# Anyone spin spread their own Nitrogen?



## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

I'd really like to stop paying (and waiting) for local AG spreading company. 
Wanted to discuss economics and feasibility of spreading N myself, especially between 1st & 2nd cuts.
I have a spreader that holds about 1000lbs, but what about buying N? 
Is it bought in pallets of 80lb bags? 
I don't really have a way of buying/storing bulk N.

What are the benefits or lack thereof of DIY'ing N?


----------



## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

JD3430 said:


> I'd really like to stop paying (and waiting) for local AG spreading company.
> Wanted to discuss economics and feasibility of spreading N myself, especially between 1st & 2nd cuts.
> I have a spreader that holds about 1000lbs, but what about buying N?
> Is it bought in pallets of 80lb bags?
> ...


We can rent fertilizer spreading carts from several fertilizer companies here and spread it ourselves. Such as these. http://www.doylemfg.com/products/#spreaders They generally bring the carts out the day you ask and refill them on the day you ask. Do any companies around you do that? I've wondered about owning a couple carts myself and having the companies come fill them with a tender truck when the time is right, but to buy a good cart costs way more then the cart rental.

I've thought about bulk storing fertilizer and trying to play the guessing game, but I think it would end up costing me.


----------



## Bonfire (Oct 21, 2012)

JD3430 said:


> I'd really like to stop paying (and waiting) for local AG spreading company.
> Wanted to discuss economics and feasibility of spreading N myself, especially between 1st & 2nd cuts.
> I have a spreader that holds about 1000lbs, but what about buying N?
> Is it bought in pallets of 80lb bags?
> ...


How much are you paying per acre for them to spread it? I'd have to look but I think it's about $8.50/acre here.

I think you'll find buying a ton of bagged will cost you more than buying it in bulk.


----------



## IH 1586 (Oct 16, 2014)

Around here we use gravity boxes with augers on them to buy bulk fertilizers. Used to have one myself and might be looking to get another. The other idea I thought of was taking a stall in my shed putting in a cement floor then load with loader. I priced fertilizer bulk and bagged and there was a $40 difference. If you can handle them there might be the 1 ton bag option. The big benefit is you can spread it when it needs to be done and not rely one someone else to do it


----------



## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

I have not used my 3 point hitch spreader in years.

We get all our fertilizer in a buggy and spread it. The CO-OP does not charge us to rent the buggy if you buy the fertilized from them.

The smaller buggy holds about 4 tons. I usually only get 3 tons per load and pull it with a half ton GMC 4 wheel drive truck. I spread it with the same truck. If I get a full load I pull with the one ton flat bed then spread with the 4 wheel drive.


----------



## cornshucker (Aug 22, 2011)

Tim/South said:


> I have not used my 3 point hitch spreader in years.
> 
> We get all our fertilizer in a buggy and spread it. The CO-OP does not charge us to rent the buggy if you buy the fertilized from them.
> 
> The smaller buggy holds about 4 tons. I usually only get 3 tons per load and pull it with a half ton GMC 4 wheel drive truck. I spread it with the same truck. If I get a full load I pull with the one ton flat bed then spread with the 4 wheel drive.


Same here local guy has a three ton and a five ton fills them with 1 ton bulk bags does not charge for the buggy. However his spreaders use PTO to drive the spinners and the tires drive the belt in the bottoms of spreader so you have to use a tractor. Usually go get buggy with truck and hook to tractor at farm except one farm which is 3/4 mile from dealer. Only problem is having to book the buggy in advance and take a chance it the conditions being right. We some times still use the 3 pt. hitch spreader and wife or son will follow me around with the truck and have sacks open when I get back with spreader this usually goes fairly quick especially for smaller fields. Would still buy a 3-5 ton spreader if I could run across a deal in one which is highly unlikely. This would be better if could find one with the wide belt in the bottom so I could get lime brought in in trailer loads and dumped at the farm. The ones with the 6 inch wide belt won't do much with lime. Maybe one day will run across one but the amount that I am doing would not justify the cost of a new spreader.


