Fertilizing

The article “Avoiding excessive nitrate concentrations in 2021” in the February issue of Progressive Forage introduced carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen (CHON) and its importance to all living things, and spoke to the role humans play in managing nitrogen – the only CHON element that can be managed.

Chemicals used in forage production – namely pesticides and herbicides – represent a significant investment. Despite the impressive price tag, they are far from indestructible.

Alfalfa continues to be a world-class leader for feed value for North American production agriculture. This is especially true for the areas in the Intermountain West. While acre numbers are not at historical highs, they are still high enough to be the largest cropping acres in most Western states.

Wetter conditions in recent years have led to more questions about polymer-coated urea. Polymer-coated urea is a urea granule that is coated with a polymer that slows the release of urea into the soil. The most widely available polymer-coated urea product on the market for production agriculture is ESN. The most important thing to understand about polymer-coated urea is that it is not an inhibitor like nitrapyrin or DCD.

Not many years ago, there were only two people allowed to enter a newly planted Midwest cornfield: One was the person applying the side-dress nitrogen, and the other was the person applying the weed control.

Much of the nitrogen (N) applied to tall fescue and smooth bromegrass hay meadows and pastures goes on in January or February in eastern Kansas, but there is still time to apply it now even though temperatures late this winter have been warm and the cool-season grasses are greening up rapidly.