From Florida to the Dakotas, Maine to Texas and beyond, ammonium sulfate (AMS) can play an important role in crop production. With readily available sulfate sulfur and ammonium nitrogen, AMS can boost plant health and yield potential in a variety of crops across the United States.
Midwest
In the Midwest, corn and soybeans are the kings of crop production. However, other crops such as wheat, alfalfa and canola are grown in this region as well. Like most regions, the Midwest has a wide variety of soil types, including clay and sandy soils. There is also some pivot irrigation found in this region as well.
As far as challenges go, weather is at the top of the list for Midwest farmers. Throughout the growing season, it is common for crops to encounter wind and hail, as well as more damaging weather events such as prolonged drought, tornadoes or even derechos. “If there’s a catastrophic weather event in the Midwest, it’s going to affect corn and soybean production numbers for the U.S. as a whole,” said AdvanSix Midwest Sales Manager Shelby Hagene.
Even with this array of crops, soils, irrigation and weather events, AMS is a reliable source of sulfur and nitrogen in this region. For many years, Midwest farmers have used AMS on their corn crops, but there has been some hesitation around using it as a fertilizer for soybeans.
“Some farmers don’t believe soybeans need a fertilization plan and don’t prioritize it as much,” said Hagene. “However, if you have the data that supports that AMS can work and boost yields in soybeans, it can be helpful to overcoming that reluctance.”
According to Hagene, one of the main reasons growers end up giving AMS a try is because it is a relatively easy way to include sulfur and some additional nitrogen in a urea application.
“It’s a dry product that can go into blends, so they can blend it with urea, which is really beneficial,” she said. “This is a great way for farmers to get nitrogen and sulfur in one product and add it to the fertilizer they are already applying.”
While readily available nutrients are the biggest draw of AMS in the Midwest, its accessibility to the market also makes AMS an attractive input for farmers and retailers.
“The Midwest is fortunate to have access to rail, roads and river systems,” said Hagene. “A lot of suppliers can come to the Midwest to get growers what they need, whatever it may be, by shipping a rail car, sending a truck, relying on barges or a combination of modes of transportation.”
Mid-Atlantic
Mid-Atlantic growers in Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina, produce typical row crops like corn, soybeans and wheat, as well as specialty crops including cotton, blueberries, sweet potatoes and pastureland. There’s also a wide variety of topography and soil types in this region as it includes the Chesapeake Bay, the Atlantic Ocean, the Appalachian Mountains and everything in-between. In general, the Mid-Atlantic region is a high annual rainfall area with high humidity, and it is also prone to hurricanes, which can collectively cause soil and crop nutrient losses, damage and disease. This is one of the biggest challenges for growers in these states.
Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of this region is that it is home to the Hopewell, Virginia, AdvanSix manufacturing plant where Sulf-N® ammonium sulfate is produced. With AMS being made in their backyard, farmers in this region are much more familiar with the product and its ability to provide readily available nitrogen and sulfur to the crop.
Even with this familiarity, AdvanSix Mid-Atlantic Sales Representative Becky Hendren believes that sulfur education is still important for ensuring farmers know that AMS is their best option for providing sulfur to their crops.
“Even if farmers recognize the increasing need for sulfur, they may still try to get by with elemental sulfur,” said Hendren. “It’s important to continue to educate folks on the benefit of sulfate sulfur being readily available to the crop, whereas elemental sulfur may take a year or two to be available.”
In addition to the sulfate sulfur, growers in the Mid-Atlantic states also appreciate AMS for its ammonium nitrogen.
“Ammonium nitrogen isn’t as prone to leaching as other nitrogen materials and it’s not as volatile as urea,” said Hendren. “Plus, the sulfate sulfur helps increase nitrogen efficiency. Pound-for-pound, AMS is one of the best fertilizer options.”
Northeast
In the Northeast region, corn, soybeans and wheat are the primary crops, but others like dry beans, sugar beets, alfalfa, and even vegetables like potatoes and spinach are also grown here. This region is also home to a variety of soils from black dirt to sandy or rocky ground. As a whole, the region typically has good moisture. There is sporadic irrigation throughout the area, but tile drainage is fairly common as farmers are more likely to deal with too much moisture rather than not enough.
As for ammonium sulfate use in the Northeast region? AdvanSix Northeast Sales Representative David White says it’s pretty much a part of the program.
“We talk a lot about the benefits of the ammonium nitrogen and how sulfur is the fourth major nutrient,” said White. “It depends on the crop, but I’d estimate that 80% of growers are using sulfur on their corn. It’s still a fairly new concept for soybeans, but we may be up to as much as 50% of growers using it now.”
In addition to corn and soybeans, AMS is also commonly applied to alfalfa.
“Alfalfa has a big demand for sulfur to improve not only the volume but also the quality of the hay,” said White. “Every time nitrogen is applied, on mixed hay stands, growers will also apply sulfur to get better uptake and greater benefit of the nitrogen.”
While AMS use is a common practice in numerous crops throughout the Northeast region, some growers may still be on the fence. In those cases, White recommends encouraging growers to apply a test strip.
“Put out a test strip and don’t treat the rest of the field,” he said. “It’s very visual and they will see a difference, especially if they go in and walk the field later in the season.”
However, even after seeing these differences, growers in this region may still be concerned about the cost. Fortunately, AMS is a relatively low investment for not only growers in the Northeast, but all of the regions.
“When you look at the cost versus other types of products they could be putting on, such as a late-season foliar nutrient application, AMS is a relatively low-cost application,” said White. “And if you can get an extra 2-3 bushels of soybeans for putting 100 pounds of AMS down, it’s going to pay for itself, even with prices where they are today.”
Southeast
Growers in the Southeast raise a variety of crops including corn and soybeans, as well as peanuts, cotton, sugar cane, alfalfa and pastureland. The Southeast is also home to a vast array of soil types from good drainage soils in parts of Kentucky and Tennessee to sandy soils in the deep south and clay soils everywhere in-between.
Like the rest of the regions, ammonium sulfate is a good fit for many different crops and soil types. However, AdvanSix Southeast Sales Representative Jason Magan believes one of the biggest opportunities for AMS in this region is in soybeans.
“The need for sulfur in soybeans is increasing each year,” said Magan. “But the ammonium piece of it also helps the soybeans get out of the ground and create stronger roots and stems right out of the gate, so that’s a good thing.”
In addition to soybeans, AMS is also a great fit for pasture and alfalfa in the Southeast.
“Farmers in this region have used ammonium nitrate for quite a long time for the initial green-up it provides to the crop due to its immediate availability,” said Magan. “The ammonium in AMS does the same thing, but it has added benefits from the sulfur. So, we are seeing a lot of farmers split off their urea application on pasture and hay grounds to use AMS as well.”
According to Magan, the sulfate in AMS is a “no-brainer” for growing higher-quality pasture and hay.
“Sulfur is a key component of protein builders and amino acids,” he said. “When you use sulfur on your crops, your grasses are better, your clovers are better. You are building better amino acids and raising all around better pasture and hay.”
Even with these benefits, Magan notes that the biggest hesitation Southeastern farmers have about trying AMS on their crops is the cost.
“Farmers in my region are always comparing AMS to the price of urea,” said Magan. “However, urea doesn’t have that sulfur piece, which provides additional yield potential.”
To learn more about how Sulf-N ammonium sulfate can provide readily available sulfate sulfur and ammonium nitrogen for crops in your area, contact your AdvanSix sales representative.