Do you really need phosphorus fertilizer?

Jack Pick from Macoun, Sask., phoned this morning. He wanted to talk to Les Henry about phosphorus fertilizer and whether he really needed to apply it every year. Jack says lots of farmers in his area are thinking about going without phosphorus priced at $2,000 a tonne. Jack admits it's tempting. "I like to save money, too," he says.

Jack farms 5,000 acres with his son, and their fertilizer bill doubled last year. Their total bill for 2008 was hundreds of thousands of dollars, so to chop out or at least reduce their phosphorus would save them a bundle in up front costs for 2009. But when he mentioned this to his banker, who also farms, "the banker just started shaking his head," Jack says. So Jack wants to get a second opinion from a man he respects: Les Henry.

Les of course is a regular columnist in Grainews, often writing on the topic of soils and crops and fertilizer. So I phoned Les to chat about the topic and line him up with Jack in Macoun. Les says phosphorus is an investment in the long term viability of your land, but in any given year you should be able to get away with a reduced rate. He has heard of farmers in Saskatchewan who have never used phosphorus fertilizer and they seem to be doing well.

Fertilizer use will be a huge topic this fall, winter and spring, so I've asked Les to write his opinions on phosphorus for his September or October column. I will also track down some farmers who skip out on phosphorus and see how it's working for them.