Since 2021, The Illinois Fertilizer & Chemical Association (IFCA) and the Illinois Council on Best Management Practices (I-CBMP) has developed and conducted the Illinois Ag Retail Survey.
The goal is to collect information on fertilizer practices in Illinois and to report agricultural metrics tracked by the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy (INLRS), and it mirrors an existing survey in Iowa created and performed by the Iowa Nutrient Research and Education Council (INREC) to track agricultural practices in Iowa.
The Illinois Ag Retail Survey has had two successful years of accumulating data, accounting for the 2022 and 2023 growing seasons.
State survey highlights from 2023:
- A total of 922 fields were surveyed, exceeding the sample size goal of 500 fields.
- Both small and large farms participated in the survey with the median size of field and farm operation being 77 acres and 1000 acres.
About Nitrogen:
- Corn fertilizer N rate averaged across the state was 197 lbs/A with 85% of the fields under a corn-soybean crop rotation.
- Maximum Return To Nitrogen (MRTN) use for determining fertilizer N rate increased to 18% from 12% in 2022. The MRTN calculator provides a method to calculate nitrogen application guidelines based on selected prices of nitrogen and corn directly from recent research data.
- Entire application of fertilizer N occurring in the fall decreased to 16% (21% in 2022).
- Entire application of fertilizer N occurring in the spring preplant was 27%.
- Split fertilizer N applied as spring preplant and sidedress was 16%.
- Anhydrous ammonia application in the fall was 54% with 97% use of a nitrification inhibitor
About Phosphorus:
- Soil sampling to determine P levels was 86% and commercial P applied was 83%.
- Variable Rate Technology (VRT) of fertilizer P was 43%. Fertilizer P application occurring annually was 61%.
- Fertilizer P rate for Mono-ammonium phosphate (MAP) and di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) were 151 and 156 lbs/A (nonVRT acres).
Other Data Collected
- Cover crops planted was approximately at 10% representing 2,136,331 acres of total cropland.
- Highest ranked regions of cover cropping were 9, 1, and 3 whereas regions 5 and 7 were lowest.
- No-till was used on 40% of soybean acres and 22% of corn acres, with region 1 ranking highest for both crops (based on no-till in the spring).
- Manure was only applied on 5% of corn acres.
The Illinois Ag Retail Survey collects information on crop rotation, tillage practices, fertilizer rates and practices, cover crop usage and soil testing practices. IFCA was awarded funding for the survey through a grant from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s (IL EPA) Gulf Hypoxia Program in May 2024. Data collected from the survey is submitted to IL EPA to evaluate agricultural practices throughout the state over time to help track progress towards the long-term goals of the INLRS.
Survey protocols developed and executed ensure all locations, fields and grower information is collected anonymously and selected at random.
The survey results verify that farmers are using fertilizer rates consistent with the recommendations in the University of Illinois Agronomy Handbook. Additionally, survey results indicate continued farmer adoption of conservation efforts such as cover cropping.
