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Nitrogen usage causes challenges for farmers"Nitrogen is one of the largest waste products at ethanol plants, so if that nitrogen can be recycled and used back on the land, it would be a win-win situation for everyone," said Bob Hoeft, head of the department of crop sciences, University of Illinois. By Jennifer Bremer
Bob Hoeft, head of the department of crop sciences, University of Illinois, said the big drivers of nitrogen management are economics and the environment. Environmental issues "The buzz word is hypoxia when it comes to nitrogen use. People have been blaming nitrogen and phosphorus in fertilizers for the high rate of hypoxia," said Hoeft. "We obviously want to avoid having nitrogen flowing down the river, which can be done by getting the nitrogen under the ground instead of on the surface." He said the most nitrogen run-off is coming out of the tile system. For instance, in 2001, there was virtually no nitrogen coming out of the tiles, but in 2002, excessive rain caused abundant nitrogen loss. "If we don't use the applied nitrogen in the corn crop, we will lose it with the soybean crop; so, it is important to utilize and manage nitrogen," he added. Farmers should also consider the time of application when reducing nitrogen loss, with more loss seen with fall application than spring. Economic issues Anhydrous ammonia is the nitrogen source of choice for Midwestern farmers. Economics has played a huge role in the production of anhydrous. Higher natural gas has led to a number of plant closings and at times a shortage in production. "Ammonia may be expensive, but it is cheaper than other nitrogen alternatives," said Hoeft. He also showed concern for ammonia sales in the future, which may be affected greatly by railroad transportation of the product. "If the transportation board halts the delivery of such chemicals as ammonia via rail, ammonia will pretty much be out of existence." The amount of ammonia transported by rail would not be able to be replaced with other means of transportation, which, he said, would lead to serious problems. Increased prices of available anhydrous ammonia--possibly $1,000 per ton--means farmers will need to use the product even more efficiently. Since other sources of nitrogen, such as urea alternatives are more expensive, Hoeft said nitrogen management will become more important than ever. Applying it at the right rate, the right time, and the right application technique will be important. He suggested determining the amount of nitrogen needed on a field by using a nitrogen calculator such as the one available online from Iowa State University at http://extension.agron.iastate.edu/soilfertility/nrate.aspx. Nitrogen loss Denitrification and leaching are the two biggest losses of nitrogen from fields. So many factors are involved in the loss of nitrogen that farmers need to understand the management of such a product. Hoeft recommends spring application of nitrogen products. "If urea is left on the ground too long, there will be excess loss," he said. "While fall applied nitrogen can work well, less loss is seen if applied in spring. The challenge in the spring is getting all the soil preparation done in time for planting. "Every nitrogen product will work if given the proper opportunity to do so," he said. Fall application of nitrogen will continue to be a known practice as long as sources are available. Price and availability seems to be better in the fall than in the spring, but Hoeft said each farmer must weigh out the pros and cons when deciding on application time. On years of excessive moisture, such as this year in many parts of the Midwest, nitrogen loss could be as high as 10 to 20 percent and could have an impact on yield at harvest time. "It will be interesting to see how yields are affected this year in flooded areas," he said. The continual boom in ethanol production may mean less nitrogen is needed and Hoeft said it will be interesting to see what the lowest amount of nitrogen application can be. "Nitrogen is one of the largest waste products at ethanol plants, so if that nitrogen can be recycled and used back on the land, it would be a win-win situation for everyone," he added. According to Hoeft, nitrogen usage and management will continue to be a challenge for farmers across the Midwest. He suggests farmers take a proactive role and keep updated on what is happening with legislation and environmental requirements in order to help themselves in the long run. Jennifer Bremer can be reached by phone at 515-833-2120 or by e-mail at jbremermaj@hotmail.com. 8/25/08 Date: 8/21/08 Advertisement
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Nitrogen is an important part of crop management, but now it is also one of the biggest challenges for farmers to deal with.