Using University of Kentucky removal factors, estimate the N-P-K each field needs next year from its typical yield, then estimate my fertilizer cost per acre. Assume Corn/Wheat-beans rotation. Make it a spreadsheet.
Synthesized crop rotation data with nutrient removal coefficients and pricing.

Done. The workbook has two tabs: Field Plan (a row per field with N-P-K need and cost, all driven by formulas) and Assumptions (the removal coefficients and prices, editable so the whole sheet recalculates if you change them).

How it's built:

Rotation — each field flips to the opposite phase next year. Fields in corn this year go to wheat→beans in 2027; this year's wheat-bean fields go to corn.

Removal coefficients (lb/bu) — UK/standard grain-removal values: corn 0.90 N / 0.37 P₂O₅ / 0.27 K₂O; wheat 1.20 / 0.60 / 0.35; soybeans 0 N (legume) / 0.80 / 1.40. Wheat-bean years combine both crops' removal.

Prices (late-May 2026 DTN) — urea $823, DAP $914, potash $494/ton → about $0.90/lb N, $0.64/lb P₂O₅, $0.41/lb K₂O (P₂O₅ backed out of DAP after crediting its N).

Headline numbers across ~10,340 acres:

Blended cost ≈ $226/acre, total program ≈ $2.33M.

Corn-bound fields run higher (~$243/ac, all that N) than wheat-bean fields (~$203/ac — no soybean N, but heavy K removal from beans).

Cheapest per acre: Garrison ($158), Ivey ($184). Priciest: Jessup ($295), Fenwick ($276), Halloran ($270) — the high-yield fields remove the most.

Biggest field bills: Yarbrough ($171K), Gaines ($169K), Rowe ($146K) — driven by acreage.

Two things to keep in mind before you budget off this: it's a removal/maintenance estimate, not a soil-test recommendation — fields testing high in P or K should get cut back, and low-testing ones need build-up on top. And I flagged N for corn/wheat as grain removal for consistency; your real UK N rate is yield-goal based and usually runs higher, so treat the N column as a floor. Thatcher has no bean history, so I used a farm-median soy yield as a placeholder (highlighted in the sheet).

Want me to layer in your actual soil-test P and K levels to turn this from a removal estimate into a true build/maintain recommendation, or add a column that nets out the N credit soybeans leave for the following corn?

Winnow_Fertilizer_Plan_2027.xlsxExcel spreadsheet · Download