Features Agronomy Fertility and Nutrients
“Cashcropper” app for Ont. crop rotations

Crop prices are certainly more bearish now than they have been over the past two seasons. Some farmers question whether they should tweak their cropping rotation in the short term or stay the course.

Now there is a smartphone app, called "cashcropper" that will help you to evaluate:
1. The monetary value that different crop rotations bring to your operation,
2. How much phosphorus and potassium is being removed from the soil by each crop in a rotation,
3. How much nitrogen is required to reach anticipated grain yield in each crop.

The Cashcropper app allows Ontario grain growers to compare the net profitability and fertility requirements for different crop rotations within a given field. This app is powered by over 30 years of rotational yield response data from the University of Guelph. It takes into account the user's location, soil type and tillage practices for corn, soybeans and wheat.

The real costs of "yield driven" nutrient removal for each crop is included in the calculation. The app is pre-loaded with default OMAFRA yield values by county and township as well as input costs. Users can input their own data to assess real and hypothetical rotation decisions.

This app was made possible with the help and expertise of Dr. Bill Deen and Ken Janovicek from the Department of Plant Agriculture, University of Guelph, and the financial support of the Agri-Food and Rural Link (an OMAFRA and University of Guelph partnership) and the Grain Farmers of Ontario.

Download the app at: www.cashcropper.ca.

November 10, 2014  By Mike Cowbrough weed specialist OMAFRA