A farmer near Beason, Illinois, achieved a notable result by producing 308 bushels of corn per acre while using less than the standard amount of nitrogen, according to an April 15 report. Jared, who has worked for major agricultural companies before returning to his family farm, applied only 168 pounds of nitrogen per acre—well below the maximum allowed in the NCGA Yield Contest’s Nitrogen Management class.
This approach is significant because it challenges common practices in crop management and highlights the potential benefits of using fewer inputs. The contest required participants to limit their nitrogen application to no more than 180 pounds per acre.
Jared attributed much of his success to timing and weather conditions. “While the rest of our corn here was pollinating on the 4th of July…the average temperature for a week was 95 plus. When this field pollinated, I think it didn’t hit much more than 75-80 at the most, and it really cooled at night,” he said. Despite nearly no rain after August 1st, cooler temperatures during pollination helped protect yields.
He also used RDX from Redox Bio on part of his farm to improve nitrogen efficiency and reduce plant stress. Even though this field had lower-than-ideal phosphorus and potassium levels, it still produced one of his highest yields. In comparison, another field where Jared used double the amount of nitrogen along with other intensive treatments yielded only 293 bushels and cost about $200 more per acre. “Applying more nitrogen at some point in time is kind of toxic to the corn plant. If it can’t use it…it’s actually causing more stress,” he said.
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Jared concluded that good weather conditions are important but emphasized efficiency over excess: “You need good weather conditions, and you need a lot of mineralization of organic matter…but sometimes the best input decision is the one you don’t make.”
