 Reducing Costs: Part 1 of 2

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By Dairyland Seed Agronomy Team

As harvest keeps moving along, some producers are firming up plans for next year’s cropping season. Many producers are contemplating what plan to follow considering higher input prices, in particular fuel and crop nutrients. This article is the first part of a two-part series looking at potential opportunities to help manage costs and/or increase return-on-investment. Every farm/ranching operation is different and not always will one thing be the best option for your business. However, the options listed below provide potential ideas on where to start.

Soil Testing: If you have not had a soil test done on a field for quite some time (I normally recommend having this done every 4-5 years intervals), I would suggest you do so. By knowing what your soil test levels are it indicates where you can cut and/or where you should not.
Grid or Zone Sampling: A standard soil sample is a nice tool to view soil test levels. However, a grid or zone sampling soil test shrinks the area that you will be testing from just 2 or 4 samples on a 40 acre field to 8 or more. The more correct information you have, the better able you are able to manage your fertility levels. Grid or Zone sampling shows you which acres or portions of a field need nutrients or lime, and which ones do not, allowing you more flexibility on what to apply, when, and where.
Soil pH: Managing soil pH offers one of the best returns-on-investment in a farming operation. If your pH is low (6.3 or lower) nutrients are not readily available to the plant compared to if your soil pH is 6.5 to 7.0. By actively managing your soil pH, you increase the availability and efficiency of crop nutrients in the soil. This is especially true for nitrogen management where a low pH soil needs more N to obtain the same yield. If tasked with managing input costs on owned or long term leased acres, it makes more sense to make nutrients more available versus applying more nutrients that may not be readily available.
Utilizing Manure: If we have fields or farms that traditionally have had manure applied to them, take a look at putting manure on different or “new” farms. Applying manure on different acres or spreading lesser amounts on more acres can provide a great tool to reduce the amount of purchases of crop nutrients. Conversely, if you have high fertility levels and do not need the manure, this would be a wonderful time to sell some of it. Manure is a great source of crop nutrients but also provides biological activity that many soils could benefit from.
Soil Nitrate Testing: In many areas of the Dairyland Seed footprint we have been warm and dry. Normally, when we have warm temperatures, our soils warm up and organic matter starts to release (mineralization) more nitrogen into the soil. Until plants take up this nitrogen or it is immobilized by soil organism, this nitrogen is free to be used. By doing a soil nitrate test this fall, and again next spring, you would have an idea of what is available in the soil as nitrate, and you could potentially reduce the amount of nitrogen applied. As a general statement, if we stay cool and dry until next spring, most of the nitrogen should be there. Conversely, if we start getting warmer soils (above 41° F) and more frequent rainfall, this nitrogen could denitrify or leach from the soil surface. By doing a nitrate test this fall and next spring, you know what is available.
Split Application of Nitrogen (N) and Sulfur (S): In many instances, if you split apply your nutrients, you get higher yields and better utilization because the nutrients do not get tied up in the soil or leached as in the case with nitrogen and sulfur. By split applying your nutrients, in particular nitrogen and sulfur, we tend to see yield increases due to N and S being more available to the plant over a longer period of time versus moving through the soil profile. (This may be more advantageous in areas where manure has been applied or where you have nitrate sample information.)
Reducing Applied Fertilizer Amounts: If your soils’ nutrient levels are testing in the medium to high range, cutting back the amount of nutrients applied is something that could be done to help reduce costs. If your soil nutrient levels are testing high to very high, you may not need to apply nutrients which, considering the cost of crop nutrients, could be a significant amount of dollars. If your soil nutrient levels are in the low to medium range, I would recommend applying crop removal or what nutrients your crop removed this last growing season(s). This can be done by downloading or bringing your yield information into Granular from Corteva.
Product or Management Practice ROI: We all seem to have a product or practice that we utilize because that is the way that Dad, Grandpa or the way we have always done it. Take some time to ask the “Why and What” questions as to why we do that and what does it do for us.

Making the decision to reduce or not apply crop nutrition can be a particularly crucial decision on an operation, and not just for this upcoming growing season. Having up-to-date soil test information is critical in helping you and your Dairyland Seed Agronomist or other trusted advisors such as your Dairyland Sales Manager in making decisions.

Working through and making decisions on your farm or ranch can be challenging. This can be especially true and more challenging when input costs are at historic highs. We at Dairyland Seed work hard to partner with you to help make your acres more productive and profitable.

If you have questions about these or other agronomic topics, please contact your Dairyland Seed team. Have a safe harvest season.