Farmers across North America are struggling with higher nitrogen prices and Missouri farmer Dustin Sherwood is no different. With 5,000 acres of corn and beans, Sherwood began looking for a way to reduce his fertilizer bill.
The changes he made in 2005 shaved 25 percent from his annual fertilizer budget. It required an investment and a total rethinking of his fertilizer program, but he feels it was worth the trouble.
“It makes me more efficient by saving time and money.”
Although he considered a number of computerized applicators priced from $25,000 to $75,000, he eventually decided the best tool for his farm was an applicator that cost only $12,000.
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The aNH3 Equaply Anhydrous Delivery System he bought allows a field speed of 15 km-h, nearly double the average applicator speed. The higher speed lets him apply 400 acres a day and the computer control allows even spacing with low variations between rows.
Before buying the Equaply, he had not realized that some anhydrous outlets put out only a third as much nitrogen as others. The overall rate per acre might be perfect, but row-to-row variation could be major.
When anhydrous rates are reduced it becomes more important that each knife deliver the same amount of product. The Equaply tackles that challenge with orifices in the line down to the knives, which keep the anhydrous ammonia in a liquid state until it is divided equally among the knives.
Because all rows receive equal amounts of anhydrous, Sherwood no longer adds extra fertilizer as insurance against poor distribution, resulting in less anhydrous per field.
The Equaply system fits well with producers who want to fine-tune their fertilizer program. It can be equipped with an individual pressure gauge for each knife line so the operator can tell at a glance when a line is plugged.
Sherwood’s next step was to reduce nitrogen loss by stopping all fall applications. His new system has a pump to boost the pressure of the anhydrous coming from the nurse tank.
This means he does not need to reduce ground speed when the temperature is below freezing and he can apply consistently over a wide range of tank pressures. This ability to work in cold weather lets him get onto the fields in early spring.
With liquid anhydrous flowing to all knives and only a small gas coolant stream on the side, the system can be used for side dressing because the application tool no longer needs to be a knife. This also allows smaller amounts of anhydrous per row if desired.
He also paid $40,000 for two 12,000 gallon tanks and his own pump. Although he has to refill the tanks throughout the spring application window, he figures he is still money ahead because he eliminated the middle man.
“All of these things together have helped me cut 25 percent,” Sherwood said.
