Fertilizer

While application season is still weeks away, retailers and other suppliers are encouraging farmers to reserve product now.

With most input prices still record or near-record high, farmers in parts of the country have seen eroding balance sheets for four straight years. Now the concern is more farmers will be forced out of farming this year, unless they see some type of market or government intervention.

As farmers think about 2026 cropping plans, step one is to book fall fertilizer. However, those plans are leading to challenging discussions about profitability and what can be applied as a bare minimum.

High yields lead to high nutrient removal rates, but next year, nutrient replacement and feeding a new crop comes at a higher cost

Yes, phosphorus is expensive. But before you decide to not use it or arbitrarily pull back, try to weigh the decision based on facts and not emotion.

However, the stagnation comes as the disparity between fertilizer prices and potential profits widens.

The new facility will produce 950,000 short tons of ammonia annually, and it’s been a project discussed for over a decade.

The recent “Currents of Change” analysis reported high nutrient levels in central Iowa’s watersheds. Iowa ag has worked on the issue for decades, but nutrient movement often comes down to weather.

On the heels of Crop Tour, Pro Farmer projects corn yields at 6.1 bu. below USDA’s August estimate, while soybean yield numbers are nearly aligned.

There is still up to 55% of the kernel dry weight left to be accumulated by many corn hybrids at this point — starch that can contribute significantly to grain fill and higher test weights.