University of Wyoming
Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics
Farm Management Online Software

Fertilizer - How Much 
Can You Afford to Apply?

• Whether or not to fertilize the crop,
• What is the most economical level of fertilizer application, and
• What is the cheapest source of macro (and micro) nutrients.

   Crop Considered for Fertilization 
(choose one):

NITROGEN FERTILIZATION

Native Meadow Hay

Improved Grass Hay

Grass-Alfalfa Hay

Dryland Grass Pasture

Dryland Crested Wheatgrass

Garrison Creeping Foxtail

Corn for Silage

Irrigated Corn for Grain

Malting Barley

Wheat

Dryland Winter Wheat

Sugar Beets-Root Yield

Sugar Beets-Sucrose Yield

Garrison Creeping Foxtail

Your Data

     The worksheets at left are designed to help find the most economical level of fertilizer for the crop listed. Examples have been constructed for crops where commercial fertilizers are commonly applied. Some things to keep in mind as you use these tools:

• Fertilizer quantities must be entered in pounds of crop-available nutrient per acre. This will not be the same as pounds of fertilizer applied per acre.
      For example: 1 ton (2,000 lb.) of 46-0-0 fertilizer contains 46% nitrogen or 920 lbs. of nitrogen per ton of fertilizer.
  
  
• The first entry for fertilizer pounds applied will be zero pounds applied per acre and should have a corresponding yield value. This represents the crop yield with no additional fertilizer applied.
  
  
• Zero (0) should be entered for any fertilizer or yield values where additional data is not available.
  
  
• Fertilizer costs must be entered on a per pound of available nutrient applied basis. As per above, this will not be the same as cost per pound of fertilizer applied per acre.
     For example: 46-0-0 fertilizer at $180/ton yields 920 lb. of nitrogen at 19.57 cents/lb.
  
  
• Crop harvest costs should include all costs associated with harvesting an additional unit of crop. For example, swath, bale, and stack for a crop of hay.