Farmers Scrutinize Nutrient Efficiency Amid High Input Costs

A north central Wisconsin farmer, Adam Baumann, is finding ways to survive in the high input cost environment by becoming more efficient with his nutrient applications.

Baumann says he keeps close track of his nitrogen use efficiency and has cut back on his nitrogen usage. He notes that his nitrogen use efficiency in corn this year will be the lowest it's ever been, but believes the focus on in-season nutrient applications has allowed him to get more out of what he's applying.

He mentions that moving some of the nitrogen off the corn planter and onto an early side dress allowed him to wait for the price of nitrogen to come down. This approach also gave him the flexibility to move some of the nitrogen around based on crop conditions, giving him needed flexibility in his nutrient plans and budget.