How we could actually cut fertilizer and not cut production.

[WiltonRanch]

Let nutrien and yara fight the battle !

Less fertilizer less sales !

Less return to shareholders !

Precisely. No one benefits from a blanket nitrogen reduction. Much as I think nothing will come of this bs. In the back of my mind I hear never say never. This is where I hope the liberals corporate friends quit returning their calls.

[WiltonRanch]

Hauber Bosch is over 100 years old. More than anything there needs to be a lower energy intensive method scaleable and cost effective. Even small scale plants joined onto upgraders and refiners. Ethanol plant in lloydminster uses excess heat from upgrader for distillation. No doubt we can improve the efficiency of how we apply nitrogen but the energy intensity of converting to ammonia is high and outweighs gassing off in the field.

[Blaithin]

Seen a farmer up by Busby the other day that has been experimenting with using alfalfa pellets as fertilizer. Now I know of using the pellets in gardens and potted plants as fertilizer but the idea of applying them on a field scale…

Says it was just banded along with the seed instead of using fertilizer. So it requires no additional equipment, I’m under the impression it required no major equipment tweaks, no additional passes for application, and costs a fraction of the price. Sounds like so far yields are comparable however I haven’t seen actual numbers so not sure.

Either way it sounds like just the type of thing that would be the absolute easiest thing to play around with. Can go buy a tote of alfalfa pellets and test out 20 acres.

Even if there is a yield reduction, a tonne of pellets is usually $500-$600 if my memory is serving me. Perhaps less as my quotes probably included delivery and were for smaller amounts. Save a lot on inputs if N stays high.

Won’t help the alfalfa fields shipping their nutrition off to others but maybe they’ll be more willing to partner with cattlemen than crop farmers seem to be 😂

Always find it interesting the ideas people have and bounce around. So much better to discuss than just the same old “Can’t be done! Prices suck!” rhetoric.

[TASFarms]

Worked on an oil lease yesterday. 2 bulker loads of liquid nitrogen were used to clean the well out. Basically the n was vented to atmosphere in the end.

[tubs]

I know that’s the complete fallacy of this whole plan . Makes no sense at all

We put all our nitrogen down with sprayer one pass before seeding and one pass after the chemicals are on on provide we have good potential and adjust rate accordingly always with a carbon product like molasses or humic. Seems to work for us.

[furrowtickler]

Furrow the problem is that pulses in rotation already will be treated just like min till was- no recognition for those efforts. Would have to go to chem fallow with cover crop to meet their new requirements.

I know that’s the complete fallacy of this whole plan . Makes no sense at all

[jazz]

Furrow the problem is that pulses in rotation already will be treated just like min till was- no recognition for those efforts. Would have to go to chem fallow with cover crop to meet their new requirements.

[WiltonRanch]

Or just do what many have been doing for decades, use pulse crops in the crop rotation .
Peas
Lentils
Faba beans
Majority of farms have been doing this for years already and reducing N fertility on those fields
Farmers have been hedging that risk for decades already.

Intercropping peas and canola has been done off and on for years . Problem is maturity differences are generally too wide . Peas get too ripe before canola ready . Unless you seed the peas after but that defeats the whole purpose by a second pass burning more diesel and becomes tricky for weed control unless you grow clearfield canola .
Also another process is needed to clean and separate . It’s been done but not as easy as it sounds . Plus in dry years one will choke out the other .

If it was feasible guys would be doing it. I did a couple hundred acres of clovers under seeded in a wheat oats barley mix for greenfeed. Pisses me off when know nothings think farmers need to be reigned in on fertilizer use or emissions but as it stands we don’t use any more n fertilizer than 20 years ago but half the fuel. Haven’t broadcast fertilizer unless you count an extra tonne or two left over put on hay land. I look at the 4r thing and we’ve done that forever My kilt is quite tight too and farm ground as rank as my ancestors did in uk so bmp’s are paramount whether we get a crop or not. I learned a lot from my grandfather who ranched and farmed some fragile soils with success. Family members across the fence wrecked their ground from not being good stewards. I’m on very resilient soil but still like to follow his philosophy like what a lot of us here do.

[helmsdale]

I used ESN for 2 years. My thoughts were I saw no significant yield bump. I did see a significant cost increase and then I read that ESN leaves behind the little polymer capsules in the ground that never totally degrade. That didn’t sound environmentally friendly to me. I haven’t used it for 2 years. The only discernible benefit I could see was that it did help the fertilizer flow out of the bin.

ESN here at least is a decent fit. 50% available early which gives the crop a decent start and the remaining 50% releases late which if the crop is cooked seems to help it carry over into next year, if it is in great shape adds bushels, and if its mediocre tops up the protein.

Soil tests have certainly proven to me that it sticks around far better than straight up urea on a drier year. The polymer coating is definitely findable in following years, but I like to think that helps with soil porosity, which then helps to increase moisture absorption in a region that is tragically short of organic matter after years of soil erosion and conventional tillage!

[furrowtickler]

Or just do what many have been doing for decades, use pulse crops in the crop rotation .
Peas
Lentils
Faba beans
Majority of farms have been doing this for years already and reducing N fertility on those fields
Farmers have been hedging that risk for decades already.

Intercropping peas and canola has been done off and on for years . Problem is maturity differences are generally too wide . Peas get too ripe before canola ready . Unless you seed the peas after but that defeats the whole purpose by a second pass burning more diesel and becomes tricky for weed control unless you grow clearfield canola .
Also another process is needed to clean and separate . It’s been done but not as easy as it sounds . Plus in dry years one will choke out the other .