SEEDBED: Are you ‘mining’ your soil or just making strategic withdrawals?

Keeping track of the nutrients in your fields will help you decide if you need to add fertilizer or whether you can draw on the existing balance

by KEITH REID

“Can I get away without applying phosphate or potash this year?”

That has been a common question this year, with some justification given the spread between crop and fertilizer prices. The answer, as with most agronomic questions, is not a simple yes or no.

Better Farming - April 2009