The higher the cost of the input, the more important it becomes to maximize efficiencies and make sure that input pays dividends. High fertilizer prices paired with potential environmental impact makes managing nutrient inputs doubly important.

Nothing pays better than conservation. That's the motto and mission of McCormick Farms, Inc. We run a diverse operation that has been farmed by multiple generations of our family in the Wabash Valley of southwestern Indiana and southeastern Illinois.

Fertilizer was a painful input for most no-tillers in 2008. Growing world demand (up 14% — a growth equal to the entire U.S. market, according to The Fertilizer Institute), high production costs, increased transportation expense and a faltering U.S. dollar all contributed to record-high prices for major nutrients.

Fred Below looks at pushing up corn yields in a much different way than many researchers. The crop physiologist at the University of Illinois has determined that 7 critical items have the most impact on corn yields.

With skyrocketing input prices like seed and fertilizer, it pays to measure your production and more closely manage your inputs. One of my favorite management slogans is, “Measure to manage.” Without measuring your inputs and yields, it’s really hard to manage to the highest level of profit.

If you're not measuring the nutrient needs of your soils, you may be throwing tons of money away and hurting your soil structure — even if you’re no-tilling.