Reducing Crop Production Costs: Focus on Fertility

Transcription

1 Reducing Crop Production Costs: Focus on Fertility Jim Camberato, Professor of Agronomy & Soil Fertility Specialist Michael Langemeier, Professor & Associate Director James Mintert, Professor & Director

2 $850 $800 $750 $700 $650 $600 $550 $500 $450 $393 $400 Estimated Revenue and Costs/Acre on a 50/50 Corn/Soybean Farm on Average Quality Indiana Land $422 $427 $435 $619 $565 $601 $624 $581 $728 $575 $729 $755 $740 $794 $824 $769 $628 Cost/Acre $657 $740 $672 $683 $663 $650 $603 $616 $598 $608 $634 Revenue $350 $

3 (Variable Cost + Fixed Cost) Yield = Total Cost per Bu. Reduce cost by: 1. Reducing variable cost without impacting yield 2. Reducing fixed cost (lowers fixed cost per bushel) 3. Improving yield without increasing variable or fixed cost

4 Top 6 Cost Categories for Corn and Soybeans $ Per Bushel, Average Productivity Indiana Farmland Cost Category Rotation Corn Rotation Soybeans Land (Fixed) $1.14 $3.73 Machinery (Variable & Fixed) $0.80 $2.42 Seed (Variable) $0.71 $1.38 Fertilizer (Variable) $0.64 $0.77 Pesticides (Variable) $0.32 $0.90 Labor (Fixed) $0.24 $0.79 Sub-Total $3.85 $10.00 Total Cost per Bushel $4.40 $10.88

5 Maximize efficiency of N application 1. Apply as much of the total N in-season as possible, preferably between growth stages V3 and V7 2. If using pre-plant anhydrous ammonia aim for days before planting and ensure the depth of application is 7-8 inches or precision place between where the rows will be

6 Maximize efficiency of N application 3. Injected bands of UAN (28-32%) are less prone to N loss than broadcast UAN 4. Do not leave urea or urea-containing N fertilizers on the soil surface 5. Adjust the rate of application based on cost of N and anticipated value of grain

7 Grain yield (bu/ac) Yield response to N is not a straight line Total applied N fertilizer (lbs N / ac) Purdue Univ

8 Grain yield (bu/ac) Optimum fertilization rate occurs here Total applied N fertilizer (lbs N / ac) Purdue Univ

9 Grain yield (bu/ac) Yield usually plateaus at some N rate Purdue Univ Yield response to N stops beyond the agronomic optimum N rate Total applied N fertilizer (lbs N / ac)

10 Grain yield (bu/ac) Actual yields Est. yld Loss to max. profit $50 ($50) ($100) ($150) ($200) ($250) Total applied N (lbs/ac) $0 Loss to maximum profit ($/ac)

11 Grain yield (bu/ac) AONR = 227 lb N/a EONR = 200 lb N/a Actual yields Est. yld Loss to max. profit $50 ($50) ($100) ($150) ($200) ($250) Total applied N (lbs/ac) $0 Loss to maximum profit ($/ac)

12 Optimal Nitrogen rates vary by region and predominant soil types in those regions

13 N rate recommendations

14

15 Use the Corn Nitrogen Rate Calculator

16 Phosphorus and potassium fertilization Build-up, maintain, drawdown philosophy of P and K fertilization based on soil testing was built around soil fertility stewardship, land ownership or longterm renting, minimizing risk of yield loss

17 Soil test P (ppm) associated with limits for corn and soybeans

18 Traditional recommendation Less than crop removal

19 Traditional recommendation Crop removal

20 Traditional recommendation Crop removal + ¼ amt. to buildup soil to critical level

21 Traditional recommendation 200 bu/a lb P 2 O 5 /a

22 Likelihood and magnitude of profit to fertilizer applied in a season

23 Alternative fertilizer recommendation ~90 ~45 lb P 2 O 5 /a

24 Phosphorus drawdown is slow Expect 1 ppm decrease in soil test per 20 lb P 2 O 5 removed in excess of application For example: 200 bu/acre corn grown removing 75 lb P 2 O 5 per acre Expected decrease in soil test P is about 4 ppm

25 Soil test K levels (ppm) associated with limits CEC

26 Alternative fertilizer recommendation ~100 ~50 lb K 2 O/a

27 Potassium drawdown is not as slow as P 1. Expect 1 ppm decrease in soil test per 6 lb K 2 O removed in excess of application 2. For example: 200 bu/acre corn grown removing 55 lb K 2 O per acre 3. Expected decrease in soil test K is about 9 ppm

28 Join us for our next webinar: January 31, 2017 Family Business As a Competitive Advantage