Growers can best maintain fertility in forage fields to produce optimum grass and hay crops with a little help from the 4Rs of nutrient management, says Nutrien Premium Fertilizer Technologies senior agronomist Lyle Cowell.

He says that forage success really starts with the 4Rs and applying the right source of nutrients at the right rate, time and place. Cowell says, "moving the bar with forage is pretty simple because most forages see zero fertilizer. We just want to find a right rate that maximizes production. That's the first step."

When it comes to nutrient needs, Cowell says under-performing forages are almost always nitrogen deficient. The challenge then is to find the right rate for the forage stand, whether it be a pure stand or a mix such as bromegrass and alfalfa.

How can growers determine the right rate? "That's not easy to do," say Cowell. He notes that soil testing to determine recommendations can be challenging because perennial forages are always growing and absorbing water and nutrients. "When you take a soil test from a forage stand it almost always measures low levels of nutrients. So it can be hard to use a soil test alone to understand requirements."

There are other tools and insights growers can use to help peg nutrient needs, including understanding the soil type — some soils tend to be more deficient in specific nutrients. But for Cowell the best option is the "try it" solution. "If you've never applied nitrogen to your bromegrass stand, apply 40, 80 and 120 pounds in strips and see what is going to be the right rate for your crop and take it from there."


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