Farms.com Home   News

Time to Spread Fertilizer–Evenly

Time to Spread Fertilizer–Evenly

By Peter C. Scharf

As I write this on October 6, USDA estimates that 80% of Missouri corn and more than 75% of Missouri soybeans are in excellent or good condition. This is the best in the past 5 years for both crops.

Harvest is well under way and I hope that most of you are pulling in the good yields that USDA predicted.

For many people, the fertilizer spreaders will be running not far behind the combines. Farmers will be replenishing their fields with P and K to keep productivity levels as high as they can be.

In most fields, P and K will be applied using a spinner spreader. This type of applicator can do a lot of acres quickly and is easier to maintain than an airboom spreader.

The main issue with spinner spreaders is the potential for uneven applications of fertilizer. Over the past few years, we have tested a number of spinner spreaders with catch pans and have found that it's fairly common for the spread pattern to be less than what you'd want. There is no good way to verify that these machines are spreading the pattern that you want except to catch the fertilizer and weigh it. Here is an example of a problem we found in measuring a spreader pattern (average of 2 tests):

We are running a test program, funded by the Missouri Fertilizer Board, to test the spread pattern of spinner spreaders and verify that they are right, or help people to get them right. If you'd like to have the spread pattern tested for your machine or in your fields, contact me (573 808 5396) or Larry Mueller (573 289 1748) to set up a time. Best to text either of us first to set up a call.

Source : missouri.edu

Trending Video

From Conventional to Regenerative: Will Groeneveld’s Journey Back to the Land

Video: From Conventional to Regenerative: Will Groeneveld’s Journey Back to the Land

"You realize you've got a pretty finite number of years to do this. If you ever want to try something new, you better do it."

That mindset helped Will Groeneveld take a bold turn on his Alberta grain farm. A lifelong farmer, Will had never heard of regenerative agriculture until 2018, when he attended a seminar by Kevin Elmy that shifted his worldview. What began as curiosity quickly turned into a deep exploration of how biology—not just chemistry—shapes the health of our soils, crops and ecosystems.

In this video, Will candidly reflects on his family’s farming history, how the operation evolved from a traditional mixed farm to grain-only, and how the desire to improve the land pushed him to invite livestock back into the rotation—without owning a single cow.

Today, through creative partnerships and a commitment to the five principles of regenerative agriculture, Will is reintroducing diversity, building soil health and extending living roots in the ground for as much of the year as possible. Whether it’s through intercropping, zero tillage (which he’s practiced since the 1980s) or managing forage for visiting cattle, Will’s approach is a testament to continuous learning and a willingness to challenge old norms.

Will is a participant in the Regenerative Agriculture Lab (RAL), a social innovation process bringing together producers, researchers, retailers and others to co-create a resilient regenerative agriculture system in Alberta. His story highlights both the potential and humility required to farm with nature, not against it.