Tri-State Fertilizer updates likely to reduce rates and costs

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Tri-State Fertilizer updates likely to reduce rates and costs

Three land-grant universities in the Eastern Corn Belt are updating fertilizer recommendations to be more precise with soil sampling and reduce application rates.

Michigan State University’s Kurt Steinke says the Tri-State Fertilizer Recommendations for the first time call for denser soil sampling of fields and more core samples.

“This is probably one of the big changes that we’ve seen over the last 20 to 25 years versus the preceding 20 to 25 years,” he says.

The recommended changes from MSU, Ohio State University, and Purdue University also call for reduced nutrient rates which Steinke says can save several dollars per acre.

“The greater your precisions, the greater your return on investment with your nutrient inputs,” he explains.

MSU Extension educators highlighted the changes as part of a recent field crops webinar on crop fertility.