Farmers in the western corn belt may shift their normal rotations in 2022 with fertilizer prices nearing all-time highs and concerns about availability issues this fall and especially next spring. Pioneer Field Agronomist Jarrod Rolston covers south central South Dakota. He says he anticipates some acreage changes, especially more soybeans and less corn.

However, Rolston doesn’t anticipate huge shifts on any one operation as many farmers are locked into rotations.

And he says there are agronomic issues that can arise from planting beans on beans and so it isn’t something he recommends.

Rolston says in the western corn belt many farmers also have the advantage of including wheat in their rotation, which may be a profitable option for 2022 as well.
Pioneer Field Agronomist Larry Osborne is working with growers in east central South Dakota on management strategies to combat the high cost of fertilizer and says they are faced with some tough decisions.

Soil temperatures have also been above 50 degrees in many areas and so they don’t recommend farmers apply fertilizer because they will see losses due to volatilization.

Fertilizer products like urea and anhydrous have more than doubled in price over 2020.