. Agri-news. Agriculture. C A. March 26,2001 Can Alberta farmers cut back on fertilizer this spring? As a result of rising energy costs, fanners across the prairies are facing significantly increased fertilizer prices this spring, particularly nitrogen (N) fertilizer. The questions many fanners minds are asking are: how much fertilizer can they afford this year? and can fertilizer be cut back this spring? "In southern Alberta, soil moisture conditions are very dry soil over much of the region," says Ross H. McKenzie, research scientist - soil fertility and crop nutrition with Alberta
. Agri-news. Agriculture. C A. March 26,2001 Can Alberta farmers cut back on fertilizer this spring? As a result of rising energy costs, fanners across the prairies are facing significantly increased fertilizer prices this spring, particularly nitrogen (N) fertilizer. The questions many fanners minds are asking are: how much fertilizer can they afford this year? and can fertilizer be cut back this spring? "In southern Alberta, soil moisture conditions are very dry soil over much of the region," says Ross H. McKenzie, research scientist - soil fertility and crop nutrition with Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Lethbridgc. "In the summer and fall of 2000, rainfall in southern Alberta was well below nonnal, resulting in below normal crop yields. This means that plant nutrient removal from soil was also well below normal and nutrient carry over levels in soil are higher than normal. With the rising cost of fertilizer, below normal soil moisture conditions and higher than normal nutrient levels in soil, dryland farmers in southern Alberta may be able to cut back on nitrogen ; The starting point to determine how much fertilizer is needed is to soil sample fields as early as possible in the spring to determine plant available nutrients and observe soil moisture conditions in each field. Soil samples should be taken at the 0-6,6-12 and 12-24 inch (0-15,15-30 and 30-60 cm) depths for nutrient levels. Deeper samples should be taken to determine subsoil moisture to 36 inches (90 cm). Once soil analysis is complete, farmers can work with their fertilizer dealer, industry agronomist or Alberta Agriculture crop specialist to evaluate both soil nutrient and soil moisture levels. After looking at stored soil moisture and average growing season precipitation, probable target crop yields can be estimated. For example, if a field with a clay loam texture has 12 inches of very moist soil, then there is about two inches of stored soil water.
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