Nutrients 101
A roundup of our favorite resources on nitrogen, phosphorus, and plant fertility
What are nutrients in farming?
ust like people need food to grow or sustain life, plants need nutrients. The primary nutrients needed by crops are nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). Crops also use potassium (K), sulfur, zinc, and magnesium. There are actually over a dozen essential nutrients that plants need to live! So why the emphasis on nitrogen and phosphorus? These two nutrients move downstream and can cause harmful algaea blooms in water.
The Nitrogen Cycle
We break down the nitrogen cycle in the context of Iowa farming. Our animated video answers questions like: Why do farmers need to apply fertilizer? What happens to nitrogen in our soil? And what makes nitrogen vulnerable to moving?
Phosphorus basics
Iowa State University Extention provides essential information on phosphorus, including its role in plants, humans, and livestock nutrition. They also discuss the availability of phosphorus in soil and how producers manage P.
Nitrogen basics
IAWA explains what nitrogen is, the different forms of nitrogen, how it interacts with water, and what we can do about it when it comes to on-farm conservation.
How Corn Uses Essential Nutrients
Bayer helps us understand the principles of soil fertility and plant needs. Learn about the 16 essential nutrients for plants, where nutrients come from naturally, how plants take up nutrients, and the influence of soil on nutrient availability.
Nitrogen in the Environment
University of Missouri gives a short but valuable explainer on nitrogen. They answer the questions: What is nitrogen? What are forms of nitrogen? What is nitrogen’s impact on water quality? Don’t miss the “related publications” on the right-hand side of the screen, too!
How Nitrogen Moves in Groundwater
The MN Dept of Ag put together a series of videos to show nitrate movement in groundwater. These videos specifically talk about a certain kind of topography called Karst. Southeast MN has similar topography as NE Iowa.
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