Starter fertilizer looks promising

A year like this can tell a grower a lot when it comes to fertilizer response.
With the recent dry weather stress on crops, some in the industry are noticing big responses to starter fertilizer on corn. The rows where growers used starter fertilizer are easy to pick out as those plants tend to be five or six inches taller than others with a more even stand.
“For the most part, crops look pretty good for what they’ve gone through but we are seeing some differences,” noted Dan Froelich, a technical field advisor for Brandt Consolidated in Lexington.
Brandt’s Lexington research farm was mostly planted on April 26 and 27 and since that time, the crops there only received 0.9 of rain, the largest being 0.3.
Froelich also did a study on cover crops, examining different termination dates. He found that the earlier the crops can be killed, the better off growers are.
“The later you go in the season, the more it affects that growing crop.”
Many are looking ahead to fungicide options on both corn and soybeans. That time will be here for corn in just a few weeks. Froelich believes this could be a year when we see a stronger fungicide response since crops are under stress.
Froelich can be reached at the Brandt Lexington facility at 309-365-7201. More information can also be obtained by contacting your local Brandt dealer in Central Illinois.