Tips to Get a Jump on Spring Fieldwork

Below are timely reminders from University of Minnesota Soil Scientist Dan Kaiser to get a head start on spring fieldwork:

1. Chop up corn residue and put row cleaners on your planter. An N application will not help with decomposition.

2. Wet soil will not capture early applied anhydrous ammonia. Surface-applied urea without shallow incorporation can lead to N loss.

3. Avoid direct application of urea ammonium nitrate to crop residue, to lessen the risk it's tied up by microbes in decomposing the residue.