Proven Nutrient Strategies from PTI Farm Research ‣ PTx Winter Conference 2026

Listen as lead research agronomist Jason Webster shares years of agronomic data from the PTI farm in Pontiac, IL that challenge long standing nutrient management assumptions and highlight new opportunities for farmers to increase profit and efficiency. Learn how banded fertilizer placement, reduced application rates, and fertilizer reallocation strategies consistently improved economic returns even when yields remained similar to full rate broadcast applications. Webster explains how rising input costs and tighter margins require growers to farm smarter by adopting practices that provide higher return on investment. Through multiyear striptill studies, he shows how reducing dry fertilizer by 25 to 50% maintained yield while improving net profitability by up to $50 per acre. Alternative nutrition programs, including liquid planter-applied products and complete replacement of dry fertilizer are also evaluated with compelling yield and economic outcomes. Webster highlights additional innovative approaches such as manure-based fertility with chicken litter, hog manure applications through FurrowJet, and the Stock Cropper autonomous livestock system which dramatically increased soil test levels and produced some of the highest corn yields recorded at PTI. The session concludes with a connected study on equipment traffic and tire tracks which revealed significant yield loss from compaction and demonstrated how planter weight management and proper tire inflation can mitigate those losses. This video is packed with practical insights for growers looking to optimize fertility, reduce input costs, and maximize return on every acre using proven research from the PTI Farm. Topics Covered: • Banded vs broadcast fertilizer • Fertilizer rate reduction • Fertilizer reallocation • Liquid nutrition strategies • Manure based fertility • Chicken litter and hog effluent • Stock Cropper system • Strip cropping and sunlight optimization • Traffic management and compaction • Tire inflation and weight distribution Learn more at precisionplanting.com Timestamps 00:00 Intro and PTI Farm Overview 01:37 Economic pressures and input costs 04:26 Banded fertilizer and rate reduction study 08:44 Five-year fertility results 11:19 Soil test level changes over time 11:57 Soybean fertility results 12:20 Fertilizer reallocation program 13:50 Liquid planter-applied nutrition 14:42 High-management fertility trials 16:25 100% liquid programs 17:57 Chicken litter studies 19:51 Hog manure (swine effluent) research 22:38 StockCropper autonomous livestock system 27:10 Strip cropping for sunlight optimization 32:30 Capturing more yield with fewer acres 33:27 Traffic management and compaction study 38:46 Tire inflation and weight management findings