Advanced Practices Implemented
The farm has maintained an advanced practice level for multiple cropping cycles and continues to work hand in hand with local retail advisors to maintain this level of practice adoption.
- Cover crops are planted to hold leftover nutrients.
- Uses no-till practices, buffer strips and grass waterways to reduce nutrient runoff.
- Grid sampling to measure nutrients in the soil and make fertility and lime recommendations.
- Corn is fertilized in furrow with low rate of pop-up starter as well as 2×2 side-by-side starter fertilizer. Nitrogen is broadcast at planting. Additional nitrogen is applied, either as liquid UAN side-dressed by dribbling, or top-dressed using Urea treated with Nutrisphere blended with ammonium sulfate.
- Most fertilizer is applied by utilizing variable rate fertility prescriptions, using crop removal from a calibrated yield monitor to apply nutrients taken off fields that have been grid sampled and have received variable rate applications.