Fertilizer equipment is an expensive investment. Whether you rent your ag fertilizer equipment to local farmers or you’re a farmer who owns fertilizer handling equipment, you know you want to get the most value from your investment. Because this is a piece of equipment that only gets used certain times of the year, it’s one you must get the most value from when you do need it.

Making the most of fertilizer equipment involves being proactive in caring for it. Some of the things you should do to maximize the usage from your fertilizer equipment include:

1. Using the best fertilizer supplies you can afford. While the initial cost may be higher, you can expect better results from the fertilizer product.

2. Getting the right fertilizer blending equipment, to get the right mix for your fields.

3. Learning the proper handling techniques to insure your safety, and to make sure you don’t burn crops by overexposing them to chemicals.

Action Steps
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Choose fertilizer handling equipment that allows you to practice minimum tillage

If you can combine the fertilizer application with planting or one pass of tillage, you are not only making the most of fertilizer equipment, you are also saving money on fuel and minimizing wear and tear. Farmers and commercial fertilizer companies are finding more attachments for existing equipment available to help them reduce the number of passes they must make to plant a crop.

I recommend: Progressive Farm Products has fertilizer handling equipment that allows you to reduce the number of passes over the field. This cost for fertilizer application equipment can save you time and money in the long run if you practice minimum till agriculture. You can find a number of accessories for fertilizer equipment at Schaffert Manufacturing Products to help increase your productivity.

Set your fertilizer equipment to the correct spread pattern

With spread pattern, you don't want to overlap chemicals as this wastes fertilizer. In addition, overlap can apply fertilizer too heavily in one strip of the field, while not applying enough fertilizer in another. Technology is improving and now you can get an even spread pattern as you apply fertilizer.

I recommend: The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation has information about spread patterns and recommendations for new and used fertilizer equipment that help you achieve an even disbursement pattern. Making the most of fertilizer equipment is the name of the game for the dry fertilizer equipment spreaders at Fertilizer Equipment Specialists. With the right spin applicator, your commercial fertilizer equipment can get an even fertilizer distribution.

Monitor the amount of fertilizer used by your fertilizer equipment

Whether you apply wet or dry fertilizer, the ag fertilizer equipment sometimes clogs. The monitor can alert you instantly on the tractor or from the truck cab if something is not right, so you don't wind up with part of the field fertilized and part of it not. Markers are another way of making sure you distribute the fertilizer evenly in your fields.

I recommend: KB Manufacturing offers a monitor that attaches to ag fertilizer equipment, to make sure your chemical fertilizer supplies flow evenly. Foam markers from Smucker Manufacturing can help you keep track of where you have been in the field with your dry or liquid fertilizer equipment.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  More and more farmers are using GPS systems to help make their fertilizer equipment more efficient and to make sure they don't miss parts of the field. As this technology becomes less expensive, look for more equipment to have GPS.

Man has known since he first started farming that he needs fertilizer equipment. Today’s fertilizer application equipment is much more than sowing some composted materials on the ground by hand. With GPS navigation systems and custom mix formulas, commercial fertilizer equipment can put exactly the right fertilizer in or on the ground for your ag customers.

If you maintain rolling stock fertilizer equipment, you also need to keep an inventory of fertilizer supplies on hand. These would include various mixes of basic fertilizers such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. You should also have access to agricultural lime as well.

You should have dry fertilizer equipment as well as liquid fertilizer equipment for rent. Ag fertilizer equipment is an expensive investment. While fertilizer equipment manufacturers are constantly upgrading fertilizer equipment, there is still a lot of used fertilizer equipment available to purchase. As you purchase fertilizer equipment, look for:

1. Fertilizer application equipment that is within your price range.

2. Fertilizer handling equipment that your customers need.

3. Fertilizer equipment that can pay for itself as quickly as possible.

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Purchase ground drive or power take off (PTO) drive fertilizer equipment

This type applicator is best for applying dry fertilizer and lime. Your customers can either pull this equipment behind their truck or tractor if it's a PTO unit.

I recommend: Adams Fertilizer Equipment offers both ground drive and PTO drive units for sale. General Fertilizer Equipment Inc. specializes in trailer spreaders that you pull behind a tractor.

