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Articles by Sarah Sellars
Does It Pay to Build Up Soil Phosphorus in High-pH Fields?
By Sarah Sellars and Evelyn Prempeh et.al Unlike nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) is regarded as a nutrient of low mobility, and most of the applied P remaining after crop uptake is known to carry over to the following growing season. The soil is considered a stock of P, so a common rule of thumb in P management is to apply more when fertilizer prices are low (building up soil P), and to draw that remaining soil P down when prices are high.
Sow and Grow with Sara(h) : Managing Inputs Profitably
Farmers typically focus on yield maximization with the idea that the higher the yield, the more profitable you will be. However, that is not always the case. For all inputs, at some point, you will achieve “diminishing marginal returns” on that input. This is the point where if you apply one more unit of fertilizer or another thousand seeds, the additional yield you gain from that application will not pay for itself, so you are reducing your profit.
Cover crops, farm economics, and policy
According to the Sustainable Agricultural Research and Education (SARE),1 a cover crop is “a plant that is used primarily to slow erosion, improve soil health, enhance water availability, smother weeds, help control pests and diseases, increase biodiversity, and bring a host of other benefits to your farm” (SARE, 2007).
Fall Anhydrous Ammonia Application Practices and Profitability on Fields Enrolled in Precision Conservation Management
As fall nitrogen application season approaches, we summarize the fall application practices on farms enrolled in Precision Conservation Management (PCM). Overall, 36% of fields in PCM receive at least 40% of their nitrogen as fall applications. We find that profitability is maximized at application rates at university-recommendations. Applying nitrogen after planting did not increase profitability, perhaps because rates exceeded university recommendations.
What Questions Should Farmers Ask about Selling Carbon Credits?
By Sarah Sellars and Gary Schnitkey et.al Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics University of Illinois Carl Zulauf Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics Ohio State University Agricultural carbon markets exist through privately and publicly owned companies with aim to reduce carbon emissions through trade of carbon units sequestered at the farm level.
Low Costs, Competitive Yields Drive Expanding No-Till Soybean Acres
By Sarah Sellars and Gary Schnitkey The costs of machinery ownership and labor are two important factors when considering tillage decisions (Swanson et al., 2020). In an October farmdoc daily article (October 26, 2020), we examine tillage benchmarks for corn on Illinois farms in the Precision Conservation Management (PCM) dataset.
Tillage Benchmarks for Soybeans in Illinois
By Sarah Sellars and Gary Schnitkey Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics University of Illinois Laura Gentry Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences University of Illinois Swanson et al., 2020). In an October farmdoc daily article ( The costs of machinery ownership and labor are two important factors when considering tillage decisions (October 26, 2020), we examine tillage benchmarks for corn on Illinois farms in the Precision Conservation Management (PCM) dataset.
Cutting Fertilizer Rates to Save Costs
By Gary Schnitkey and Sarah Sellars Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics By Laura Gentry Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences University of Illinois Many farmers could experience greater financial returns by reducing fertilizer rates. Many farmers apply nitrogen at rates above those recommended by land grant university research.
Illinois Corn: Cutting Fertilizer Rates to Save Costs
Corn fertilizer application. ©Debra L Ferguson Stock Photography Many farmers could experience greater financial returns by reducing fertilizer rates. Many farmers apply nitrogen at rates above those recommended by land grant university research. Moreover, in 2017, UIUC university researchers reduced the long-held guidelines for phosphorus and potassium uptake by corn and soybean crops.
Illinois: N Applications - How Does Timing Affect Cost, Returns?
Nitrogen application in young corn. Photo: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Overall returns on Illinois grain farms are projected to be much lower in 2019 than recent years, resulting in more consumer about managing input costs. Fertilizer, seed, and pesticide costs represent a large portion of the total cost of producing corn, with fertilizer costs historically larger than seed and pesticide per-acre costs on high-productivity farmland in central Illinois.
Illinois Corn: Maximizing Strip-Till Efficiency
Strip-Till field. Photo: Jodi DeJong-Hughes, University of Minnesota Strip-till is a relatively common tillage practice on farmland that will be planted to corn in east-central Illinois, accounting for about 14% of the acres planted to corn in Precision Conservation Management (PCM) from 2015 to 2018. Returns to strip-till have been roughly the same as other one-pass tillage systems, with one-pass systems having higher returns than either two-pass or no-till systems.
Public Notice No. 1696
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on the 25th day of September, 2017 final settlement and payment will be made by Platte County School District No. 2, Guernsey, Wyoming for and on account of the contract with Great Western Recreation, Wellsville, Utah for furnishing labor, materials, services and performing work for the Guernsey-Sunrise Elementary playground project for Platte County School District No. 2; and the above date being forty-one (41) days after the first publication of this notice, the...
Illinois economists report costs of crop inputs from 1990
Growth rates of fertilizer, pesticide, and seed costs have been higher in years following 2006 than they were between 1990 and 2006. In 2015, the sum of fertilizer, pesticide, and seed costs were 48% of crop revenue, much higher than the 36% average from 1990 to 2006. These costs need to decrease, particularly if corn prices remain below $4.00. Otherwise, it will be difficult for revenues to be less than total costs.
The price of crop inputs may soon outweigh revenue
Growth rates of fertilizer, pesticide, and seed costs have been higher in years following 2006 than they were between 1990 and 2006. In 2015, the sum of fertilizer, pesticide, and seed costs were 48 percent of crop revenue, much higher than the 36 percent average from 1990 to 2006. These costs need to decrease, particularly if corn prices remain below $4. Otherwise, it will be difficult for revenues to be less than total costs.
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