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Weatherproof your nitrogen applications this year
Nitrogen is the foundation upon which every successful corn crop is built. Nitrogen drives early vigor, fuels rapid growth, and creates the grain that fills bins and pays the bills. But yield potential will fall short if the corn crop's foundation is allowed to erode and crumble away.
"If you were investing in a new home, you'd never leave a new foundation unsealed. With nitrogen, the principle is the same. It’s a critical yield driver and a large investment. Without stabilizing, applied nitrogen is vulnerable to conversion and at risk of being lost long before the crop's critical growth period and grain fill stages," said Heather Vosburgh, nitrogen stabilizer strategic account manager for Corteva Agriscience. "A proven stabilizer protects your nitrogen and your investment. It helps ensure this essential nutrient stays available for your crop to help deliver every bushel possible."
A risk not worth taking
While it's too early to predict weather for the 2026 growing season, experience tells us that some locations throughout the Corn Belt will receive large amounts of rain as temperatures warm from April into June. Regardless of when nitrogen is applied, warmer temperatures and excessive early-season rainfall exacerbate the conversion of nitrogen from ammonium to nitrate, making it prone to leaching.
"There is a lost opportunity cost to think about if nitrogen stabilizers are left out of the tank," Vosburgh said. "You not only risk losing the investment in the nitrogen applied but also risk lower yields when the nitrogen is no longer there." Research from hundreds of trials in various growing conditions shows that using a nitrification inhibitor can help keep close to 28% more nitrogen in your soil.1
Vosburgh puts it into dollars and cents
"If you apply 200 pounds of nitrogen at $0.50 per unit for example and skip the stabilizer, you could lose 28% of that nitrogen—that adds up to potentially 56 pounds of nitrogen lost, or $28 wasted in this example," she explained. “But the bigger hit comes from missed yield. With less nitrogen available, the question is, how much could yield drop — 10 bushels per acre? At $4.00 per bushel, that’s $40 less income per acre. Combine the cost of the lost nitrogen and lost yield potential, that’s $68 per acre lost. For an investment of $12 to $15 per acre for the stabilizer, you can get a strong return.”
In this short video, Rachel Kissel, nitrogen stabilizer strategic account manager for Corteva Agriscience, shared more details about protecting your corn's foundation regardless of when you apply nitrogen.
1 Wolt, J.D. 2004. A meta-evaluation of nitrapyrin agronomic and environmental effectiveness with emphasis on corn production in the Midwest. Numbers cited are average results comparing nitrogen applications applied with Optinyte® technology vs. non-stabilized applications. Results may vary.
Optinyte® is a registered active ingredient. Always read and follow label directions.