Lower prices and smaller margins could mean cutting corners for some farmers come growing season – but is it a good idea?
Planting crops and staying profitable will be task one for farmers this year and as a result, some inputs could go by the wayside. Brodbeck Seed Agronomist Rod King says while some of that is to be expected, he warns to be careful of which inputs get the ax.
“I’ve talked to a lot of people who are thinking they’ve put a lot of extra fertilizer out there, maybe we can cut back this year or put no starter on. I want to caution people on that. Be very careful. The best recommendation I can give is follow your soil tests pretty carefully and make sure you’re feeding that crop very adequately.”
King says it’s economic yield versus agronomic yield – usually those figures are pretty close together. He recommends really examining cost per acre and where it’s safe to cut corners – nitrogen really isn’t one of them.
“To think we can just cut back 20 percent of fertilizer prices or 30 percent on fertilizer inputs and not cost yield might be short-term, short-sighted.”
King says farmers need to trust today’s seed technology especially where rootworm is concerned.
“I will bet on Mother Nature and rootworms, they will be here. Whether it’s this year or next year, I don’t know. But I think people need to be very careful in saying they’re going to take their chances on rootworm. That’s still the number one pest of corn in the United States and that includes here in Indiana.”
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