One Way or Another, Side-dress with Urea
May 09, 2022
As planting ramps up quickly in this late spring, you will need to make efficient choices regarding side-dressing urea: either custom application or self-applying with a pull-type spreader.
If you choose custom application services, Federated’s high-tech, self-propelled equipment will handle your application. Be sure to communicate your custom application needs as early as possible in what promises to be a hectic planting season.
Side/top-dressing when corn is 6-12 inches tall is an effective means of making the nitrogen (N) available to the crop. “We need a lot of N … since it’s a mobile nutrient,” said Matt Kurtz, Federated’s Rush City location manager.
High fertilizer prices add to the value of split-applying N; splitting N applications makes it more efficient for the plant to take up the nutrient – as opposed to “putting [N] all out there and hoping there’s enough for the whole season,” said Kurtz.
There’s more control in split applications. “N is a big investment; you can manage some risk with split applying,” he said. Kurtz noted that adding a treatment like Factor® can help prevent volatilization to further protect the N (see Factor info).
For growers who chose to rent one of Federated’s pull-behind spreaders, to “save a few bucks,” every Federated location has one or two spreaders available. “Federated has been reinvesting back into [this area of] the business,” said Kurtz, to provide updated equipment for growers who prefer to do applications themselves (vs. custom application).
All growers will benefit from the “good supply” of urea. “It’s still tight,” he said, but “we’ve secured enough to make sure everyone can get what they want in season.” He noted that many growers pre-bought their urea, too.
Be timely in ordering custom side/top-dressing services or to reserve the pull-behind spreaders. Talk to your Federated Agronomist to keep spring planting and fertilizer moving along.
If you choose custom application services, Federated’s high-tech, self-propelled equipment will handle your application. Be sure to communicate your custom application needs as early as possible in what promises to be a hectic planting season.
Side/top-dressing when corn is 6-12 inches tall is an effective means of making the nitrogen (N) available to the crop. “We need a lot of N … since it’s a mobile nutrient,” said Matt Kurtz, Federated’s Rush City location manager.
High fertilizer prices add to the value of split-applying N; splitting N applications makes it more efficient for the plant to take up the nutrient – as opposed to “putting [N] all out there and hoping there’s enough for the whole season,” said Kurtz.
There’s more control in split applications. “N is a big investment; you can manage some risk with split applying,” he said. Kurtz noted that adding a treatment like Factor® can help prevent volatilization to further protect the N (see Factor info).
For growers who chose to rent one of Federated’s pull-behind spreaders, to “save a few bucks,” every Federated location has one or two spreaders available. “Federated has been reinvesting back into [this area of] the business,” said Kurtz, to provide updated equipment for growers who prefer to do applications themselves (vs. custom application).
All growers will benefit from the “good supply” of urea. “It’s still tight,” he said, but “we’ve secured enough to make sure everyone can get what they want in season.” He noted that many growers pre-bought their urea, too.
Be timely in ordering custom side/top-dressing services or to reserve the pull-behind spreaders. Talk to your Federated Agronomist to keep spring planting and fertilizer moving along.