INPUTS

On average, ag aviation makes at least one application to approximately 127 million crop acres, or one-third of the cropland in the U.S.

A new article from Purdue says making smart input decisions is about much more than price. Here are 12 factors to consider.

“The sourcing from international markets has become mandatory. It’s more likely that things will get expensive than change,” says Jim DiLisi of Fanwood Chemical.

A small group of farmers had the chance to meet with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s team last week. They described the conversation as enlightening and eye-opening, but their biggest takeaway was how open Kennedy’s team was to hearing their point of view.

In 2023, the U.S. imported nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizer products valued at more than $10 billion, and of that more than half came from Canada.

With a career focusing in nutrient management, earlier this winter Tom Snipes became CEO of fertilizer breakout company Ostara as it continues to expand the footprint with its Crystal Green fertilizer.

“When applied with synthetic nitrogen, it is optimized by 50%, so in other words rates can be reduced–dramatically,” Darin Moon says. “It’s a monstrous claim. We aren’t throwing that number out lightly.”

Farmers will need to be able to show farm records, receipts, delivery tickets, and any as-applied maps. Geo-stamp photos will also be required to prove the use of no-till and cover crops.

“This idea of ever going back to a period of non-compliance like we had, I don’t think would be appropriate or ever acceptable,” says Kyle Kunkler, director of government affairs at the American Soybean Association.

How to turn gravel into gold: Meet Jordan Caldwell, a composting king hellbent on ROI.