Stick With Your Plan

"With lower commodity prices, Gary Fisher, United Soils marketing manager, said farmers tend to shy away from sticking with their fertility plan.

“They might decide not to spend some money on soil testing where we believe it’s just absolutely critical that if they’re on schedule, they get that soil testing completed, look at the fertility in the field and make the right decision with it,” he said.

“By cutting corners, sometimes you hurt yourself. So our biggest concern is they stay on task with the fertility plan that they’re on.

“To us, it’s all about standardization. Understand what you’re looking at, set a plan and stick with it. If you let the market kind of vary how you react (with nutrient management), with this end of the business we just think it’s going to hurt you in the field.”

Big yields also mean the crops took up large amounts of soil nutrients, and this also should be considered entering the 2015 season.

Chad Trachsel, who works with his father on the 600-acre family farm near Chenoa and is a regional salesman with United Soils in Fairbury said the fertilizer lost with the record crop needs to be addressed.

“People that have been planning maybe for 200-, even 220-bushel corn, but took 240, 250 or higher off need to really take that into consideration when they’re making their fertilizer decisions for this year,” he said.

Trachsel noted instances in his area where he saw corn plants running out of nitrogen as the big crop tried to get bigger.

“Nitrogen management is big. Fertilizer management is big and the final ultimate thing beside the weather is the almighty dollar and with the grain markets dropping and really not rallying in January, a lot of people are really considering what’s my bang for my buck and what do I need to do this year to make the best yield potential that I can for the minimum dollar,” he said.

“I’m not saying spend the least amount of money you possibly can, but spend the right amount of money so you get the right amount of yield. You don’t want to throw a bunch of money at it and end up with low yields.”

What is your plan?  Mine is frugality because my cancer has to come first.  This morning I am thinking we won't have a year anything like 13 or 14 and the market place will have to respond this summer.

It's a good thing we can't see the future!

Ed