Fertilizing

Producers can find value in evaluating fertilizer input costs and comparing traditional nitrogen sources like urea and ammonium nitrate with popular nontraditional sources such as poultry litter, according to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service experts.

Soil makes up the essence of your farm. You are investing your time and money – you own it, you rent it, you operate it – so how do you best manage it for returned profit?

High-yielding, quality alfalfa and corn silage place a high demand for potassium on soil’s nutrient- supplying power. To maximize animal performance and profitability, it’s important to look and keep a close eye on the potassium (K) level in your forage fields.

There is an opportunity to use cover crops in the winter to fill forage gaps while warm-season perennial grasses are dormant.

This fall, any fall for that matter, is a great time to take soil samples, come up with a liming and fertilization plan based on soil analysis, and apply the recommended amendments and nutrients to establish a new field or keep an older stand functioning well.

The importance of rotating old alfalfa stands is well established. As the alfalfa stand ages, forage yield and quality decline, while pressure from weeds, insects and diseases increases.