February 7, 2008
Contact: Ev Thomas, 518-846-7121; Extension: Franklin County:
Carl Tillinghast, 518-483-7403; Clinton County Blake Putman, 518-561-7450

Learn Critical Strategies for Coping with High Fertilizer Costs March 17 in Chazy or March 18 in Malone

Blame it on the increasing price of oil, more crop acreage in the U.S., more corn in China, ethanol, or politics. The bottom line is farmers will pay a lot more per ton for fertilizer in 2008, says Ev Thomas, Vice President of Agricultural Programs at W.H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute, Chazy, NY. That is why you should attend one of the Making the Most of Your Fertilizer Dollar workshops in Northern New York in March to learn how to cope with the rising costs of crop production.

The fertilizer-focused programs will be held March 17 at Gumas Restaurant in Chazy and March 18 at the 911 Building in Malone. Meetings will be held later in the week in Canton, Lowville, and Watertown.

Thomas says fertilizer prices may be twice as much as USDA predictions. He says, �I would say $600 per ton for urea is not out of the question. 2008 would be a dandy year to develop a fertilizer plan based on soil analysis and taking full credit for nutrients provided to soil by manure applications.�

The March meetings will feature nutrient management research funded in part by the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program that has shown that farmers can reduce fertilizer applications on some corn and hay fields without negatively impacting crop yield or quality. Dr. Quirine M. Ketterings of Cornell University will speak on nutrient management research at all the March meetings

Thomas says a survey of seed sellers indicates seed prices will rise by more than the four percent USDA predicts. �Seed costs are just one more reason why Northern New York farmers should attend the Making the Most of Your Fertilizer Dollar workshops in March and make use of the regional research data on nutrient management made possible by Cornell University researchers and funding from the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program.�

For more information on the mid-March fertilizer meetings, contact Cornell Cooperative Extension. Information on fertilizer applications, nutrient balancing and soil surveys is available on the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program website at www.nnyagdev.org. # # #