“Fall applied nitrogen results in too much loss in my area. Denitrification can result in losses from 5 to 10 lbs per day according Westco fertilizer. This nitrate loss is going somewhere, and if we as farmers do not act as stewards of the land and water, we will be regulated to do so. If I fertilize an area in the fall that doesn’t get seeded in the spring that nitrogen is completely lost. In typical years I would have to place 120 lbs in fall to maintain 100 lbs of nitrogen in the spring. With the potential of these economic losses we chose to apply our fertilizer as close as possible to our seeding date.”

“Spring broadcasting is not an effective method of fertilizer placement as banded fertilizer. Manitoba Ag reports that with broadcasting 20% more fertilizer is required. Also dry fertilizer is more expensive than NH3 making broadcasting less economical.”
“One pass seeding and fertilizing proved to be the best option. By banding fertilizer at the time of seeding I get effective use of the fertilizer without getting losses due to denitrification. Based on fertilizer and application prices in 1998 I calculated an $11,000 annual savings in fertilizer costs by switching to a one pass seeding system from fall applied NH3. For the spring of 2001, I calculated a $23,400 difference between spreading dry and applying NH3 in a one pass situation.”
For one pass seeding to be effective on the Chorney farm, the system chosen had to meet Brian’s requirements to:
- Never sacrifice seedbed quality.
- Work in all soil types and both wet and dry conditions. (heavy clay, sandy loam, rocks & peat.)
- Minimize the risk of seed injury.
- Maintain effectiveness as the openers wear.
The decision to go with Mid Row Banders was the logical choice for Brian. Mid Row Banders have also proven to be a wise choice. “After the first four years of operation I have experienced trouble free operation without bearing or disk failures. The coulters worked effectively in wet soils without rolling up with clay or gassing off. I was very delighted with quality and quantity of the Mid Row Bander crops.” comments Brian. “We didn’t have protein like this before MRB’s. We were counting on the one pass savings. The increase income from a better crop is more than we anticipated. I am glad we purchased Mid Row Banders. They have added value to our farm.”