----------



## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

It is hard to get ammonia nitrate in the bag here. Can be found but is pricy. Most places carry ammonia sulfate. It does not explode like the nitrate, which can be made into a bomb. CO-OP said if they carried ammonia nitrate in the 50 pound bags they had to have a security guard during off hours as per government regulations.

No one rents the wide bottom spreaders that do lime anymore. The deer hunters would rent them and bring the spreader back torn to pieces. Same thing with seed drills. Deer hunters ran them over stumps and brush. FSA still rents drills to farmers. They have the means to verify you are Ag.

Up until 3 years ago I could rent a 7 ton lime buggy for $20 per day. I have spread 100 tons in a day by myself when we had it delivered in bulk.


----------



## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Our local FS Growmark closed shop. It was taken over by a mom & pop and its just one store. They got rid of spreader carts. Not sure what Im gonna do....


----------



## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

If they close a store another store will service you they will pull a loaded spreader right to your door . It will be cheaper than buying bags ;


----------



## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Co op or fertilizer company has buggies and we use theirs......charge is $7 an acre to do it here. Sometimes they do it, sometimes we do it.....


----------



## OhioHay (Jun 4, 2008)

We spread all our own fertilizer. Have three different co ops in the general area that rent buggies. The one I use charges $10 per ton. Example. ..3 tons in the buggy equals $30.


----------



## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

I get my fertilizer from Chemgro in East Petersburg Pa. That's near Manheim, Lanc County. I prepay in Jan then when I want it they bring the loaded tractor spreader out to me. Its $40/load for the spreader. Then can blend any fertilizer you want. I think the spreaders have surge brakes on them. Might be worth giving them a call. Spreaders are in demand in spring corn planting time, but by mid summer they aren't as in demand. They also have a tender truck that can come out and fill the spreader at your place.

Franklin Kreider on Dairy Rd Lancaster also sells fertilizer and coal. I think they have spreaders. I haven't ever delt with them.


----------



## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

PaMike said:


> Franklin Kreider on Dairy Rd Lancaster also sells fertilizer and coal. I think they have spreaders. I haven't ever delt with them.


Coal? Who buys coal besides power companies? Unless you have an old steam engine you like to use?


----------



## Bonfire (Oct 21, 2012)

Teslan said:


> Coal? Who buys coal besides power companies? Unless you have an old steam engine you like to use?


Some of the Amish around here use coal to heat the boiler.

The Hutterite colonies use tractor trailer loads of coal to fire the colonies boiler.


----------



## haybaler101 (Nov 30, 2008)

I bought my own 6 ton buggy. Coop delivers to spreader in bulk. They charge $13 ton for buggy rental and $7/ acre for spinner truck. Now I have the spreader, and I am paying coop $8 acre for air flow with VRT.


----------



## Bonfire (Oct 21, 2012)

haybaler101 said:


> I bought my own 6 ton buggy. Coop delivers to spreader in bulk. They charge $13 ton for buggy rental and $7/ acre for spinner truck. Now I have the spreader, and I am paying coop $8 acre for air flow with VRT.


Wanna sell your 6T buggy?


----------



## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

We own our 5 ton spreader then used to have bulk storage on the farm, now if we buy from the Co Op they will bring their semi tender out and leave it over night with the understanding it will be empty by morning.


----------



## stack em up (Mar 7, 2013)

We do the same thing as mlappin. Although we have our own gooseneck RayMan tender. We still use liquid N though, just for ease of use.


----------



## haybaler101 (Nov 30, 2008)

Bonfire said:


> Wanna sell your 6T buggy?


No, still use it to spread alfalfa fields and smaller fields that are not VRT.


----------



## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Should I be using my 500G Demco sprayer for liquid N, instead?
I used liquid N once and the burn on the grass tips scared some of my property owners.


