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A blind side-dress could be in order this spring

A short window for spring fieldwork could force some farmers out of their comfort zone.

Pioneer agronomist Jay Zielske says excessive moisture in many parts of the Corn Belt limited tillage and fertilizer applications last fall.

If conditions are limiting this spring, he tells Brownfield a BLIND side-dress application of nitrogen might be beneficial.

“In other words, get the crop planted and perhaps even before the crop has emerged, go in and knife in that anhydrous ammonia between the rows.”

He says that’s very doable with today’s guidance technology.

“Ideally (use) an RTK-type of system, which numerous people have. That makes it that much easier to make sure you are 100 percent on track as far as minimizing the risk of ripping up or damaging that row of planted corn.”

Zielske, who covers south-central Minnesota, still prefers applying anhydrous ahead of the planter.  Ideally, he says to wait five to seven days after the application to plant.  He recommends knifing the nitrogen five inches down and at an angle to avoid having a row of corn lying directly on top of the anhydrous ammonia track.