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Agronomist suggests farmers focus on plant nutrition

An agronomist says as agronomic practices change, plant nutrition will continue to be a key yield factor moving forward.

John McGillicuddy is an independent agronomist with McGillicuddy Corrigan Agronomics based in Iowa. He tells Brownfield although genetics, technology and agronomic practices are changing, plant nutrition should still be a top priority.

“Good plant nutrition is complicated. It is far beyond taking a soil test and putting on some fertilizer. It is about understanding when the plant has a period of critical need.”

He says technology like GPS and yield monitors allow farmers to measure data more often and really focus on profitability.

“Plant nutrients have always been costly, but the need for them as yields go higher and higher becomes more critical. You can always make the crop look better, you can frequently increase the yield, but until you do that where it is making a financial return 70% of the time or so, you’re really not accomplishing anything.”

He cautions farmers that it is possible to have high yields on a low soil test because of improvements in residue cycling and microbial activity.

Brownfield interviewed McGillicuddy at the Illinois Soybean Summit in Springfield.