Family, finances and a little bit of faith. These are a few of the things it takes to invest in the next generation of crops and the next generation of farmers. As family farmers themselves, Nate Bloss and Taylor Braungardt know investing in inputs such as fertilizer is essential to maintaining the land and the opportunity for young agriculturalists to return to the operation.
“Fertilizer is as essential as the seed and the soil,” said Nate Bloss, farm er from Fulton, Missouri. “You have to be willing to invest in your crops.”
Bloss works as an adjuvant and application specialist for Rosens Inc., a wholesale distributor of chemicals servicing retailers throughout the Midwest. Bloss and his wife also operate a generational farm raising cattle, corn and beans.
With a little bit of faith and leveraging smart fertilizer practices, the Bloss family yielded 109.08 bushels per acre in 2022, making them the District 5 Missouri Soybean Association Yield Contest winner and first runner-up in the state.
When starting his fertilizer journey, Bloss had a goal to reach 100 bushels per acre, and through strategic application, he was able to exceed expectations. For Bloss, utilizing foliar fertilizers and energy sources was integral in supplementing his crop and achieving triple-digit yields.
“My main focus with my fertilizer program was to allow soybean acres to generate as much net profit as a corn acre,” said Bloss. “My approach was from a profitability standpoint, and I decided to test it out by treating my 50-acre field all at the same time with same amount of fertilizer in each acre.”
The objective of fertilizer is to maximize yield, while ensuring a healthy crop by supplying the right balance of nutrients to the soil. Without fertilizers, the soil would be depleted, and crops would struggle to survive. Some of the most common fertilizers include nitrogen (N), phos- phorous (P) and potassium (K).
The Economics of Agronomy
In the fall of 2021, farmers saw significant increases in fertilizer prices with some products more than tripling in cost. The fertilizer spike was due to many factors including an international war, limited workforce and infrastructure, high energy costs, increased global demand and agricultural commodity prices, and a lack of competition in the fertilizer industry. Being a major importer of fertilizer, the U.S. is often reliant on foreign fertilizer to meet farmers’ needs.
“While prices are increasing, it doesn’t change the need for fertilizer. Take the time to do the math and find out what you need to produce the crop you want,” said Bloss. “As farmers, we have to figure out how to maximize fertilizer use so we are spending money effectively and efficiently.”
To ensure the investment in fertilizer is financially sound, Bloss often collaborates with Braungardt Ag Services in Bowling Green, Missouri. Braungardt Ag Services is a family-owned business and has served farmers across Missouri and surrounding states for more than 10 years.
Braungardt Ag offers a wide array of agricultural products from crop-protection chemicals, multiple seed brands of corn, soybeans and small seeds. Along-side inputs, the agribusiness also offers fertilizer and custom application services.
Together, the Braungardts address soil needs with various nutrient ratios to increase water infiltration, soil structure and provide a balance of minerals for soil biology to thrive.
“One thing a lot of people miss is the role fertilizer plays in soil health. Most farmers only think of the fertilizer they need based merely on what their grain removes,” Taylor Braungardt, co-owner of Braungardt Ag Services. “We address all of the farmer’s needs and think about how we can bring the field back to health in an economical way.”
Braungardt mentioned there are two major implications if a farmer doesn’t invest in fertilizer. The first is that lack of yield leads to lack of income per acre. Secondly, without fertilizer, plant health is poor and more prone to disease and insect pressure. He stated there is a lot more working against the farmer with-out the investment and will ultimately cost growers more in overall inputs.
Braungardt shared they have most of their planning meetings with farmers during the winter months or at the beginning of the year. The planning process focuses on addressing what issues they had in the summer and what weeds they were having trouble controlling.
“We try to tweak things based on the samples we collected to build a stronger program for the next spring,” said Braungardt. “Fertilizer is expensive, so we want to make sure we are only applying what is needed and prioritizing where to spend our fertilizer dollars.”
Sampling the Soil
To test their theories, the Braungardt brothers, along with their dad, Jeff, farm approximately 800 acres and use their land as a research platform to decide what they want to sell to growers. The past several years, the co-owners have invested in evaluating fertilizer and what it can do for yields. For them, the first step is grid sampling to see where the soil is lacking.
“The goal is to see how fast we are get-ting responses out of our crops,” said Braungardt. “Everyone thinks it takes years for soil to break down fertilizer, but we are seeing almost instant responses from our research fields.”
Braungardt Ag Services partners with the Perry Agricultural Laboratory Inc., also in Bowling Green, to do soil sampling and help farmers figure out their fertility to make informed decisions based on data
“Growers want to know what nutrients are lacking,” said Braungardt “Our soil samples help verify that and address the fertilizer needs for next year.”
Taking a complete soil sample is the first step to determining how to address soil needs. It’s important not only to ad-dress N, P and K, but also all the micro-nutrients.
Braungardt explained it doesn’t matter how much P and K a farmer is putting on their field if they have a zinc deficiency. Through their own farm trials, Braungardt has been able to increase yields up to 30 bu/acre in soybeans by simply addressing fertility needs.
“If you don’t have your base fertility right, the rest of your program is pointless,” stated Bloss. “You won’t get the results you want unless you apply the right product.”
Often fertilizer is based off a sample on a 2- or 2.5-acre grid for a four- to eight- year build. During that time, farmers try to get their overall soil health levels to the recommended rate.
Once the soil is balanced and minimum nutrient levels are met, then it’s important to maintain the soil’s health. Year after year, nutrients are pulled from the soil when growing the year’s crop. It is encouraged that farmers at a minimum reapply what was lost from the previous growing season.
“If a farmer is not looking to build his soil, it is at least recommended to apply the removal fertilizer back into the soil,” said Bloss. “Supplementing crops with foliar nutritional and energy products can be a good investment as well while building your base fertility levels.”
Plans to Prosper
Farmers like Bloss and the Braungardts are set-ting plans now to invest in 2023 crops. With prices unlikely to stabilize in the near future, a fertilizer program plan is essential to maximize return on investment. Talk to a seed adviser, chemical applicator or agronomist on how fertilizer can impact your operation in the New Year.
Plant health leads to pocket health. To invest in fertilizer is an investment not only in the next generation of crops, but also an investment in the next generation of agriculturalists.
“If you don’t have your base fertility right, the rest of your program is pointless. you won’t get the results you want unless you apply the right product” -Nate Bloss
