Published January 21, 2019 | By Mike Petersen
Here it is waiting between storms of the 2019 Winter (January) in many parts of the country and some of you may have the itch to do something with the look out the window saying, “No way man”. Would like to cover a few thoughts of what we at Orthman consider as wise steps in nutrient management with the Orthman 1tRIPr once the weather changes to springtime.
Thought #1
Many of the spring row crops we plant do not use much nitrogen in the first 40 days of growth after emergence so why do we think applying a slug of nitrogen either in the fall or the spring and expect it to be there come June and July?
Thought #2
Even with nitrogen inhibitors we can see fair amounts [10 to 35%] of N moving or lost when applied in the fall. Does that come into your accounting page for N management in your area?
Applying liquid N-P-K package in early spring
Thought #3
Those of you who farm in the more arid western States, even with dry fertilizers being lower in initial outlay of cash do you really understand the loss potentials in nitrogen and sulfur when they are in your dry blends?
Now I am not trying to gig you in the ribs with this blog, but to give you some time to think on these three questions and then I will respond with our responses in a couple of days. In the time between when you see this on Precision Tillage.com and a follow up blog with ideas/answers/comments on my part – write me with your thoughts.