You Start

Tips on Managing Sulfur For Corn  

Sulfur is a vital ingredient for crop growth and development, contributing to amino acid synthesis and perhaps enhancing the quality of grain and forage in animal feed. This piece offers a fundamental review of sulfur management, encompassing the sources, rates, and timings that might influence maize yields and nutritional quality. Finding out how much sulfur is required to produce a healthy corn crop is the first step in deciding whether or not to apply sulfur to your corn field.

Identifying S-deficient corn crops can assist forecast which farms will have higher yields if S fertilizer is used. The most visible visual indication of S insufficiency is yellowing of the leaves, particularly the younger leaves near the top of the plant. Vegetative maize plants may show interveinal striping patterns rather than uniform fading throughout entire leaves. A tissue test can help confirm S insufficiency. In general, maize ear leaves taken during initial silk contain a sulfur concentration of 0.16-5.0%, indicating no sulfur deficit (0.09-0.15% is considered marginal).

When deciding how much sulfur to apply, keep in mind the 4Rs of nutrition management: rate, source, location, and timing. For example, the nutrition supply dictates when sulfur should be applied. Sulfate ions (SO4-1) are the soil's sulfur that plants uptake. To make sulfur available to plants, other types of sulfur, including organic sulfur (compounds containing sulfur and carbon atoms) or elemental sulfur (S2), must first be transformed to sulfate. Sulfur is most often found in sulfate form in air deposition, DAP, and AMS, making it readily available for plant absorption. Due to sulfate ions' high mobility in the soil profile (similar to nitrogen) and their ability to leak out of the root zone after heavy rainfall, these sources of sulfur are better utilized when applied to a developing crop that already has a nutrient need. Half of the sulfur in manure is usable in the first year, and the other half will be available in subsequent years once it mineralizes. This is because manures can include both sulfate-sulfur and organic sulfur. Gypsum (calcium sulfate), ammonium sulfate (AMS), and other sulfate sources are more suited than supplies that primarily contain organic or elemental S for short-term S shortage correction during the growing season.

In Ohio, there have been 53 field studies with S treatments in maize since 2013. Most of these were done with spring-applied sulfur (gypsum, ammonium sulfate, or thiosulfate) before planting, at sowing, or soon after planting. Adding sulfur to plants usually raised the amount of S in their leaves and grains, which might make the feed more valuable, but it didn't always lead to higher yields. S only worked in 44% of the trials, and out of them, only 5 were statistically significant. These results showed that S insufficiency is not a big concern in Ohio, although some corn fields can benefit from S fertilization. In Sandusky County, four on-farm studies were done in 2022 and 2023 to see how silage and grain corn reacted to S fertilizer in two different types of soil. Twenty pounds of S per acre gave the best grain yields, but only in sandy soil. There were no statistical differences in the clay loam soil. There were no statistically significant increases in silage yields linked to S fertilizer.

Sulfur fertilizer recommendations are becoming more common as crop yields improve and atmospheric S inputs decrease. Based on existing knowledge, a reaction to sulfur application is expected in sandy soils with little organic matter and fields with no or little history of manure application. When cultivating corn for silage, bigger quantities are required for the crop. When growing maize and sulfur insufficiency is suspected, a 15-30-pound application should suffice.

Biofuels Blitz: E15 Returns  

If you are a European with a stake in agriculture, take note. The US biofuel campaign is heating up, and it has lessons for our industry. The Renewable Fuels Association US (RFA), led by CEO Geoff Cooper, is pursuing regulatory and infrastructure milestones to transform global energy and farming systems. Environmental regulations have long prohibited the use of the E15 fuel blend, which contains 15% ethanol. E-15 was mostly banned for use during summer in the US. This year, RFA hopes to win approval for year-round use. Why, you could wonder. The RFA claims this would increase ethanol capacity and reduce oil price volatility, especially during geopolitical shocks. A good example is the recent surge in oil prices of $10 or more per barrel because of Middle Eastern tensions. If the approval process for shops that use “presumption of compatibility” for infrastructure is made easy, more people will adopt the use of E15 blend.

Back home, Europe's push for greater biofuel blends (HVO, biodiesel) faces comparable regulatory challenges. It is possible that Europe would follow the lead of the United States in normalizing E15, which would result in the redirection of crop-based ethanol toward gasoline and less volatility of feedstock prices. The US Renewable Fuels Association also wants the EPA to promise to boost Renewable Volume Obligations starting in 2026, as part of the Renewable Fuel Standard. More ethanol means that the demand for maize will be more stable, which is good for farmers' income. The US RFA says that the law doesn't limit the use of conventional biofuels to 15 billion gallons. The US wants to grow, just like Europe wants to with RefuelEU-aviation and stricter Fit for 55 blending regulations. If regulators in Europe set long-term goals for biofuels, they will motivate people to invest in decarbonization technology, farm diversification, and digital supply management systems.

