|
|
Spring wheat not a substitute for winter wheat
By Randy Buhler Colorado State University Cooperative Extension Logan County Agent (Agronomy) Our recent snows have stopped prairie dog control activity. That leaves more time for cussing next season fertilizer prices. Here are some tips on how to improve your decision making for fertilizer purchases and crop selection. For those late getting corn stalks off their fields and that are not grazing stubble, recognize that spring wheat is not a good substitute for winter wheat. Spring wheat in our area acts like a magnet for every aphid in 14 nearby counties. Significant yield loss happens to spring wheat because of aphids and high temperatures during grain fill. Winter wheat planted as late as mid-February will still yield better than spring wheat. Spring wheat is not readily marketed in our area except as feed wheat. Better substitutes would be aphid resistant barley or triticale. Find your market for these crops before you plant. Following your established crop rotation plan is likely to be less stressful and more profitable than jumping from one crop to another based on this years harvest price. If changing a crop in your rotation plan is necessary, consider how you will get back to your rotation plan before committing to another crop. For corn, fertilizer price tends to follow a ratio to corn price. A ratio of 7 or 8 to 1 is most common. This ratio means that for each 1 cent per pound of fertilizer N price the price of a bushel of corn is 7 to 8 cents. For example, $4.00 corn would correspond with 50 cent per pound of nitrogen. Anhydrous at $730 per ton is 43.5 cents per pound of N. While this is one of the highest prices we have seen for anhydrous ammonia, it is in the normal N price range for corn priced at $4.00. The next problem is N price in the spring is not related to cash corn price at harvest. You need to look at the futures contract prices for the months you will market this coming season's crop. An average of three contracts that cover your marketing period, adjusted for expected basis, would be a corn price you can use to evaluate current N price. Look at the trend in futures contract prices to get an idea for the confidence you can place on that average price. Nitrogen at high prices justifies spending more time and money to establish your nitrogen status in each field you plan to plant to corn. Before you go out and poke a lot of holes to get soil samples, contact the laboratory you will use to analyze the samples. Ask them what soil profile depths they recommend sampling. These depths should be the same as the sample depths they use to calibrate their recommendations. Some labs use 0 to 3 inches for some elements and especially in fields farmed no-till. Other labs want a 0 to 8 inch depth plus an 8 to 24 inch depth to analyze nitrogen status. Talk to the lab first so you know how to sample properly for their calibration and analysis. You might even be able to get some free soil sample bags. Once you have measured the current nitrogen status of your field, then you need to have an appropriate yield goal for your corn. Use the proven average of 5 year's production on that field plus 5 percent to allow for progressive yield increase as your yield goal. Use the appropriate yield goal on the sample submission form so the lab makes a valid nitrogen recommendation. Once you have the recommendation, then you can do the ratio price computation to find the nitrogen price at which you should buy. A large change in nitrogen price makes a relative small difference in optimum nitrogen rate. Usually it is less than a 10 percent difference. Many nitrogen production plants have shut down in the United States because of high natural gas cost and expensive environmental protection requirements. We are now dependent on foreign produced nitrogen fertilizer. We are in the global market place to buy our nitrogen needs. Date: 12/26/07
Copyright/Privacy
Copyright 1995-2012. High Plains Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Any republishing of these pages, including electronic reproduction of the editorial archives or classified advertising, is strictly prohibited. If you have questions or comments you can reach us at High Plains Journal 1500 E. Wyatt Earp Blvd., P.O. Box 760, Dodge City, KS 67801 or call 1-800-452-7171. Email: webmaster@hpj.com |
|
