Tissue tests, micronutrients, biostrips, and balanced crop nutrition — RealAg LIVE! with Aaron Stevanus

On this Thursday edition of the RealAg LIVE! Q and A guest Aaron Stevanus, technical sales manager with Mosaic Company, joins host Shaun Haney for a lively back and forth about all things crop nutrition, including some fun props for extra flair.

On this Q and A you’ll hear:

• Why that first drink of water a corn or soybean seed takes can’t be cold
• Even in a tough year, why investing in fertility still makes cents (see what we did there?)
• Can we do a better job managing soil fertility? Absolutely, and it starts with more soil testing
• The importance of planning crop nutrition with a focus on balanced nutrition, your own on-farm average yields, and standard removal rates
• Don’t undervalue your agronomist! Interpreting soil tests is part science, part art
• Are three crops in rotation really diverse? Western Canada says, neener neener neener we win!
• Do bio strips with tillage or oilseed radish work? Seemed to work really well, Stevanus says, but the degradation of the radish can attract insect feeding early in the season, creating aa higher chance of insect feeding on the corn seed. Give it a whirl! Just not along the road.
• Micronutrients, the N uptake curve, and late-season demand. Remember the mobile vs. immobile nutrients in the plant. Boron is harder to move, for example. Nitrogen is the other end of the spectrum, as it moves really easily to new growth. When thinking about micros, think about distribution in the soil, duration of use (when it’s needed through the season), and the total amount of daily use….in that rapid growth stage corn will take up 9 lb of K and 16 granules of boron per acre in a DAY.
• Is tissue testing worth it? It’s a snapshot of what’s going on at a point in time, but what’s your action plan? Is there really a value? Work that out first.

RealAg LIVE! goes every Tuesday and Thursday across our social media channels!