that includes soil testing. A soil test provides a starting point for your field that becomes the baseline for developing a well-thought-out plan.

When you have more recent soil test data, build a plan that gives your crop the best chance to succeed. Mosaic premium products enable the retailer and grower to build a proper crop nutrition plan starting off with a foundational granular fertilizer that ensures the nutrient will be available when the crop needs it. Nutrient sources like MicroEssentials^®, Aspire^® or K-Mag^®, are great tools to use when building your crop nutrition plan. Working with a crop advisor or your retailer can help you explore ways to supplement these products depending on your soil nutrient needs.

After a soil test is complete, a crop nutrition plan is in place, and a yield goal is established for the crop year, take a deeper dive into the fundamental fertilizer products. It’s important to keep in mind that when crop margins are tight, only investing in N and reducing P and K isn’t the most effective way to achieve your goals and have a successful year. Choosing to reduce your P and K rates or not applying any this year can prevent crops from reaching their most profitable yield level. Growers should be applying P and K to help balance their crop nutrition, and it’s important to note that it’s not all about utilizing just one nutrient to achieve the best results.

After setting your crop nutrition plan into play, remember to continue to monitor crop growth and development on every acre, every field and every year. Evaluating your field throughout the year is a good way to learn more about your soil’s fertility levels and often will help solve nutrient deficiency concerns. You can monitor the nutrient status of your crop by tissue testing.

Proactive tissue testing may allow those needs to be addressed in-season, or at the very least, will prove valuable as you review your crop nutrition plan for upcoming growing seasons. Using the crop to tell you if it is deficient of nutrients is a great way to evaluate the effectiveness of your crop nutrition plan. View a crop nutrition plan as a living document which should be reviewed annually based on in-season tissue test, soil test, and yield information to maximize return on fertilizer investments.

For more information about the fundamentals of fertility, visit CropNutrition.com.

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