Apply fertilizer when soil temps remain below 50 degrees

The Iowa Department of Agriculture reminds farmers to wait until soil temperatures remain below 50 degrees Fahrenheit before applying anhydrous ammonia (NH3) fertilizer this fall. Soil temperatures have been slow to cool due to the unusually warm late October temperatures, and waiting can help reduce nitrogen loss and better protects the environment.

ISU Extension and Outreach maintains a statewide real-time soil temperature data map that agriculture retailers and farmers use to determine when fall N applications are appropriate.