Welcome to the Alberta Wheat and Barley Commissions.

Please choose which side of the site you wish to visit. While on the site,
use the toggle feature on the top left corner to switch between commissions.

Nitrogen Rate of Return Calculator

The Alberta Wheat and Barley Commissions wanted a tool to help growers understand possible economic returns of various nitrogen (N) fertilizer and crop prices. This N Rate Calculator, developed by Rigas Karamanos, Ph.D., P.Ag., FCSA, for spring wheat and feed barley can be used to evaluate different net return per acre scenarios which compare different N sources and costs, various crop prices and soil test N levels (nitrate-N in lb/ac to 24").

Resources list:

For more resources, see links below:

Nitrogen Rate of Return Calculator for
Brown, Dark Brown and Black Soil Zones

Use the tool to select and change fertilizer source, cost, crop price, N fertilizer rate and soil test N. The calculator determines the N fertilizer amount with the maximum net returns.

* Required
* Required

Nitrogen Fertilizer Information

* Required
$
* Required

Fertilizer Type and %N: The N source is entered by the user, stating the fertilizer type and the %N i.e. urea = 46-0-0 = 46% N, i.e. ammonium sulfate = 21-0-0-24 = 21% N. i.e. anhydrous ammonia = 82-0-0 = 82%.

$
* Required

Soil test N (0-24"): Soil test nitrate-N in the 0-24" sampling depth from your soil test report. This is entered by the user.

Input the increments in which you wish to view calculator results.

* Required
* Required

Crop and Soil Information

* Required

Planned nitrogen applciation (lb N/ac): The rate of N fertilizer recommended on your soil test report from a soil test lab (which may or may not be based on economics) or the decided plan based on soil tests and yield expectation of the grower.

* Required

Note: To recalculate results adjust the values in the inputs above, and then click "Calculate".

    Expected CWRS Wheat Price
   
N Rate Yield Increase
from 0 lb. N*		 Net Return ($/ac.)**
CWRS Wheat:N Price Ratio
(lb./acre) (bu./au.)

Legend:

Planned N Rate

Expected price to receive for each bushel of grain ($/bushel)

Notes:

*Calculations are based on the premise that an "ideal" fertilization program results in 30 lb N/acre residual N in 0-24" depth Current N rate from your soil test report or common practice.
**Net Return = (Expected CWRS Wheat Price *Yield Increase) - (Cost/Unit of N*N Rate)
Net return in green represents maximum for the CWRS Wheat: N Price Ratio range in this table.
Net return in yellow represents CWRS Wheat: N Price Ratio range within $1.00 of maximum in this table.

Definitions:

Yield increase from 0 lb N:

Equals the yield increase expected with applied N fertilizer above the yield achieved from soil test N only (as inputted by user).
For example, if the soil test showed 30 lbs of nitrate-N/acre, then "Yield Increase from 0 lbs N" would indicate the yield increase achieved from additional N fertilizer applications beyond what would be achieved with zero N fertilizer application.

CWRS Wheat: N Price Ratio:

The crop price per bushel divided by the cost of N ($/lb). This ratio represents the lbs of N that can be purchased with one bushel of crop. Crop price and fertilizer cost may change but the most economic rate of N (MERN) remains constant as long as the Crop:N Price ratio is unchanged. As the Price ratio increases, so does the N rate.

Net return:

The net return to N fertilizer from the yield increase achieved with that N fertilizer rate above the unfertilized yield.
Net Return = (crop price x yield increase) – (N price x N rate)