Corn SplitN Decision Support Tool Now Available in All 12 Corn Belt States

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Now farmers and advisors in all 12 Corn Belt states can use the free Corn-Split N decision support tool, developed by the USDA-funded Useful to Useful climate initiative. The tool helps farmers and advisors manage nitrogen application for efficiency and profit. Corn yield response data from seven new states, together with statistical modeling of days suitable for field work in those states, has recently been added.

Farmers in Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Missouri, Kansas, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio and Michigan can get customized results based on their planting and fertilization schedule, local costs and available equipment. A summarized fieldwork table and crop calendar makes it easy for farmers to see how schedule adjustments might affect their ability to fertilize on time.

The tool takes into account estimates of corn development stages based on location, selected planting date and accumulated corn growing degree day (GDD) for the year. GDD accumulations and associated corn growth beyond the current day are estimates based on the historical 30-year (1981-2010) average GDD accumulation for a location.

“Studies show that split N applications to corn can improve profitability,” said Ray Massey, professor of agricultural and applied economics at the University of Missouri. “But it can also increase risk.” Massey says this tool helps farmers understand how to use split-N applications for maximizing crop yields and minimizing environmental damage. Check out the tool here: https://mygeohub.org/groups/u2u/splitn.

Corn Split N is part of the U2U suite of tools created to help farmers and agricultural advisers manage increasingly variable weather and climate conditions across the Corn Belt. For more information, go to www.AgClimate4u.org.

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    This entry was posted in Decision Tools for Farmers, Nitrogen Management by Lynn Laws. Bookmark the permalink.

    About Lynn Laws

    Communications Specialist for the Sustainable Corn project, an innovative research project in the US Corn-belt. Through research, education, outreach and partnerships with farmers, our team of scientists, from 10 universities in the upper Midwest, seeks to identify and advance farmer practices and public policies that increase Midwestern crop resilience and adaptability to a warming climate, while minimizing environmental impacts and maintaining or increasing farm profits.

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