> production potential, focusing on the most productive areas.” The CHS YieldPoint system enables smarter soil sampling, says CHS Shipman Agronomy Manager Regan Wear. “By sampling more intensely in areas of the ﬁ eld that fall outside average results, you can often get a clearer picture of what’s diff erent in those soils and why.” In-season plant tissue testing conﬁ rms growing crops have necessary nutrients, says Brase. “We rarely need to make an in-season rescue treatment, but use the results to identify occasional nutrient deﬁ ciencies.” Customizing Soil Solutions In the southwestern Illinois trade territory of CHS Shipman, there’s considerable soil type variability, even within the same ﬁ eld, says Huebener. “Kyle’s willingness to regularly run strip trials on his farm — varying not just fertilizer rates but hybrids and seeding rates — has helped us to see how we can better customize inputs within a ﬁ eld to get the best yields and biggest returns.” “BY SAMPLING MORE INTENSELY IN AREAS OF THE FIELD THAT FALL OUTSIDE AVERAGE RESULTS, YOU CAN OFTEN GET A CLEARER PICTURE.” For many growers, focusing on nitrogen effi ciency is a good place to start, says Huebener. “Running ﬁ eld tests in corn where we double the nitrogen rate in one strip and use a half rate in another strip is a good way to see how much the crop is actually using,” he says. “It’s another source of information we can use to ﬁ ne-tune application rates. The nitrogen-to-corn ratio [pounds of nitrogen required to produce one bushel of corn] in Kyle’s ﬁ eld is about 0.9, which is good, but we hope to whittle that down another tenth or two in the coming seasons.” With today’s tight crop margins, too many growers are focused on reducing input costs when they should be making sure they’re getting the best return from their inputs, says Huebener. “Sometimes that means cutting nitrogen rates for some parts of the ﬁ eld and nudging them higher in other areas. Variable-rate application is the best way to achieve that by applying the right amount in the right place. “We also regularly use the Maximum Return to N calculator to determine the most effi cient nitrogen rates for corn,” he adds. When it comes to choosing the right time to apply, he says many growers, including Brase, are waiting until spring to apply nitrogen, especially on highly erodible areas. “Those who make fall applications are being careful to do it when soil temperatures are right,” says Huebener. “We talk a lot about helping growers become more effi cient producers from a financial standpoint, but improved effi ciency should also mean they’re being better stewards of their land and improving soil for the long term,” she says. “That’s why CHS supports The Fertilizer Institute and the 4R Nutrient Stewardship program.” “FROM A NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT STANDPOINT, STRIP-TILLAGE MIGHT BE THE BEST OPTION.” The trends toward reduced tillage and increased use of cover crops are important options that more growers should consider as they take a more holistic approach to farming, she says. “There’s still a lot being learned about how to manage cover crops in corn, for instance, but it’s another management tool for improving soil health and water-holding capacity over time.” Results from an eight-year study coordinated by Iowa Learning Farms with the help of a dozen farmer-cooperators show cover crops hold promise for both corn and soybeans. The farmers reported that, in 55 of 59 sites, properly managed cover crops had little to no negative eff ect on corn and soybean yields and actually increased soybean yield in seven site-years and corn yield in two. Using cover crops to scavenge unused nitrogen and phosphorus makes them a valuable tool for minimizing nutrient loss, says Shifting Cultural Practices Technology has been the major driver of improved nutrient management, but shifting cultural practices plays an important role as well, says Mary VanderBeek, CHS Country Operations sales development manager. Wear. “In our area, the two most common reasons growers use cover crops are to help clean up nitrogen remaining after a corn crop, which reduces nitrate runoff , especially in tiled ﬁ elds, and to minimize soil erosion, which is one of the biggest sources of phosphorus loss into waterways.” For that reason, growing winter wheat after corn on about 10 percent of total acres has become part of the Brase Farms rotation. “Oats has also become a common cover crop to seed with sugar beets,” says VanderBeek. “Oats grow quickly and provide some protection against strong winds that can twist off the tops of newly emerging beet seedlings.” Shifts in tillage practices continue to take place. According to the most recent Census of Agriculture in 2012, about 32 percent of U.S. cropland acres were no-tilled, 22 percent received conservation or minimum tillage and 46 percent were conventionally tilled. In the CHS Shipman area, Wear estimates about 20 percent of acres are no-till, 50 percent are minimum-till and 30 percent have conventional tillage. “Our growers are deﬁ nitely trying to reduce the number of tillage trips they make, and minimum-or no-till works fairly well here ahead of soybeans,” he says. “I expect the number of conventional-tilled acres could drop more in the coming years, with more moving to minimum-tillage systems. From a nutrient management standpoint, strip-tillage might be the best option for our part of the country, since some phosphorus incorporation helps reduce runoff and that’s a concern here.” Q LEARN MORE at tfi.org. 14 MAY/JUNE 2017 CHSINC.COM