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Koch agronomist says tighter margins make nutrient management essential in 2026

An agronomy expert with Koch Agronomic Services says growers should prioritize nutrient use efficiency in 2026.

Tim Laatsch, Koch’s director of agronomy for North America, says continued tight margins are projected for the next growing season.

“I would encourage growers to think about two things in particular,” he said. “One is phosphorous use efficiency. What tools can I use to unlock the P that’s already in my soil that I’ve been banking for years? The second would be seed enhancement products. How can I take that expensive investment in genetics and get more mileage out of it?”

He tells Brownfield producers will need to pay close attention to how efficiently they apply nitrogen.

“The key thing about nitrogen is that it’s a leaky system in the soil,” Laatsch said. “There are several different loss pathways. When it comes to nitrogen management, it’s an expensive input in the cropping system. We need to make sure we’re protecting and conserving as much of that N as possible through the use of effective inhibitor products.”

Laatsch says farmers are also facing increasing price pressures on phosphorus inputs, so he recommends considering an organic phosphorus product like PHOSFORCE, which is a nutrient enhancer that helps increase the amount of plant-available phosphorus in the soil.

Laatsch spoke to Brownfield at the 2025 NAFB Convention in Kansas City.