The Tri-State Fertilizer Recommendations provide the foundation for agronomic nutrient management recommendations from the land-grant universities in Ohio, Michigan and Indiana. The original publication, which came out in 1995, has been comprehensively updated with the release of the 2020 Tri-State Fertilizer Recommendations for Corn, Soybean, Wheat and Alfalfa.

The publication relies on Ohio-generated data from 198 farmer-coordinated, on-farm trials in 39 Ohio counties and long-term plots at OARDC Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center Agronomic Research Stations conducted from 2006-18. This data validates the recommendations against modern hybrids and varieties and agronomic management practices under current weather conditions. Key recommendations from the guide are included here. Continue reading Use 2020 Tri-State Fertilizer Recommendations →

By: Laura Lindsey and Steve Culman, OSU Extension

Sulfur is an essential macronutrient for crop production, often ranked behind only nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in importance. Overall, for corn and soybean, deficiencies are fairly rare. However, deficiencies can occur and are most likely on sandy soils with low organic matter (<1.0%). Much like nitrogen, the primary form of sulfur in the soil is found in the organic fraction, and the form taken up by plants (sulfate) is highly mobile. For every 1 percent of organic matter, there is approximately 140 pounds of sulfur, most of which is unavailable. Like nitrogen, sulfur must be mineralized to become plant available. (Plants may exhibit sulfur deficiencies under cool, wet conditions when mineralization is slow.) Historically, sulfur was deposited in large quantities from rainfall primarily due to burning of fossil fuels. However, emission standards have resulted in a sharp decrease in sulfur deposition from the atmosphere. As this trend continues, coupled with higher yielding crops, sulfur fertilization may become more important in the future.

Figure 1. Sulfur deposition maps from 2000-2002 and 2015-2017 (USEPA, 2019).
Continue reading Are Sulfur Deficiencies Becoming More Common in Ohio? →

Source: Ohio Ag Net

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Agriculture Director Dorothy Pelanda announced Jan. 15 that $30 million in H2Ohio funding will be available for Ohio farmers in more than a dozen counties beginning next month. The funds will be awarded as part of Governor DeWine’s H2Ohio plan to reduce agricultural phosphorus runoff and prevent algal blooms in Lake Erie.

“Since announcing the details of my H2Ohio plan in November, we’ve had a great deal of interest from farmers in the Maumee River Watershed who want to do their part to improve the health of Lake Erie,” said Governor DeWine. “H2Ohio will provide farm-by-farm support to help farmers minimize phosphorus runoff while increasing profit over the long-run.”

Continue reading $30 Million Available For Farmers Through Dewine’s H2Ohio Plan →

By: Emerson Nafziger, Department of Crop Sciences University of Illinois. farmdoc daily (9):238

Snow has now fallen throughout much of Illinois, and temperatures have dropped going into the last weeks in 2019. With the recent Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy biennial report highlighting P and N levels in Illinois waterways, this is a good time to review the application of nutrients on frozen and/or snow-covered soils.

Last spring, after a short and often-muddy fall fertilizer season, a considerable amount of fertilizer—mostly P in the form of DAP or MAP and K as KCl—was applied during the first week of March when the soil surface was frozen. Between March 3 and March 8, 2019, minimum air temperature averaged less than 15 degrees F, and maximum temperature averaged less than 30 degrees over most of Illinois. This was one of the few times last winter when soils were frozen and there was little or no snow; and many took the opportunity to apply P and K. Continue reading Nutrient Movement off Frozen and Snow-Covered Soil →