Ferrie: Four Steps to Make Sure NH3 Applications Stay in the Ground
A lot of farmers are crossing the harvest finish line for 2023 and are preparing for fall tillage and anhydrous ammonia applications, says Ken Ferrie, Farm Journal Field Agronomist.
Here are four reminders to help you make sure the product stays put once applied, so it's available for corn next spring.
1. Ferrie says the first thing farmers need to evaluate is soil temperature. Make sure it is no more than 50 degrees Fahrenheit – and trending downward – before making anhydrous ammonia (NH3) applications this fall for the next year’s corn crop.
2. Second, evaluate your field moisture levels. Where Ferrie is based, in central Illinois, there is adequate moisture present this fall to seal NH3 applications and prevent leaking.
Soil moisture is needed to temporarily hold the ammonia, so it can become attached to clay or organic matter in the soil, according to Iowa State University Extension. If dry soils are cloddy and do not seal properly, the ammonia can be lost at injection, or it can seep through the large pores between clods after application.
3. Third, if your soils are dry, Ferrie offers some ‘tricks’ that can help decrease volatility if you don’t have adequate moisture.
“One trick to lessen the volatility is to decrease the rate of ammonia you’re putting on. Lower rates need less water,” he explains. “But you'll have to adjust the spring applications to square this rate back up.”
A second trick is to go deeper to expose the ammonia to more soil and more water.
“I know you retailers are cringing when I say that because, as I've been talking to some of you, this has been a bad year on shanks as a lot of guys are using the toolbars as subsoilers,” he notes.
4. Fourth, make sure sealing is taking place behind your application rig. Ferrie is usually most concerned about not having adequate moisture to seal applications. However, where too much moisture is present, he says the knives will smear in the soil.
“If you're too wet to seal, the bars will be gassing off right there at application, right behind the machine,” Ferrie says. “Just because you don't see smoke, don't assume it's sealing.”
He says to have someone walk behind the machine to sniff for ammonia leaks.
“My suggestion is once the toolbar goes by, someone needs to jump down on their knees and sniff the trench. If your trench sniffer is gagging for air, you're not sealing it,” he says.
Ferrie adds that if you are doing tillage or applying anhydrous where seagulls typically drop behind the tool to scoop up worms brought to the surface – but they’re leaving and not coming back – that’s another tip the soil is leaking ammonia.
“Gulls don’t like the smell of ammonia, either,” he says. “Bottom line, guys, if you find yourself holding your breath when you're switching tanks, the ground is leaking. Don't just keep running. Let's not screw up the 2024 crop just to get this marked off the to-do list,” he adds.
Save The Dates
Looking ahead, Ferrie lists some upcoming events you’ll want to consider placing on your calendar and participating in between now and early 2024.
Beyond The Basics Webinars, Nov. 28 - Dec. 12: Ferrie and his agronomic team at Crop-Tech Consulting are offering a five-part Beyond The Basics webinar series that will start the end of November and go through Dec. 12. To register, Crop-Tech customers can call the office to register. Non-customers can also participate by going to the website here and registering under the Beyond The Basics tab on the home page.
Virtual Winter Corn & Soybean College, Jan. 9, 2024: If you attended the event in person this summer, you will be automatically enrolled in the winter event.
“It will be a review of our two-day event, with some of the results now available from the plots that you were in this summer,” Ferrie says. “Those who didn't make it to the summer event can go to our website and click on the Virtual Winter College to get registered. The virtual event will have live question and answer sessions scattered through it, so you can ask your questions as we go through the material.”
Test Plot Harvest Is Wrapping Up
Ferrie has the results from a number of corn and soybean test plots planted here in the U.S. and in Canada as well. To hear that information, check out this week’s Boots In The Field podcast below:
Best Practice Do’s and Don’ts for Anhydrous Ammonia Applications
I-80 Harvest Tour: Widespread Drought in Minnesota Cuts Yields, But Corn Still Better Than Expected
Input Prices to Watch: Fertilizer, Crop Protection and Seed
Rabobank: Global Fertilizer Market To Provide Affordable Supply Through 2024