I see opportunities for agritech developers and investors in the infrastructure space. New pumps, storage tanks, and monitoring equipment are needed to provide access to E15. By supporting USDA's HBIIP program in the US, the RFA made $450 million available in subsidies for supply chain infrastructure that is compatible with biofuels. Support like this increases the potential to invest in blending centers, sensors, logistics tracking, and soil-to-fuel traceability. These are important technical aspects through which AgriTech tools and entrepreneurship flourish. On the aviation front, RFA was itching to give ethanol a first-class ticket to the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) party! The bipartisan Farm-to-Fly Act, endorsed by RFA's Jared Mullendore, has the potential to expand ethanol-based SAF and open up a new market for corn, grain, and waste-derived feedstock. In Europe, SAF is becoming a lynchpin for Europe's carbon ambitions. Scaling ethanol-based SAF gives EU ag-tech providers a chance to plant their seeds in the rich soil of circular-to-sustainable farming systems and carbon tracking software. Talk about a match made in eco-heaven!

EU regulatory bodies need to move with speed for us to have a competitive edge. When the U.S. makes E15 more common, the EU's regional markets can follow suit with the blend expansion. This should be easy with AgriTech tools that keep track of carbon intensity, feedstock sources, and blended output. Once E15 is normalized, there is an incentive to fuel innovation. R&D spending on new crops, biorefineries, AG data systems, and soil-to-market carbon tracking is justified by the need to meet SAF or ethanol levels. Also, circular SAF prospects create demand for feedstocks such as residues, pulses, and biomass. This leads to new ideas in crop rotation technologies and sensor networks. As US and EU policies become more aligned, financial streams (such as IRA and CAP) may flow into instruments that facilitate compliance and value-chain synchronization—from farm to flight.

📢 Tweet of The Week

🌎 Out & About

21 Hectares per Hour: Unmanned aerial vehicles (commonly known as drones) are quickly becoming a core tool in modern European farming. They offer speed, precision, and real-time data in a way no tractor, spreadsheet, or satellite can match.  Drones equipped with multispectral or thermal cameras can fly over fields and quickly spot areas affected by disease, stress signals in orchards helping farmers act faster and save on yields. Using precision agriculture, drone technology has enabled farmers enhance input optimization and limits environmental footprint. Here are five best drones for agricultural use.

Britain’s Comeback at The Open: In the world of golf, The British Open, is one of the sport’s most prestigious tournaments. But on 12^th July 1969, it wasn’t just about fairways and putts—it became a national moment of pride for Britain. That year, Tony Jacklin, a 25-year-old from Scunthorpe, stepped up at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club and did what no British golfer had done in 18 years: win The Open. The last Brit to win The Open had been Max Faulkner in 1951. For nearly two decades, American golfers dominated the leaderboard. His win was more than just a moment of pride as ESPN narrates.

A Ripple Effect: American satellite data and worldwide models like NOAA and ECMWF provide weather forecasts, storm tracking, and early warnings to European farmers, especially those near beaches or rivers. When data streams dwindle, our forecasts become less accurate. Imagine being a Northern German lamb farmer like Kruse. You use tide tables and storm surge models to evacuate your sheep from flood zones. Unexpected data gaps put cattle, crops, and emergency response at risk. Weather models in Europe are strong. But they're not independent. They use U.S. satellite data and ocean buoy systems, which are threatened by funding cuts. AGDAILY highlights what the cuts to US weather science means to Europe.

Generative Ai Opportunity For Europe: Opportunities in advertising and commerce are being created by generative AI and retail media. Countries like the UK, Germany, and France are leading the way in AI startup growth. The regulatory landscape in the European Union is becoming more stringent, with a focus on Big Tech and Chinese marketplaces. This trend has the potential to transform digital markets.

UK Sustainability Standards: To support obligatory sustainability-related financial disclosures, the UK government produced proposed UK Sustainability Reporting Standards (UK SRS) that closely align with the ISSB's IFRS S1 and S2 standards. A two-year “climate-first” exemption for reporting non-climate risks and the removal of a reporting delay allowance to line with financial statements are key UK draft modifications. The government wants comments on UK SRS's costs and advantages before finalizing standards in 2025. The consultation period ends September 17, 2025. Find the details on GOV.UK.

Gold Rush?: The Norrsken Foundation expressed concern about a possible "gold rush" collapse in Ai funding despite the over $110 billion in venture capital funding that artificial intelligence (AI) received in 2024. According to the group, they are looking to fund AI projects that have "actually matters" and are urging other investors to join them.  The European Foundation for Climate, Health, Food, and Education is investing €300 million in artificial intelligence firms that aim to address global climate, health, food, and education crises. For more, visit Impact Loop.

💡 A Thought For Friday

Disclaimer

Follow