The Volume-Cost Conundrum
A recurring objection to GMS' low volume recommendations is that there is not enough fertility there to grow a crop. Many, many visual and data-driven experiments have shown the advantages of GMS over 10-34-0 and other liquid fertilizers over the years, but farmers would still have trouble getting over the volume-cost obstacle, despite explaining to them that less of the volume of GMS would be needed over other fertilizer liquids because of its content and availability.
So, the people at GMS put their experience and knowledge, along with data from universities and agricultural sources, to develop the Cost and Nutritional Analysis.
By assigning an availability of dry, liquid and manure products based on what they are, how they are made, what they are made of, and where they are placed, an accurate picture of the true costs of the fertilizer inputs bought by the farmer, and their value in the volume presented, comes into focus.
An example show in the chart (see page 4) of a farmer running costs on replacing his 3-gallon seed-trench applied 10-34-0 with 3 gallons of GMS. While GMS first appeared to be more costly, a closer look led him to a great "ah hah" moment.
The total pounds of available nutrition for his basic phosphate applications of 10-34-0 and a fall applied strip till of 50 pounds of the dry fertilizer DAP fell short of the 3 gallons of GMS! A look at the cost per acre of the two products ($16.08 and $22.63) added up to more ($4.03) higher than the 3 gallons of GMS alone!
The cost per pound of available nutrition of the fertilizers, along with the fact GMS has trace elements, a low salt index, and the element potassium for a complete nutritional package, really got his attention. And, oh! Less application cost and time!
Try this cost calculator out on your operation. It is a guarantee you will have your own enlightening moment the more you explore putting various numbers and application methods into the Growers Mineral Solutions Cost and Nutritional Analysis.
The cost of the 10-34-0 and dry DAP fertilizers shown is at the writing of this article (12-01-21) and is subject to change.
The cost of the GMS was based on the 1000-gallon rate with a 10% early order discount.
An assigned value of the trace elements in GMS was not considered for this example, but based on other liquid fertilizer trace elements add-on costs, an additional savings of $6- $9 per acre can be realized.
This is an excerpt from the Winter Growers Solution (2022).
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