Farmers today face challenges from all directions. With increasing pressure from environmental regulations, rising input costs, and the need to feed a growing global population, farmers must adopt smarter, more efficient practices. One such practiceโTargeted Nutrient Management (TNM)โoffers a data-driven solution to this modern dilemma.
Through using TNM, growers can balance producing high-quality, nutritious food with the important twin duties of maintaining financial and environmental sustainability.
Nothing is new under the sun, and farmers have been practicing forms of Targeted Nutrient Management for millennia. Yet with the advent of new technologies, we can further refine the way growers approach fertilization, enabling them to deliver nutrients more precisely and efficiently than ever before.
By tailoring nutrient applications to the specific needs of crops at different growth stages and under varying environmental conditions, TNM helps farmers improve productivity, reduce waste, and protect the environment. Read on to explore what TNM is, how it works, its key benefits, and how you can implement it successfully on your farm.
What is Targeted Nutrient Management?
Targeted Nutrient Management may sound fancy, but in reality, the goal is just to give the plant and growing medium what it needs, when it needs it, but not too much, to optimize nutrient application and yield. Unlike traditional blanket fertilization methods, which often rely on fixed schedules or broad regional guidelines, TNM leverages field-level insights to guide nutrient delivery with precision.
TNM combines traditional tools with new technology to create a holistic picture of whatโs going on in the field or greenhouse at any given time. These tools can include:
- Soil testing
- Plant tissue analysis
- Weather and environmental monitoring
- Crop modeling
- Digital agronomic platforms
By using the full suite of tools available today, we can better know our soil and plants and how to take care of them. This granular level of detail leads to more informed decisions and minimizes the risk of over- or under-fertilizingโboth of which can harm yields and the environment.
Building a Successful TNM Strategy
Implementing TNM requires an integrated, proactive approach. The following components are essential to developing a robust nutrient management plan:
1. Soil and Tissue Analysis
Even with all the fancy tech available today, there is no replacement for soil and tissue testing. These tests provide a baseline to work from and allow us to address any underlying issues before they get worse, or you waste money by applying the wrong thing. The nutrient management plan is then written from the foundational information provided by these tests.
Special note: If you are using irrigation, testing your water is just as important as testing your soil as it can also provide or tie up nutrients. I have seen growers with high soil nutrient levels but low tissue test results and failing crops.ย The culprit in this case is often the water, so this cannot be underestimated.
2. Custom Nutrient Blends
Standard N-P-K blends are important but may not address specific crop or soil needs. TNM often incorporates custom formulations, including secondary nutrients and micronutrients tailored to address identified deficiencies.
3. Strategic Fertilizer Timing
Timing is everything. Applying nutrients at the wrong stage can limit their effectiveness, waste money, and pollute the environment.
I have seen growers apply all their N & K at the beginning of a growing season that turned out to be especially wet, and their yields suffered as the fertilizer leached out of the root zone before the plant was able to take it up.
TNM uses crop modeling and growth stage monitoring to ensure nutrients are applied precisely when plants can use them most effectively.
4. Use of Biostimulants and Micronutrients
Just as our bodies need a varied diet with a complete suite of nutrients that provide different benefits to our systems, plants and soil organisms also need access to complete foods.
TNM integrates products like biostimulants to enhance nutrient uptake and improve plant resilience. Micronutrientsโthough required in smaller quantitiesโplay a critical role in metabolic processes and overall plant health.
5. Digital Tools and Decision Support Systems
The amount of data at our fingertips today is astounding. Advanced TNM leverages our connected world for real-time data collection, mapping, and nutrient recommendations.
Mobile apps, sensors, and drones can further enhance in-field nutrient monitoring and adjustment. This can be difficult to navigate, which is why todayโs agronomists are constantly learning new platforms and tools to help you.
Field Trial Insights: Biostimulant Impact on Crop Performance
Recent agricultural field trials highlight how targeted nutrient management using biostimulants can lead to measurable improvements in crop yield and nutrient efficiency.
- In bell peppers, plots treated with Soline yielded on average 1000 more lbs/ac as compared to the untreated and competitor product.
- In potatoes, plots treated with BioVive yielded on average 25 cwt/ac more as compared to untreated and competitor product.
- In both cases, no additional fertilizer was added.
This shows how using a biostimulant package can allow the plants to more efficiently use the nutrients supplied to it, saving money and protecting the environment.
Future Trends in Nutrient Management
As agriculture continues to evolve, so too does TNM. Here are a few exciting trends shaping the future of nutrient management:
1. Imaging and AI-Based Recommendations: Machine learning algorithms can now process complex data sets to deliver highly accurate nutrient recommendations in real-time. These AI-powered tools take into account factors like multi-spectral imaging, weather patterns, crop variety, and historical yield data.
2. Integration with Regenerative Agriculture: TNM aligns naturally with regenerative practices like cover cropping, minimal tillage, and diversified rotations. Precision nutrition supports soil health and biological activity, essential for regenerative systems.
3. Sustainable Fertilizer Innovations: New fertilizer technologiesโsuch as slow-release coatings, bio-based inputs, and nano-fertilizersโare enhancing nutrient delivery while reducing environmental risks. These innovations will be key to meeting future sustainability goals.
Conclusion: TNM as the Future of Smarter Farming
Targeted Nutrient Management is the natural evolution of the innovation that happens on farms around the world every day, and can be a vital step forward for modern, sustainable agriculture. By tailoring nutrient applications to actual crop needs using real-time data, TNM enables growers to maximize yields, optimize input costs, and minimize environmental impact.
Whether youโre a large-scale commercial farmer or a small-scale grower, TNM can bring transformative value to your operation. As demonstrated through real-world examples, the combination of data-driven insights and custom nutrient solutions leads to measurable success.
Natasha Paris is the Technical Support Specialist for the Northeast U.S. for Miller Chemical, whichย develops and distributes agricultural fertilizer products and crop supplies.ย Parisย conducts research and provides education on topics related to specialty crop production. She has more than 10 years of experience in the agronomy and agriculture education field, previously serving farmers and agribusiness with University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension and as an agriculture teacher. She farms with her husband in Central Wisconsin and is working on her MS in Crop & Soil Science at Auburn University.
