Fertilizer, one of the major costs in crop production, changes more in price each year than many other input costs. Table 1 illustrates these fluctuating prices as well as how the price for the source of nitrogen fertilizer changes from year to year.

Crop producers can reduce their fertilizer costs by selecting the most economical source for the fertilizer they need. Table 1 lists the fertilizer costs used each year in the Nebraska Extension Crop Production Budgets (EC872) since 1994. These prices were gathered the previous fall so they may vary from the costs in late winter or spring. (View this year's Nebraska Crop Production Budgets in the Economics and Marketing section of CropWatch.)

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To obtain the maximum return on your fertilizer investment, always

• do a good job of soil sampling,
• have the soil samples tested, and
• make realistic yield goals.

Use the Nebraska Extension Circular Fertilizer Suggestions for Corn (EC117) to determine fertilizer rates, and then have or do fertilizer applications that make maximum use of the fertilizer applied.

Other Nebraska Extension resources with fertilizer suggestions include:

• Using Starter Fertilizers for Corn, Grain Sorghum and Soybeans (G361)
• Nutrient Management Suggestions for Grain Sorghum (G1669)
• Fertilizing Winter Wheat, (EC 143)
• Nutrient Management for Agronomic Crops in Nebraska (EC 155), order the 159-page printed book or download the free PDF
• Soil Management to Optimize Crop Production in Nebraska, a section of CropWatch with the Corn Nitrogen Recommendation Calculator, the Winter Wheat Fertilizer Calculator, information and photos to assess nutrient deficiency, and more.