. Agri-news. Agriculture. March 26,2001 - page 2 normal spring, fanners may want to be cautious in selection of their target yields to reduce the level of risk. To determine the economically optimum rate of N fertilizer, farmers need to know the cost of N fertilizer and need to estimate the approximate value of each crop at harvest. "After a soil analysis has been completed, the economic analysis can begin," says McKenzie. "Alberta Agriculture's Agronomy Unit has developed fertilizer response charts for a number of crops for each of the major soil and climatic zones in Alberta.
. Agri-news. Agriculture. March 26,2001 - page 2 normal spring, fanners may want to be cautious in selection of their target yields to reduce the level of risk. To determine the economically optimum rate of N fertilizer, farmers need to know the cost of N fertilizer and need to estimate the approximate value of each crop at harvest. "After a soil analysis has been completed, the economic analysis can begin," says McKenzie. "Alberta Agriculture's Agronomy Unit has developed fertilizer response charts for a number of crops for each of the major soil and climatic zones in Alberta. Crop response to N fertilizer charts include crop yield increase with increasing rates of N fertilizer over a range of soil N levels in each soil zone. Farmers can access this information and determine economic rates of N fertilizer from a computer program called Alberta Farm Fertilizer Information Recommendation Manager (AFFIRM). The AFFIRM program also has fertilizer response information for a number of irrigated crops at three irrigation levels, from supplemental to ; The AFFIRM program can be downloaded from Alberta Agriculture's web site . To use the program, select the soil zone in question, input the soil test levels, the soil moisture level, the crop to be grown, the cost of N fertilizer and the expected value for the crop. The program will then develop charts from this information. Each value that is inputted can be changed to develop various scenarios, to fine tune and plan fertilizer rates. "It's important to note that expected yields are theoretical estimates from a number of years of research," adds McKenzie. "Rather than base the economic analysis on the expected yield, it is best to use the increments of yield increase. For example, when N fertilizer cost is $ and wheat is valued at $, a point of diminished returns is reached at an application rate of 30 lb N/ac. In these examples the economic rate is selected at a 2:1 ra
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