[AndrewToews]

Seems like spreading fert has made a come back so what are your thoughts on it? Do i need to put mor N P or K because of loss if broadcasting? Its so easy why not spread all fert on top and then incorp? Look forward to hearing farmers input on this. Also does N go up or down once its in the soil?

 

[Grumpie]

A hundred year old question,that’s been answered 100 times.

 

[sasksodbuster]

Band,band, band and band.

Pros
no fertilizer burn
cover more acres faster
less time filling seeder
fertilizer stranded, roots can’t reach it

Cons
10-20% efficiency and loss of N versus banding
P and K don’t move, not with seed

 

[Oat King]

If you had a wet fall and are growing corn only broadcast as an emergency N application in the spring. If your land is heavy clay don t incorporate it in ahead of the planter, just seed right into it. Rain will take care of the nitrogen getting into the root zone at a less than efficient rate compared to banding. In sandier soils the compaction of the hardpan is less and may result in less soil compaction if you decide to incorporate it into the soil. Don t broadcast phosphate unless your intention is to top up the soil bank in future P and K use.

Like said above band , band , band! you cant fool the land,........ the land will fool you! ........not worth cutting corners.

If you have your heart dead set on that idea, at least consider slow release nitrogen coatings to spread the uptake out. Maybe a better idea is to split rate your fertilizer plan but still does not change the result of P and K.

Remember seeding is not a race take your time. It may feel like it is, but it is paramount to slow down and do a precise job. Most of the time you only get one chance and your goal is for a bumper crop.

 

[ZEEMAN]

Had a retailer tell me this fall if you had bought fert early you would have saved 20% over last years price. So if you spread it now and loose 20% you are really out nothing. Seems like a lot of farmers are buying into his theory.
Then the farmer realizes he better buy 20% more for spring and put it with the seed. Win win for the retailer. But the farmer did save time on fills during spring seeding by spreading, so figured the 20% loss was livable. How do spell gullible???

 

[shmiffy]

Phos has to be in the ground. I been seeding deeper so that the phos get used. Was seeing phos shortage when seeding just into the moisture when dry and no rain for a month

 

[SouthernSK]

It is most efficient for nutrients to put the fertilizer in the ground. When you broadcast Nitrogen you can loose a large portion of it if conditions are not right.

 

[CRToney]

I’ve started broadcasting not only N but PK and S in the fall. It will get incorporated in the spring. Not ideal but banding is expensive and can lead to soil erosion. I’ll see what the results end up being in the future.

 

[jimbobobaroo]

To mitigate some of the distribution problems of our air drill, and increase efficiency we went to floating on about 50%. The floater gets there 1 - 2 days before the seeder. I don't think we're losing anymore than some of these drills that have the air cranked up so high it blows some out on top.

 

[AndrewToews]

I’ve started broadcasting not only N but PK and S in the fall. It will get incorporated in the spring. Not ideal but banding is expensive and can lead to soil erosion. I’ll see what the results end up being in the future.

we have been floating everything on in the spring for 2 years , seems to be working, we get quite a bit of rain tho in eastern mb.

 

[Don Boles]

The closer you have been to matching or exceeding seed removal nutrient levels historically the less difference you will notice if you go to entire broadcast application.
Background level can then buy cushion to placement exactness.
Conversely, if you have been low balling fertilizer rates broadcasting will show markedly lower production.

 

[Slip clutch]

I agree with you don. But this RRV ground is almost a different animal. In many ways than one. You have to farm it to know it.

 

[CRToney]

The closer you have been to matching or exceeding seed removal nutrient levels historically the less difference you will notice if you go to entire broadcast application.
Background level can then buy cushion to placement exactness.
Conversely, if you have been low balling fertilizer rates broadcasting will show markedly lower production.

