WCN Dec e

Planning for Nitrogen
Efficiency for 2022
Better Preparation, Calculation, Application and
Assimilation in Light of Skyrocketing N Prices
By RICH KREPS | CCA, SSp., Contributing Writer
Changing nitrogen inputs from a 50-unit slug to (four) 10-unit shots can not only save money but hopefully ensure more absorption (photos by
Marni Katz.)
Nitrogen is 78% of the air we breathe. 78%!? Yet we
have to pour the N to our crops to get them to perform
at optimal levels because we are told they can’t find a
way to use it themselves. Right? So, what happens when N
prices double? It’s damn near as debilitating as California
West Side surface water costing $2000 an acre-foot or more!
The Midwest would be losing their minds if they knew what
we pay to farm here in California, but of course, they have
It’s been a long harvest.
Your trees just ran a marathon, and so did you.
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their own set of problems. One of which is certainly the price
of N. With almost 1 billion acres of farmland in the U.S., the
nitrogen problem and unprecedented rise in all input costs
has to be considered to farm in 2022.
Estimating Yield
When we make our input calculations for our farms this
time of year, we have to consider our expected yields. The
UC has a fluid range of nitrogen used to grow 1,000 pounds
of almonds at about 65 units today. Of course, we all are
hopefully optimistic that we will hit that golden number of
4,000 pounds of almonds, or 8,000 pounds of pistachios, or
four tons of walnuts.
When we assess the crop potential in the spring, many
times we realize our final numbers will be less than optimal.
Here in lies the rub. Nitrogen and phosphorus levels
start high in the spring and taper in our tissues throughout
the season. We have to be right early, yet we waste much of
what we apply later in the spring if our yields aren’t what was
predicted in our planning. How do we make our nitrogen
applications more efficient and timely?
The Western Region’s CCA of the Year, Keith Backman,
was recently speaking at the Crop Consultant Conference in
Visalia, Calif. this fall. He again reiterated his immense lab
experience and observations from years of dedicated service
to us farmers. He noted that typically, a tree will only be able
to assimilate 10 units of nitrogen per week.
Let’s say we plan on making a 3000-pound almond
crop. At 65 units per 1000 pounds, and assuming a 70% use
efficiency, that puts us around 250 units needed to grow
that big of a crop and keep the trees growing. What farmers
for years have taken that to mean is applying 50 units every
month from March to July. But how effective is that? And
what about the other nutrients? We typically need as much
calcium as we do nitrogen. We aren’t getting that from just
applying CAN-17. That would only be half of the calcium
demand. If it were only 70% efficient, we’d need to apply
33 units of phosphorus to get to the proper number in our
16 West Coast Nut December 2021