----------



## FCF (Apr 23, 2010)

Rent a buggy from Coop $15 per load, doesn't matter how much is in the load. They get $15 per ton to spread with truck with a $75 minimum charge.


----------



## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

Liquid might be the way to go since you have a good sprayer. Plus all you need is a tank to store. Gro-Mor plant food in leola would be a good place to call. They sell liquid fertilizer in any qty


----------



## haybaler101 (Nov 30, 2008)

Stream jet nozzles will fix the burn.


----------



## PaCustomBaler (Nov 29, 2010)

JD3420, you can do some foliar N applications but you'll still need to apply some dry nitrogen. Foliar applications just don't put enough on. Friends of ours have tried it year after year and keep seeing consistent decline in yields because not enough N is getting applied through foliar applications. Foliar applications work well for others though, your call. Well typically apply liquid N when we applying herbicides for weed control...weeds seem to take in the herbicide better because they think they are also getting "fed" with the liquid nitrogen.

Aren't there any other Growmark FS plants in the nearby vicinity of the one that closed up? They have a pretty good spread of them that I'd think you'd be able to get dry Nitrogen from another plant.

http://www.growmarkfs.com/info/Pages/locations.aspx

I'll keep looking for you though.


----------



## gradyjohn (Jul 17, 2012)

haybaler101 said:


> No, still use it to spread alfalfa fields and smaller fields that are not VRT.


I use to toss by own but ... going and coming, no gps, my time ... I just have them sling it. If I get a GPS guidance system thin I will do it. Cart rental isn't bad. They use to bring and pickup and that was cool. I hate the kicking and bucking of the truck going down the road ... not to mention the idiot that pulls out in front of you while you are hauling 6 tons of fertilizer.

What is VRT ... I just learned what RTK was this week.


----------



## PaCustomBaler (Nov 29, 2010)

VRT = variable rate technology


----------



## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Just got price on cart and up to 6 ton of N. I think it was 33-0-0-12 last number being suffer. Think they called it "super 33".
Anyhow works out to about $500/ton. Looks like 60 units per acre. Works out to about 180lbs/acre, or 1/11th ton per acre. That's $45/acre if I did math correct??? Then I have to add fuel, my time, tractor wear & tear. 
Local guy will spread same stuff for $45.50/ton. 
Like I said, unless I made a math mistake, it's same price to have it spread for me than to do it myself.


----------



## PaCustomBaler (Nov 29, 2010)

Do you mean local guy will spread for $45.50/ton or $45.50/acre?

We'll put that 33-0-0-12 on in the spring if we don't need any P & K on that particular soil. Pretty popular N fertilizer...it's sort of a mix between urea and ammonium sulfate. If I remember right, we were spreading it at 180lb/ac as well, but next time I'll start going heavier. For every ton of grass-type hay you pull of, it requires roughly 45 lbs of nitrogen so just have to remember to replace that N you consumed.


----------



## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

PaCustomBaler said:


> Do you mean local guy will spread for $45.50/ton or $45.50/acre?
> 
> We'll put that 33-0-0-12 on in the spring if we don't need any P & K on that particular soil. Pretty popular N fertilizer...it's sort of a mix between urea and ammonium sulfate. If I remember right, we were spreading it at 180lb/ac as well, but next time I'll start going heavier. For every ton of grass-type hay you pull of, it requires roughly 45 lbs of nitrogen so just have to remember to replace that N you consumed.


Agh!! You're right. I knew something seemed wrong
Gotta get more sleep Rick!


----------



## PaCustomBaler (Nov 29, 2010)

HAHA! No worries, I understood what you meant.


----------



## Orchard6 (Apr 30, 2014)

We rent spreaders from Wilbur-Ellis for $15 a half day or $30 a day. Doesn't matter how many tons you spread. We use lime spreaders for fertilizer applications for orchard work though, as they are shorter and narrower to fit down the orchard rows.


----------

