Seven Points Of A Forage Fertility Program
GALENA, MO.
Fine-tuning your forage fertility program requires a knowledge of “seven points of fertility” according to Tim Schnakenberg, an agronomy specialist in Stone County with University of Missouri Extension.
“The first point, or step, is monitoring nutrient levels,” said Schnakenberg. “Soil testing is the most important step to determine where your forage fertility currently is and where it should be.”
Soil testing, which helps to determine where the fertilizer dollar is best spent, can be done at the nearest University of Missouri Extension office.
The second point is to understand fertilizer sources. Ammonium Nitrate is the most common option, but producers need to know that urea may be the only option for N that some dealers have this year.
“In warm, humid weather, 50 percent of urea can be lost to the atmosphere so using it does require additional steps,” said Schnakenberg. “Ammonium sulfate is another option.”
Third, it is important to factor in nutrient removal and build-up.
“Hay crops remove fertility out of the ground and must be replenished to maintain productivity and reduce weed competition. Fescue hay especially removes 47 lbs potash per ton of hay taken off a field. This adds up quickly to a diminished nutrient level in the field,” said Schnakenberg.
The fourth tip from Schnakenberg is to keep four-legged manure spreaders moving. This is best done by moving cattle quickly through a grazing system with many paddocks.
“This will evenly distribute manure around the farm. This also applies to moving bale feeders around more over the winter,” said Schnakenberg.
Fifth, time applications (especially nitrogen) to match forage growth to get the greatest use out of it.
Sixth, don’t forget about legumes. This can be done by using clovers in pastures that will allow producers to grow their nitrogen instead of buying it.
“By eliminating the need to buy nitrogen because clover is present, it is possible to get a savings of over $25 per acre,” said Schnakenberg.
The seventh point is to use alternate sources of fertilizer when needed and when available. For example, using poultry litter to provide a complete fertilizer option for forages.
“Landowners in counties with municipal treatment plants that spread waste on agricultural fields may also have the option of using municipal biosolids as a very inexpensive fertilizer source,” said Schnakenberg. ∆