Farmers Preparing To Apply Spring Fertilizer

The recent snowfall is going to delay spring fertilizer applications.

That according to John Heard, Soil Fertility Specialist with Manitoba Agriculture & Resource Development.

"We were back on our heels in the first place," he said. "We had two times the amount of normal rainfall that we'd expect in September/October and that essentially thwarted fall application of fertilizer. Primarily 45 per cent of Manitoba farmers put on nitrogen in the fall and other than in northwest Manitoba, very little of that got done. This snow has repunched the reset button and set us back a couple of weeks."

Heard says with many farmers doing tillage this spring, much of the fertilizer will be broadcast applied.

The province is scheduled to lift its winter fertilizer ban on April 11th.