Find self-propelled fertilizer equipment

This fertilizer equipment works for dry as well as liquid applications. In some cases the fertilizer equipment can run over the field when the ground is too wet to do anything else.

I recommend: Fertilizer Equipment Specialists, Inc. has a variety of self-propelled liquid fertilizer equipment options, both new and used. Linco Equipment Inc. offers fertilizer trucks for sale. They offer some models that can spread more than one type of fertilizer at a time.

Provide specialty fertilizer equipment

If your customers wish to use animal waste byproducts as fertilizer, provide that option for them. You can provide traditional spreaders or a knife system.

I recommend: H&S Manufacturing Company, Inc. offers a line of litter or manure spreaders. Made with special plastics, they hold up longer than traditional manure spreaders. Progressive Farm Products, Inc. has a line of liquid fertilizer spreaders that allows you to “knife,” or cut, the fertilizer deep into the ground.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  To get the most value out of your commercial fertilizer equipment, you need to care for it properly. Your employees need to know how clean every piece of equipment as it comes back into the shop. A supervisor should regularly check to make sure the fertilizer equipment is clean. And, it goes without saying that your employees should use safe fertilizer handling practices.

In today’s economy, you want to make as much money as you can from your fertilizer equipment and fertilizer supplies while stretching your dollar as far as possible. That usually means using equipment that can deliver a precise amount of fertilizer to your fields or gardens. With environmental regulations to deal with, it’s even more important to know how to use fertilizer equipment wisely.

The person responsible for using fertilizer application equipment needs to have a thorough understanding of how it works. That person should be thoroughly familiar with the instruction manual. A fertilizer equipment operator must also know how to:

1. Choose the best fertilizer.

2. Calibrate the fertilizer equipment to get optimal benefit from the fertilizer.

3. Know how to use GPS to make sure the fertilizer equipment entirely covers the field, and make sure the fertilizer is spread evenly.

Action Steps
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Develop a reference library of knowledge about fertilizer equipment

Keep books, manuals and pamphlets in one handy location so you can quickly refer to the information as you need it. Even though you may have specialized training in fertilizer handling equipment, it's always a good idea to have reference material handy. And if you don't have formal training, online guides are a good place to get started with your fertilizer equipment education and training.

I recommend: The Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development website lists a number of things you should know about fertilizer application equipment. This is an excellent website to use as a quick reference and refresher for liquid fertilizer equipment, fertilizer blending equipment and fertilizer supplies. The University of Missouri Extension service offers a web page that shows you how to properly calibrate garden and ag fertilizer equipment. The guide offers tips for calibrating and using both liquid and dry fertilizer equipment.

Get specialized training for fertilizer handling equipment

Many community colleges offer courses to prepare you for a career as a fertilizer equipment operator. Whether you plan to work in a farm setting or with a nursery, these courses can provide invaluable training in the safe handling of agricultural fertilizer.

I recommend: Check with your local community college to see what courses they offer toward a degree that allows you to get your fertilizer handling equipment license. You can pursue an Associate in Applied Science degree from Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield, Illinois. Its coursework prepares you for a job as an ag fertilizer equipment operator. Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa will also prepare you to be a commercial fertilizer equipment operator.

Gather the knowledge necessary to get your fertilizer handling equipment license

Most states have similar laws and many states have reciprocity agreements. Be sure you know what your state's requirements are for getting a fertilizer handling equipment license. In most states you must take and pass a licensing exam. Some states require you to stay current on your license, which means you must take additional training in order to maintain your certification.

I recommend: The Missouri Department of Agriculture website is a good example of the steps necessary for getting a license to fertilizer handling equipment. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture also offers guidelines to receiving a license in that state. As you look, you'll find many similarities in licensing requirements. For more information on laws in your state, check out the list of state agriculture departments maintained by the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  No matter whether you are using precision lawn fertilizer equipment or large agricultural fertilizer floaters, it's important that you read and follow all label directions for the fertilizer you are using. The fertilizer supplies are only effective if you use them properly. The right fertilizer equipment education and training should help you achieve that goal.