Going on year four, the Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association has sought out to update information on how retailers across the state are putting effort into reducing nutrient loss and enhance water quality. This has become the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy, which is an in-depth look at the practices, products and processes retailers and farmers are using.
IFCA President KJ Johnson says the Illinois study was based on the similar effort in Iowa.
“We teamed up with our sister organization, the Iowa Agribusiness Association, to bring that over here to Illinois,” Johnson says. “We go ask those retailers what 10 different farmers are doing on their fields to get a great representation of what Illinois agriculture is doing on the nutrient loss—38 questions in all.”
He says it includes nitrogen, phosphates, tillage, cover crops and more.
Tracking the trends over time, Johnson says Illinois has been inclined to apply more anhydrous ammonia in the fall. The trend has been toward more spring applied nitrogen, and lower fall applied rates.
“Only about 16% of farmers are applying a full rate in the fall currently,” he says. “96% of responses say farmers are using an inhibitor with their fall application.”
Johnson says the trend of more split application is just one example of heightened stewardship to adjust the timing of application for greater plant uptake, and less environmental loss risk.
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