I broadcast all my N last fall (200lbs) then put 100lbs of MAP with the seed. Crop was good. My land hasn’t hardly ever seen much for fertility. Soil tested 15 years ago and it was all terribly deficient. It takes years and years to build it up. Ive been on my own for 5 years with different management. In another 5 I might be able to cut back as the bank is built up. I’m by myself so logistics play a huge part of my operation. It’s very time consuming to apply all the fertilizer with the drill in the spring. Metering components are expensive and so are hours on the tractor. It’s not getting any less expensive either. I used Urea treatment Triple Kick this fall to help mitigate losses under less than ideal conditions.

 

[Grumpie]

Years ago I bought the biggest SH with 800 tank on 10 inch and band half N and all P-K - S in fall with same drill .
We bought fertilizer pretty cheap compared to year end and spring prices .
It’s a job but logistics in the spring were as easy as possible.
And a little nicer and level seedbed and black rows .
Not saying it’s for everyone but if your shooting for very high yields or above removal rates it’s the only way , and off course a guy can go back to 60 acres a fill on drill .
Studies has shown over and over that spreading fertilizer is the lazy and cheap way to do things .
Not talking about the financial losses but yield loss due to Nutrien’s on the wrong place .
Most 99 % farmers invested in very high $ tractors and drills , I would band and as deep as tractor can pull.

 

[Oat King]

I agree with Grumpie. In the Red River Valley tracks from floaters are your enemy before the seeder. The most logical way to do it and what more guys are doing is broadcasting nitrogen and sulfur in the fall just before freeze up and with a nice light rain. If you do it in the spring you will deal with tracks all season long. I have limited labor and so four years ago I switch to NH3. NH3 is not for everyone but it has made a one pass seeding system very efficient for me.

Since your in eastern Manitoba your soil is way sandier than our osbourn clay and than track before the seeder might not be a problem. Like slip clutch said RRV soil is a beast.!

When i started farming all i had was 2, 18 massey discers and to save time and to avoid the costly drill, i broadcasted fert. Trust me , it never worked out. NEVER. not once. I wasted some valuable time trying to get ahead and was shooting myself in the foot!

If I could go back and tell that young guy, I would say invest in the proper equipment even if the price is a little scary. Trying to cheap out is a poor plan. You have to invest in the right technology and like grumpie said 99% of the guys do.

Point is when you start out farming dont let debt interfere with using the right technology to grow a bumper crop.

Another piece of advice, is if you cant afford the technology , hire a neighbor who has the right equipment. Remember , you are not any less of a farmer if you hire. All that matters is to produce a bumper crop. Your bank account could care less how it got done as long as it was a success.
sorry for rambling...........

BAND it in!

 

[kirschenman]

Have gone to a lot of broadcast in season for N with buying a single shoot drill. If rain isn't imminent, it will get a urease inhibitor to give me 10 days of safety. In a below average rain year we will get the same yields as the neighbors that put everything down at seeding, but we apply less fertilizer in total. In a very dry year the urea stays in the bin and the only expense is buying it a birthday cake.

Neighbor who soil tests a lot says he's surprised how little N is left after they apply a lot and should have lots left in a poor year. So banding it doesn't mean it isn't going to disappear. We don't know where it goes, but it isn't there.

P and K are only imobile in the inorganic form. Once you get it in a plant it gets moved through the entire plant. If you are broadcasting P without incorporation the other goal should be to have a thick layer of residue on the surface so that the plants are rooting near the surface and capturing those nutrients. I have also seen a study that says P will move quite a way into the soil with the first rainfall event and only after it dries will it be locked to that soil.

Then there is the theory that anything over about 30lbs applied N absolutely throws the soil life for a loop. Makes the N loving bacteria flourish and starve other microbes for what they need. As I understand more about what is living in the soils, I am looking for ways to reduce the amount of fertility applied, both in single events and as a whole. In my area the amount of total P and K in the root zone can be measured in tons rather than pounds, we just have to figure how to tap into that reserve and get nutrients cycling. And by putting too much (and possibly any) plant available nutrients in or near the seedrow we find we completely short circuit the plant/soil relationship.

I don't think I have the guts to go no fertilizer until I have a few years of test plots done, but with broadcast (or even some banding) I might be able to get away from any applied at seeding.