Nitrogen (N) fertilizer has risen dramatically this spring.
Key Strategies to Reduce Costs
1. Credit All N Sources - Be sure to account for:
· Residual soil nitrate through proper soil testing procedures (0 to 24-inch soil samples). This is especially important in areas where soil nitrate is not prone to leaching and in low-yielding or drought-stressed fields from the previous growing season. Grain sorghum is particularly efficient at using residual soil N in the profile. A profile soil nitrate test is a low-cost ($12-15) way to make the biggest impact on reducing N application.
· Previous legume crops
· Soil organic matter content
· Manure applications: on average across manure types, 50% of the N is available the first year, 30% the second, and the final 20% the third year after application.
· Irrigation water
Detailed information on how to adjust N rate rec’s is available in the K-State Extension publication “Soil Test Interpretations and Fertilizer Recommendations in Kansas”: https://bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/soil-test-interpretations-and-fertilizer-recommendations_MF2586.pdf
For more information about soil sampling guidelines and sample submission to K-State’s Soil Testing Laboratory: https://www.agronomy.k-state.edu/outreach-and-services/soil-testing-lab/
2. Review and Refine Yield Goals - N fertilizer recommendations should be based on realistic yield expectations, given the weather outlook, current soil water status, crop rotation, soil productivity, and management history. N recommendations based on a “yield goal” that reflects the very upper end of probability will most likely result in overapplication of N and thus excess costs for the producer.
The K-State Fertilizer Rec’s Excel Workbook is a good resource that lets you enter your soil test information and different yield goals to better understand differences in fertilizer rates based on those goals. This Excel spreadsheet can be downloaded from the lab’s web site.
3. Fertilizer Application Practices - Split N applications. Using delayed or split nitrogen applications on irrigated fields, particularly on sandy soils, often improves N use efficiency by reducing the potential for loss. Use remote sensing to support in-season N decisions, particularly for corn. Applying closer to when the plant needs it helps with the use efficiency – i.e., corn in the V6 to R2 stages. Fertigation of N is a very efficient way to “spoon-feed” N requirements in season and also allows for adjustment if yield potential changes in either direction.
Fertilizer placement in high-residue systems, such as no-till, placing fertilizer N below the residue or dribbling N solution in concentrated bands on the soil surface can improve N use efficiency by reducing N loss.
For grain sorghum, a recent K-State study in Hays found that subsurface application of 60 lb/acre urea produced yields comparable to broadcast applications of about 85 lb N/acre, resulting in a 25 lb N/acre savings when N loss was minimized with placement below the surface.
Nitrogen stabilizers. These products don’t increase N supply, but they can reduce the amount of applied N that is lost before crop uptake. Think of these products as an N-loss insurance policy in situations where the risk of loss could be high.
· Urease inhibitors mitigate the conversion of urea to ammonia, leading to a loss of available N through ammonia volatilization. These are most effective when urea or UAN is surface-applied without incorporation, on fields with high residue levels (no-till or reduced-till), when temperatures are warm soon after application, and if there is no subsequent rainfall event to move the fertilizer into the soil following application.
· Nitrification inhibitors slow the conversion of ammonium to nitrate, helping reduce N loss through denitrification. These are most helpful in areas prone to denitrification, such as fine-textured soils and poorly drained areas. Eastern Kansas is typically at greater risk of denitrification than western Kansas.
Variable rate nitrogen. Fields with significant variability in soil texture, organic matter, or yield history are often good candidates for variable rate N applications.
Fertilizer Price Outlook for 2026 - a recent article by K-State Ag Economist Gregg Ibendahl provides more information on the fertilizer price outlook as spring planting has begun in Kansas: https://agmanager.info/production-economics/prices-and-price-forecasts/fertilizer-price-outlook-2026. Visit the AgManager.info website for related articles as well.
Stacy Campbell is a Crop Production Extension agent in the Cottonwood District (which includes Barton and Ellis counties) for K-State Extension. You can contact him by e-mail at scampbel@ksu.edu or by calling 785-628-9430.