RemeD8: Turning Residue Into Real Fertility to Get the Most Out of Every Fertilizer Input

You may understand the mechanics of the carbon to nitrogen ratio, but do you understand how to put the cycle to work for your next cash crop and your fertility budget?

Today, what matters most is knowing how to get the most out of every input we use in agriculture. From the technology and software to every ounce of fertilizer applied, putting every penny available to work has never been more important to finding ROI.

The Carbon to Nitrogen (C:N) relationship is not just soil science. It is a direct path putting crop residue to work, to saving money, improving nutrient efficiency, and to growing better crops.

Every decomposing crop adds carbon to the soil. How much and how fast that carbon is added to the soil is up to you as a producer. The amount of nitrogen available to the carbon released from decomposing crops will determine whether microbes release nutrients or lock them up. We all know that there’s a lot of carbon in corn stalks; those stalks break down slowly and pull nitrogen from the soil. On the other hand, soybean residue releases nutrients more readily. Both crop residues can be managed, however. The benefit: Farmers who manage residue by balancing the C:N ratio keep microbes working in their favor.

“Managing the Carbon to Nitrogen ratio is one of the simplest ways a grower can capture more value from their fertility plan,” says Dr. Chris Underwood, Director of Innovation and Business Development for Performance Nutrition Fertilizers. “You’ve already paid for the nutrients that are tied up in corn stover and bean residue; biology is what frees those nutrients up.”

Why It Matters for Your Fertility Program

A ton of corn residue contains meaningful nutrition. According to research from Iowa State University and the University of Nebraska, one ton of corn stalks can contain 17 pounds of nitrogen, 4 pounds of phosphorus, 30 pounds of potassium, and several pounds of sulfur. If residue decomposes efficiently, those nutrients are released directly into the soil for uptake by the next crop.

Here is where the advantage becomes clear. Synthetic fertilizers must go through soil chemical changes before a plant can take them up. Ammonium must convert to nitrate. Phosphorus often needs to be mineralized or released from bound forms. That delay can limit early season growth and increase loss potential. When microbes break down residue, nutrients are released in biologically available forms that plants can access immediately.

“When nutrients are released by microbes, the plant can utilize them right away,” Underwood explains. “Efficiency occurs in a field when nutrient availability and crop growth needs coincide; the right products and biology can make that happen.”

Why RemeD8 Helps Farmers Capture More Value

Performance Nutrition’s RemeD8 is designed to nurture the biology responsible for the C:N process. RemeD8 stimulates and promotes microbial activity, helps break down carbon more efficiently, and brings the C:N environment back into balance so nutrients cycle more predictably.

“RemeD8 helps farmers get more from the residue and the fertility they’ve already invested in,” Underwood says. “It supports the biology that drives nutrient release. When that biology is active and balanced, the crop responds.”

Managing the C:N ratio with the help of a biological solution like RemeD8 turns residue into a nutrient source rather than an obstacle.

In a world of volatile fertilizer prices, using biology to unlock the value already stored in residue is one of the most reliable ways to improve efficiency and maintain margins.