Update from the Field: Variable Yields, Variable Rates
Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on October 10, 2019
This cropping year has been anything but normal, so why should we expect the situation to change this fall? Depending on where you’re located and when or if you planted your crops on time, your grain may be ready to harvest or beginning to dry down. There are three scenarios you may be facing as fall approaches:
- Prevent plant acres
- Late planted acres with reduced yield
- Normal yielding acres
Unfortunately, it is possible to see all three situations in the same field. The problem will be analyzing the variability in yield maps to determine a fall fertilizer strategy.
In the first scenario, it was too wet last fall to apply fertilizer. This spring did not provide much relief, with conditions too wet to plant, let alone apply fertilizer. In some of these fields a cover crop was planted midway through the cropping season. In this case, I suggest using last year’s fertility plan for two reasons. The first reason is to save soil testing expense. The cost of soil testing is not expensive, but a soil test will not provide much additional value in this situation. With no crop being harvested from the field, no additional nutrients would be removed. The second reason to use last year’s fertility plan is because a field in this situation has not been fertilized for two consecutive years, and nutrients need to be added if a successful crop is planned for next year.
If you are facing the second or third scenario, my recommendation is to have your local ag advisor pull GPS guided samples by fertility zones and provide you with a fall fertilizer strategy based on results. In these scenarios, you will have several major fertility zones to deal with during the fall fertility season due to the natural soil variability in the field combined with this year’s wet planting and growing conditions, Figure 1. Pulling GPS guided samples by fertility zones will allow for nutrients to be applied with Variable Rate Technology (VRT) to the proper area or zone.
Figure 1: Soil sampling by zone. When zone sampling, soil samples are taken with GPS assistance at points selected to sample various soil types.
The Andersons Retail Farm Centers are uniquely situated to deal with these fertility zone changes. We have been sampling by fertility zones for more than fifteen years. Your ag advisor will use our software to precisely deliver the Right product to the Right place at the Right time and at the Right rate.
In conclusion, fertility variability will not only be the norm this year but may be for years to come. GPS soil sampling and VRT application are great solutions to place the nutrients you need in the proper position to have a successful 2020.
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Dave Dyson is a regional agronomist for The Andersons’ Farm Centers which are located throughout Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana. He is an Indiana native and grew up on a dairy farm in Miami County. A graduate of Purdue University with a degree in Crop & Soil Science, Dave has a deep knowledge of various agronomic topics and is committed to helping growers improve their crops. If you have any questions, Dave can be reached at david_dyson@andersonsinc.com.
