Bonner Karger: research improves use of fertilizer
Bonner Karger, Department of Soil Science
Coordinator Wisconsin Fertilizer Research Council & Fund
UW-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
bskarger@wisc.edu
(608) 262-9969
Getting the most from crop nutrients
Total Time: 3:12
0:17 – What the council is and does
0:41 – Examples of research benefits
1:21 – How fertilizer research benefits everyone
1:37 – How the research is funded
2:01 – How much research is done
2:36 – More yields, less fertilizer used
3:02 – Lead out
TRANSCRIPT
Sevie Kenyon
Bonner, welcome to our microphone. Start out by telling us a little bit about your work here.
Bonner Karger
I am a coordinator for the Wisconsin Fertilizer Research Council and Fund. It is a program that makes wise use of the fertilizer fee dollars that farmers in Wisconsin pay… going towards applied research on fertilizer studies and ground water issues as they relate to fertilizer use.
Sevie Kenyon
Bonner, can you give us some examples of how this program has worked?
Bonner Karger
Recent research in our Central Sands Area showed that we can make better use of nitrogen by changing the method and timing of applications. A shift from pre-plan application to split side-dress application could save 100 pounds of nitrogen per acre and two million dollars annually, over the region. Another study looked at the use of no-till and strip-tillage practices and found that certain methods resulted in an increased profitability of 18-26 cents per bushel, soybeans following corn. This type of research shows that conservation tillage practices that save soil can be more profitable then conventional tillage systems that present a greater risk for soil erosion.
Sevie Kenyon
And Bonner, can you give us an idea how this helps everybody in the State?
Bonner Karger
It’s also good for the environment, because when you’re using these nutrients effectively and efficiently then we’re keeping our groundwater clean. And we’re not spending as much money on inputs.
Sevie Kenyon
Bonner, can you tell us about how this program is funded?
Bonner Karger
When a ton of fertilizer is sold in this state, there’s a ten-cent fee that gets collected by the Department of Agriculture. At the end of the fiscal year we’ve got this fund that ultimately gets directed to the University of Wisconsin for applied research.
Sevie Kenyon
Bonner, can you give us an idea of how many trials and programs you’re able to look at with this money?
Bonner Karger
From year to year it varies. We typically get between six and ten new research proposals every year, and due to the amount in the fund and the price of research these days and the price of fertilizer, we’re only able to fund between three and five new projects every year. So there are some important research projects that come into the fund that don’t get funded, because there isn’t enough money.
Sevie Kenyon
People might be interested in the sheer scale of the fertilizer business. Bonner, can you give us an idea how much fertilizer gets used in a season?
Bonner Karger
We see kinda the consumption of fertilizer rates bounce around a little bit, but they vary from about one and a half million tons per a year, down to just around about a million tons per year. When we look at the yields, especially in the corn, we’re getting better yields now then we ever have and the fact that we’re not using more fertilizer to get those yields says something about the knowledge that comes from this type of research.
Sevie Kenyon
We’ve been visiting with Bonner Karger, Department of Soil Science, University of Wisconsin Extension, in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Madison, WI and I’m Sevie Kenyon.