How To Deal With Fertilizer Delays

By: Successful Farming Staff

If you’re having difficulties obtaining nitrogen fertilizer (anhydrous particularly and sometimes urea) during this spring that’s compressed in many areas, you’re not alone.

“One farmer I talked to could only get one tank per day,” writes Dave Franzen, North Dakota State University (NDSU) Extension fertility specialist, in this week’s NDSU Crop & Pest Report. “The immediate result has been that some farmers are waiting to plant small grains and corn until fertilizer is spread or ammonia refill of tanks is possible.

“I have been worried that this might happen since early April,” continues Franzen. “ A normal North Dakota planting season is a month-long period of fertilizer application, with a couple weeks of the application prior to most planting. This season, not only was little pre-planting season fertilizing possible, but small grains and other early-season crop planting (sugar beet, small grains, canola), as well as later-season crop planting (corn, soybean) is all happening at the same time. This puts a logistical compression of a month of fertilizer demand into a week or two.