The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Agricultural Chemical Use Program is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's official source of statistics about on-farm and post-harvest fertilizer and pesticide use and pest management practices.
In the fall of 2021, NASS collected data for the 2021 crop year, the one-year period beginning after the 2020 harvest and ending after the 2021 harvest, about chemical use and pest management practices used on corn production. The data was collected as part of the Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS).
Fertilizer Use: Of the three primary macronutrients, nitrogen (N) was the most widely used on corn. Iowa farmers applied nitrogen to 87 percent of planted acres at an average rate of 149 pounds per acre per year. Macronutrients phosphate (P2O5) and potash (K2O) were applied to roughly half of corn acres, at an average rate of 64 and 89 pounds per acre per year, respectively. The secondary macronutrient, sulfur (S), was applied to 16 percent of acres planted to corn.
Pesticide Use: Herbicide active ingredients were applied to 96 percent of the corn acres planted in Iowa. Atrazine was the most widely used pesticide overall applied to 69 percent of the planted acres. Acetochlor was the active ingredient with the greatest total amount applied in Iowa. Fungicide and insecticide active ingredients were applied to 26 percent and 13 percent of corn acres planted, respectively.
Categories: Iowa, Crops