A recent report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture said prices for urea – a widely used nitrogen-based fertilizer – have nearly doubled since February.
The Straits of Hormuz, a major water way used to ship cargo, remains closed during the war spiking costs of fuel and fertilizer. The U.S. and Iran are discussing a possible deal to open the straits, but for now, market prices are still being affected.
Lydon Kelly is a researcher with Michigan State University Extension. He said one option to conserve resources is by using irrigation systems to deploy nitrogen fertilizer later in the season.
“We can put that nitrogen on the field closer to the time when the plant actually needs it,” Kelley said. “That reduces the amount of time that we have heavy rainfalls that could potentially leach the nitrogen out of the root zone.”
Kelley said fertigation can be a good last-ditch effort to fertilize crops for farmers who already have irrigation equipment in place. He said this could be a good solution for farmers holding out for price drops on fertilizer that usually happens in the summer.
Chad Hart, an agricultural economist at Iowa State University said fertigation is just one technique farmers might use to improve fertilizer efficiency.
“A lot of farmers are, for example, doing soil tests to see what nutrients are already available in the soil and then possibly using that as a guide to apply less fertilizer,” Hart said.
He said farmers may also use nitrogen stabilizers that help hold the product in the soil for longer.
“You're seeing farmers explore a variety of options to try to either limit their purchases or make sure that their purchases of fertilizer are as well used as possible as they move forward this year,” Hart said.
Randy Dowdy grows row crops in Michigan and Georgia. He says his farms changed the way they apply fertilizer to get the most out of it.
"We're banding fertilizer as opposed to broadcasting,” Dowdy said. “We're able to cut back at least 40% of those total applications made because we're ensuring it enters the root zone."
To make sure his plants have adequate nutrition, Dowdy said his farms look at tissue samples throughout the season.
Dowdy says his farms sometime uses fertigation to apply nitrogen, herbicide and potash to conserve fuel and product.
WCMU's Rural Life and Agriculture reporting is made possible through the generous support of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
