Fertility Planning Begins Now

It doesn’t seem possible that we are approaching the first of August. With many fungicide, insecticide, and foliar feed applications wrapping up, the 2026 crop is pretty much left to Mother Nature and timely rainfalls to complete development. While there is still plenty of growing season left, now is the time to start looking ahead to the 2027 crop year. It may be a little early to purchase fertilizer for next season, but it is certainly not too early to begin making a plan using what we have learned from this year's crop.

There are many benefits to applying anhydrous ammonia, phosphorus, potassium, and micronutrients in the fall. Soil conditions are often drier after harvest, which means less compaction from application equipment. Any compaction that does occur also has the opportunity to loosen over the winter through repeated freeze and thaw cycles. Planning ahead now also gives you time to review soil tests, evaluate yield maps, and make fertility decisions before the fall rush begins.

Fields that receive fertilizer in the fall are often ready to plant as soon as spring weather allows. You are not waiting on fertilizer application during one of the busiest times of the year, allowing you to get into the field sooner when planting conditions are right. Beating the spring rush can provide several advantages over waiting until everyone is trying to get fertilizer applied at the same time.

Phosphorus and potassium have time to bind with the soil before the heavy spring rains arrive, helping reduce nutrient runoff and keeping more fertilizer where your crop can use it. Those nutrients also have additional time to become available for plant uptake early in the growing season. That early availability helps support root development and strong early-season growth.

Historically, fall fertilizer applications have often been more economical than spring applications. Lower application costs and better scheduling can help stretch fertilizer dollars, which is especially important in today's challenging farm economy. Every opportunity to improve efficiency can have a positive impact on profitability.

Fall fertilizer has many advantages across most of our trade territory. Talk with your local SFG agronomist about building a fertility plan for your operation, including variable-rate applications using soil tests and yield potential data. Making a plan now can help position your acres for a successful 2027 growing season.