Fertilizer Decisions Play a Critical Role in Farm Profitability
Agricultural producers make thousands of decisions each year that directly impact their farm’s bottom line, and few choices carry as much weight as fertilizer decisions. With rising input costs and tighter margins, making the right fertility investments can be the difference between profit and loss. To learn more about what producers should focus on, we caught up with Reid Abbott with AgriLiquid, who shared insights on building an effective, balanced fertility strategy.
Abbott emphasized that while nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium often dominate fertilizer conversations, they are only part of the bigger picture when it comes to soil and plant health.
“You know a lot of guys historically have just focused on N, P, and K, but really when you look at the overall soil, there’s 17 essential plant nutrients out there, and if any one of them or multiple ones of them are out of balance, that N, P, and K that we’re investing in is going to not get us the most bang for our buck, and so we need to make sure just like in human health or animal health, plant health requires a good balanced diet, and so we’ve got to make sure by taking that soil test that we’re covering all of our bases there.”
According to Abbott, soil testing is the foundation of sound fertilizer decisions. Without understanding what nutrients are present—and which ones are lacking—producers risk overspending on inputs that won’t deliver maximum return. Balanced soil nutrition helps ensure that applied fertilizer is actually utilized by the crop, rather than wasted.
However, Abbott acknowledged that soil test results can be overwhelming, especially when producers receive pages of data and nutrient levels that aren’t always easy to interpret.
“After that, I mean, you know, a lot of producers get that sheet back and there’s just a lot of numbers on the page and it’s hard to understand, and so I would really recommend finding that trusted advisor, sit down with them, you know, go through that, make sure that that next dollar, every dollar you spend as you’re building that fertility budget is a dollar that’s going to be the dollar that returns you the most on that investment at that point.”
Working with a knowledgeable agronomist or trusted advisor can help producers turn soil test data into actionable plans. By prioritizing nutrients that are limiting yield and correcting imbalances, farmers can stretch their fertilizer dollars further and improve long-term soil health.
Ultimately, Abbott says fertilizer decisions shouldn’t be made in isolation. A comprehensive approach—grounded in soil testing, balanced plant nutrition, and expert guidance—helps ensure every dollar invested in fertility delivers the strongest possible return for today’s agricultural producers.
Audio Reporting by Dale Sandlin for Southeast AgNet.