Submitted by: agcomm,  Thu Sep 25 10:59:00 1997


                        September 25, 1997
 
Urea Price Drop Creates a New Fertilizing Option
 
     The recent drop in urea prices makes it a good option for
fall fertilization rather than the more commonly used anhydrous
ammonia, according to Dave Franzen, North Dakota State University
extension soil scientist. 
     "There are several advantages to using urea rather than
anhydrous ammonia," says Franzen. "It is much easier to apply
urea or hire its application than to apply anhydrous ammonia, and
it is an excellent fertilizer."
     The primary reason urea has been less popular than anhydrous
ammonia in the past has to do with the historic price
differences. "During the last 20 years, anhydrous ammonia has
usually been approximately 6 to 8 cents per pound of nitrogen
less expensive than urea," explains Franzen. 
     Only three times in the last 20 years has the price of urea
been comparable to the price of anhydrous ammonia. In the
mid-1980s, the Soviet Union made available large amounts of urea
as part of a plan to help generate foreign exchange for its
economic crisis. This brought the urea price within a few cents
per pound of anhydrous ammonia. Then, about three years ago, the
price of ammonia greatly increased while urea prices remained
stable, again bringing their prices closer. 
     "The current price shift has resulted in another opportunity
for farmers to use the convenience of urea without paying the
large premium for doing so," says Franzen. "Anhydrous ammonia is
a higher safety risk than most other fertilizers, and applying it 
requires specialized equipment.  Without sophisticated flow-rate
monitoring equipment the amount of ammonia applied can vary with
tank pressure, air temperature and sunlight exposure.  Also, soil
conditions must allow for adequate covering of the anhydrous    
ammonia application trench, and such conditions are sometimes
hard to achieve when moisture is variable across fields."
     In contrast, urea is a dry granular fertilizer that is
applied with a common broadcast applicator.  In the past it has
most often been applied with other dry fertilizers at spring
seeding, when the additional expense can be justified by the
reduced trips across the field.   But urea may also be applied in
the fall, providing it is applied no earlier than the last week
in September, and only then if the soil temperature is 50 degrees
Fahrenheit or less, says Franzen.
     Franzen recommends that urea be applied with the same
precautions and restrictions that one would use for an "ammonia
in pellet form":                   
     * Urea incorporation should preserve some residue while at
     the same time covering pellets. Try applying some urea in a
     portion of the field, go over the area with a harrow or
     tillage tool and then check for exposed pellets.             
               
     * If urea pellets are covered, your incorporation technique
     is appropriate. If not, try waiting for a weather change and
     apply the urea before rainfall. Approximately one-half inch
     of rain is needed to incorporate urea into residue, and
     somewhat less is needed to move urea into bare soil.
                   
     * Fall application should take place when most if not all of
     the nitrogen will carry over to spring in the ammonium form.
     Soil temperatures should be 50 F or less between 6 and 8
     a.m., at a depth of 4 inches.                     
     
     *Urea may be applied without incorporation very late in the
     fall when soils are frosted in the morning, with or without
     snow cover--as long as snow cover melts within a few days.
     Urea application is not recommended on deeply frozen soils.  
               
     "Using urea correctly, at the right time and with the
correct attention to soil mixing will help make application
successful," adds Franzen.                                
                               ###
NDSU Agriculture Communication       
Source: Dave Franzen (701) 231-8884
Editor: Barry Brissman (701) 231-7866
Writer: Naomi Dahlberg (701) 231-6263