So in the edge case that urea doesn't land in Au this year:
Brainstorming strategies to reduce N requirement &/or increase yield under constrained N.
Is it a year to burn stubbles? Tillage (with what fuel!) ? What else?
@originalstinger I bought a mbp yesterday for cooch on a new block, its a 2 edged thing. Save on N but I worry using fuel plowing now that we might need to sow the crop
@ipaddockapps I recall you commented that after mouldboard plough or soil inversion you weren’t responsive to N for a couple years? Diesel cost to flip paddocks less than cost of nitrogen?
@ipaddockapps Can't remember specifics exactly, but I saw some numbers on here recently suggesting that with a heavy residue, burning stubble took the early season N balance from -20kg to +20kg N. Our something like that
@ipaddockapps Speedtilled wheat stubbles were the worst for early season N deficiency last year. With no rain before seeding it was a smorgasbord for bugs early in the season
@ipaddockapps We haven't done a full paddock burn for 13yrs. We're reluctantly going to burn a couple of wheat paddocks this year with high stubble loads and a few weeds that are going to barley
@nig_michael@coonan_laurie Theres an ideal pace for crops to grow at to make best use of the available season, so we are just talking really about engineering the crop to grow at that pace. Of course each season is different, but we each have a target pace.
Yield trials are the ultimate truth though
@ipaddockapps@coonan_laurie My brother in law said a few years ago he saw a wheat plant isolated in grass patch in December with massive tillers and still green in the heat, still going for gold. Competition pushes crops to their growing points faster, i want a little more control this year with uncertainty
@CasFarmerCD@James_Stacey_@Episode3net If legumes was a line ball decision last year, it becomes a robust one this year. System benefit etc remains the same, but N cost is gone and relative yield to alternatives improves if the N never arrives!
@James_Stacey_@Episode3net So, how long will N be disrupted for...?
Is a legume this year at break even going to be worth lots if urea is $2000/t next year? Could that happen? Will wheat then be $500/t and we can pay $2k for urea. Or will it all settle down...
@nig_michael@coonan_laurie When I grow hybrid its usually around 2.5kgha. But to get the extra yield potential possible with 7.5" rows you need to keep the in row density the same. So that equates to 1.6kgha on 12" rows for the same plant spacing in row
@ipaddockapps@coonan_laurie What’s your sowing rate with hybrid canola @ipaddockapps ? This was the year i had intended to bump it up a little, maybe to two Kg. Cross-sowing the winner though.
Different legumes provide N differently the following year (Rob Harrison et al HALO)
In Nanson HALO site Lupin manure provided much later season N than other manures species.
Banging bare bones lupins in for manure in 2026 may help businesses recover with more certainty in 2027