Knowledge Center

With persistent wet weather patterns across the U.S. causing logistical strain and delay of many growers getting into their fields, some are already making the switch from anhydrous ammonia to other nitrogen sources. This means now is the time to discuss nitrogen source alternatives and nitrogen protection options with your growers.

Record-setting rain during the 2018 fall limited or prevented fertilizer applications in many regions of the U.S. Add to that an abundance of late winter precipitation, below average temperatures and large snow melt have led to record-setting floods in parts of the Midwest and saturated fields in other parts of the U.S., making it difficult for growers to hit the ground running this spring.

With unpredictable spring weather, protecting your nitrogen investment is critical to your overall yield potential. Environmental factors such as soil moisture, temperature, pH and compaction can all play a role in nitrogen loss.

By definition from the United State Department of Agriculture, soil health is the continued capacity of soil to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals and humans. But to many, soil health goes further than that.

Record-setting rainfalls in late 2018 left many growers in the U.S., specifically the southern states and the Northeast, with saturated fields and the need for a new nitrogen game plan.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. A cliché expression used by some to say there are things in life better left alone. For nearly 25 years, that phrase could accurately be applied to above ground urea and UAN nitrogen protection.

Urea-Ammonium Nitrate, also known as UAN, is an excellent source of nitrogen for crops. However, farmers may dismiss the risk of nitrogen loss from UAN, incorrectly assuming that liquid forms of nitrogen are not subject to appreciable volatilization losses.

Growers should soon be planning their winter top-dress applications. While crop progress and weather conditions vary, the 4Rs of fertilizer application pertain across the wheat belt.

Packed with unsurpassed efficiency in every granule, SUPERU® premium fertilizer has been scientifically formulated to protect a grower’s nitrogen investment against volatilization, leaching and denitrification. With both urease and nitrification inhibitors, SUPERU enhances nitrogen efficiency, boosts yield and minimizes potential nitrogen loss to nearby water sources.

According to the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center, growers across the U.S. may start noticing the impacts of El Niño as we progress into the fall and winter seasons.

In studies conducted in 2017 and 2018 by the University of Missouri showed the yield benefit of corn when using SUPERU® fertilizer and AGROTAIN® nitrogen stabilizer compared to ContaiN.

The goal in crop production with nitrogen is to ensure as much of it as possible is available for plant uptake, where it can then be converted to grain throughout the growing season. While we know nitrogen is important to our crops, do we know what role it plays and how to ensure it’s available for optimal crop growth and production?