Last year I seeded down a little field with a grazing mix for the steers. This year I put corn on it just to see what kind of nitrogen credit we could get. I did four little plots and each plot was the same hybrid same planting date same population the only difference was the first plot was 25% of a recommended nitrogen program then 50% and 75% then 100% on the last plot.
25%=80bu.
50%=86bu.
75%=106bu.
100%=96bu.
Nothing really earth-shattering here anybody that has ever done a legume or hauled cattle manure before would expect something like this. But the fact that we throw the term cover crops in there now everybody has to have proof.
On the cost of nitrogen applied the 25% would have made more money than the hundred percent program. That's not even taking into account borrowing money to pay for all the nitrogen the time to spread 100% vs 25%....
The 75 percent applied really shined! That one easily paid for the nitrogen and still got some money left over.
Now, if only we knew weather this was a coincidence or something to expect year after year!
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