Ohio State seeking volunteers for fertilizer trials

WOOSTER, Ohio — Ohio State is looking for farmer cooperators and crop consultants to help conduct on-farm field trials for the 2017 field season.

The 2017 season will likely be the last year of field trials before Ohio fertilizer recommendations are updated and/or revised.

Updating these recommendations will require a collective effort from numerous OSU extension personnel, crop consultants and farmer cooperators.

Trials

The trials will focus on nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium and sulfur in corn, soybean and wheat with data being collected from farms across the state to determine economically-optimum fertilization rates to maximize profitability.

OSU Extension personnel can work directly with farmers or through contract crop consultants and agronomists to conduct the trials and collect data.

Farmers can choose which nutrient they’d like to work with and will have a large degree of flexibility in the plot layout and applied rates. Funding is available to compensate both farmers and crop consultants.

P K S trials

Phosphorus, potassium and sulfur will involve either applying fertilizer or no fertilizer to replicated strip plots — the farmer can decide the rate and source.

Nitrogen trials

A full nitrogen rate will be applied in replicated strips. A zero nitrogen treatment is highly desired, but optional.

Growers who include a fully replicated zero nitrogen treatment will be compensated extra to account for yield loss.

All trials

• Data to be collected in all trials include:
• Soil sample before planting
• Leaf nutrient analysis at early reproductive stage (R1)
• Grain yields at harvest and nutrient analysis of grain
• Short questionnaire about soil management

For information visit go.osu.edu/fert-trials or contact Steve Culman at culman.2@osu.edu or 330-822-3787.