Insights From Crop Nutrition Week 2026
When margins are tight and input costs high, every input decision matters. You can’t afford to waste money on crop nutrition that doesn’t deliver – but you also can’t afford to shortchange your crop and watch yields suffer.
During Crop Nutrition Week 2026, agronomists delivered five days of strategies to help farmers make smarter decisions with the dollars they’re already spending. Here are the top five takeaways.
Takeaway #1: Don’t Skip Soil Testing
Soil testing is often one of the first things to get cut when budgets are tight. While you may save money up front, soil testing helps you identify where you might be overapplying or where you have hidden deficiencies. That information can help you redirect input dollars for better returns.
However, extracting value from a soil takes time – and that’s something many farmers don’t have.
“Growers are working with a lot of different priorities on their farming operation, and they don’t always have the capacity to interpret all of those numbers,” emphasized Stephanie Zelinko, AgroLiquid national agronomist, during Crop Nutrition Week. “Working with a trusted advisor can help take the pressure off by giving you a clear picture of what that report means and how you can apply your fertility accordingly.”
Takeaway #2: There’s a Difference Between Price Per Pound and Cost Per Acre
Pricing crop nutrition inputs is no easy task. With prices listed in tons, gallons and pounds, comparing liquid, dry and specialty blends often leads growers to focus on price per unit. But according to Reid Abbott, AgroLiquid agronomist, that base fertilizer price – what he calls the “naked ton” – doesn’t tell the whole story.
“A lot of retailers will give a cost for products like 10-34-0, MAP, DAP or urea, and that cost per ton circulates the industry quite readily,” Abbott explained during Crop Nutrition Week. “But there are a lot of things that get added to those tons that don’t show up in that initial quote, whether it’s micronutrients, proprietary technology or additives to help stabilize the fertilizer. If you’re not accounting for everything that needs to be added to make them truly comparable, you could be missing important costs that affect your total per-acre investment.”
Takeaway #3: Nutrient Availability Beats Application Rates
“You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. And if the water’s there but the horse can’t reach it, it doesn’t matter how much water you have,” explained Zelinko during Crop Nutrition Week.
The same principle applies to crop nutrition. You can apply all the fertilizer in the world, but if your crop can’t access it, you’re just throwing money into the field.
Zelinko says dry fertilizers may provide only 10 to 30% availability in year one, while liquid sources can deliver 70 to 90% availability.
Even highly available nutrients won’t help if roots can’t reach them. In-furrow and 2×2 placement position nutrients directly in the zone, especially important early in the season when root systems are small and plants are establishing. Products that protect nutrients from tying up with soil particles provide controlled release, keeping nutrients available over time.
Takeaway #4: Smart Nitrogen Management Breaks Expensive Habits
Nitrogen is typically the most expensive nutrient in your fertility program, yet it’s also the one farmers are most likely to over-apply. According to Abbott, there are two main reasons:
- Inherited practices: “Dad always applied 200 pounds, so I apply 200 pounds.”
- The insurance mentality: “More nitrogen means higher yields, so I’ll err on the high side.”
Even when you apply the right amount of nitrogen, you’re fighting against four major loss pathways: volatility, leaching, denitrification and immobilization. But, as Abbott explained during Crop Nutrition Week, it’s possible to reduce nitrogen application rates and improve utilization without sacrificing yield by adopting more efficient management practices:
- Spoon-feeding throughout the season instead of making one large application
- Injecting nitrogen to maximize how much gets into the soil rather than sitting on top
- Applying products that keep nitrogen in forms less susceptible to loss
- Adjusting rates and timing based on rainfall patterns and soil conditions
However, Abbott emphasizes that nitrogen management doesn’t happen in a vacuum.
“Nothing works in isolation. We all have a rounded nutritional balance in our diets, and plants do as well,” he explains. “There are nutrients like sulfur, manganese and iron that are involved with a lot of the same metabolic processes as nitrogen. If those are deficient or out of balance, then that means our nitrogen program isn’t going to be as efficient as well.”
Combining smart application practices with supporting nutrients creates a more efficient system that protects both your investment and your yield potential.
Takeaway #5: Micronutrients Are the “Hitch Pin” of Your Fertility Program
“You can have the best tractor and the best implement, but without the hitch pin connecting them, you’re not getting any work done,” shared Abbott on the final day of Crop Nutrition Week.
That’s exactly what micronutrients do in your fertility program. They’re not add-ons or extras – they’re critical connectors that make the whole system function. Micronutrients can deliver higher ROI than macronutrients in many situations. AgroLiquid trials found that adding micronutrients in-furrow at planting increased yield over N-P-K alone – proof that these “minor” nutrients deliver major results.
However, micronutrients don’t work in isolation. They interact with macronutrients and with each other in complex ways. Soil chemistry is also a key factor in their availability. High-pH soils can tie up micronutrients like zinc, manganese, iron and copper, even when soil test levels look adequate. By the time you see visual symptoms of micronutrient deficiency – yellowing, discoloring, stunted growth – yield loss is already occurring. Soil testing is critical to revealing issues and addressing them proactively.
Making Smarter Decisions
These five strategies aren’t isolated tips – they form an integrated system. From using soil tests to identify what your crop needs to comparing input prices and choosing products that maximize availability and efficiency, Crop Nutrition Week has the tools to help you make informed decisions based on data and science. Work with a trusted advisor to develop the right program for your operation.
Access the Complete Crop Nutrition Week Resources
Want to dive deeper into any of these topics? Visit CropNutritionWeek.com to register for access to all the video content and resources from this year’s event, plus archives from previous years. You’ll find detailed presentations, research data and practical guidance you can apply on your farm this season.
