Research focuses on banding, strip till
PONTIAC – More than 100 research trials at the Precision Planting PTI Farm at Pontiac from 2022 have been put together in book form that growers can read and understand.
The hope is for producers to apply some of the useful research on their own operations.
Precision Planting’s Jason Webster recently went on a road trip across the country meeting with farmers to find out what the most profitable aspects of their farm was and the things that cost them the most money, too.
“We all know in farming there are successes and some failures,” said Webster.
There were plenty of research results in the past year around fertility and nutrition placement.
“Phosphorus is a product that doesn’t move in the soil very much so if you want it for a starter fertilizer, you need to put it closer to the mouth of a corn plant.”
Plenty of emphasis was placed on strip till and the banding of nutrients. Since the cost of dry fertilizer is so high, everyone is trying to farm smarter and use less fertilizer as a broadcast application.
“We are putting it in bands and making more money on a per-acre basis,” observes Webster.
Row width in corn is another method being evaluated. According to Webster, farmers have been doing 30-inch rows for 50 some years now. The researchers are trying 15 and 20-inch rows to see what happens.
“The conversation with growers about that is really fun.”
Everything is strip tilled at the PTI Farm because that is how they are banding nutrients and it works for both corn and soybeans. Webster is excited about what 2023 has to offer.
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