Understanding the nutrient content of cover crops can be challenging because it depends on many different factors. Grasping everything that could affect the nutrient value of cover crops can be like trying to drink from a fire hose, says Jim Hoorman, but there are ways to simplify and understand how to determine what nutrients cover crops deliver to cash crops.

Andrew Focht is still trying to figure out the best fertilizer rates for his farm, but his goals are clear. He wants to slash his fertilizer bill by 25% and use only 0.8 pounds of N per bushel, which is about 0.3-0.4 pounds less than he’s used in years past.

Efficiency is the name of the game for Shawn Olsen, who farms 4,500 acres with his dad, David, brother, Kelly and son, Carter, and runs a custom strip-till business that covers up to 25,000 acres in east central South Dakota.

In a low commodity price environment, reconsidering phosphorus and potassium fertilization rates might provide an avenue for lowering input costs.

On this episode of the Strip-Till Farmer podcast, brought to you by DigiFarm, Andrew Focht takes us inside his strip-till operation in Villisca, Iowa. He explains how his strategies are helping him increase N efficiency and cut back on P and K by 30% while increasing yields to over 300 bushels per acre on some fields.

Independent on-farm researcher Marion Calmer checks in from Alpha, Ill., with a preview of his 2024 National Strip-Tillage Conference presentation, “Did Strip-Till Solve My Nutrient Stratification Problems?”