2002 Agricultural Chemical Use Estimates for Winter and Spring Wheat
For immediate release: May 14, 2003
For more information please contact us at 1-800-835-2612.
 
Montana winter wheat producers applied nitrogen fertilizer to 88 percent of the acreage harvested for the 2002 crop. A total of 38.4 million pounds of nitrogen fertilizer was applied to the 750,000 acres of winter wheat harvested in Montana. Of the harvested area, 81 percent received phosphate fertilizer while potash was used on 46 percent of the acres. Total application of phosphate was 18.5 million pounds and potash was 4.8 million pounds. Winter wheat producers applied 433,000 pounds of herbicides to 80 percent of the planted winter wheat acres in 2002. The most common herbicide used was 2, 4-D with 56 percent of the acreage sprayed. Glyphosate and Dicamba were the next most popular herbicides, used at 30 and 17 percent, respectively, of the planted acreage covered.

Spring wheat producers in Montana planted 3.75 million acres of spring wheat in 2002. Sixty-six percent of these acres had nitrogen fertilizer applied to them. A total of 97.8 million pounds of nitrogen was applied. Phosphate was applied to 54 percent and potash to 21 percent of the planted spring wheat acreage. Total application of phosphate was 47.0 million pounds and potash was 14.9 million pounds. Producers applied 2.1 million pounds of herbicides to 89 percent of the total spring wheat acres planted in 2002. The most widely used herbicide was 2, 4-D with 65 percent of the acreage sprayed. Dicamba was the second most common herbicide, used on 32 percent, and Metsulfuron-methyl was used on 22 percent of the planted acres.

Nationally, winter wheat producers applied nitrogen to 86 percent of the 2002 winter wheat harvested acreage in the surveyed states. Fifty-five percent of the harvested winter wheat acreage received phosphate while potash was applied to 15 percent of the harvested acreage. Herbicides were applied to 38 percent of the 2002 winter wheat harvested acreage in the surveyed states. Metsulfuron-methyl and 2,4-D were both applied to 13 percent of the winter wheat harvested acreage followed by Chlorsulfuron at 10 percent.

Nitrogen fertilizer was applied to 86 percent of the 2002 other spring wheat planted acreage in the surveyed states (MN, MT, and ND). Phosphate was applied to 74 percent of the planted acreage while potash was applied to 27 percent of the planted acreage in the states surveyed. Spring wheat producers treated 91 percent of the other spring wheat planted acreage with herbicides; MCPA was applied to 47 percent of the planted acreage followed by 2,4-D at 36 percent.

The agricultural chemical use estimates in this report refer to on-farm use of commercial fertilizers and pesticides on targeted crops for the 2002 crop year. Farm and ranch operators were enumerated late in the growing season after the farm operator had indicated that planned applications were completed. The data was compiled from the Agricultural Resources Management Survey (ARMS) and from the Objective Yield Survey, with the main portion of data collection being conducted during the months of October to December 2002.

[Top of Page]