As farmers across Ohio finalize planting plans, a new Corn Nitrogen Rate Calculator can help deliver the highest economic return without sacrificing yield.
Agronomy experts at The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) say higher fertilizer costs are encouraging some growers to revisit nitrogen management strategies and to rely on research-based tools developed through Ohio State research and The Ohio State University Extension. The new Corn Nitrogen Rate Calculator helps farmers determine how much nitrogen fertilizer to apply to maximize profitability rather than simply maximize yield.
The calculator uses years of on-farm and small-plot nitrogen research to estimate how corn typically responds to fertilizer under Ohio conditions, said Rachel Henry, an Ohio State agronomy specialist.
“The calculator utilizes actual on-farm nitrogen rate trial data to calculate a typical-for-Ohio nitrogen response curve over many sites and years of data,” Henry said. “This curve is a very close estimate of what a farmer’s corn crop response to fertilizer would look like in a typical year.”
By combining fertilizer prices with projected corn prices, the tool identifies the maximum return to nitrogen (MRTN), the fertilizer rate expected to deliver the highest economic return.
“The focus in agronomic crop production has for a long time been on the highest yield possible,” Henry said. “But in reality, it should be on the highest profitability.”
Corn is Ohio’s most widely planted crop, grown on millions of acres across the state each year. Because nitrogen fertilizer is one of the largest input costs in corn production, price changes can quickly affect farm budgets.
Farmers who have not yet secured their nitrogen supplies may need to reconsider fertility plans this season, said Clint Schroeder, an Ohio State Extension educator.
Source : osu.edu