Randy Madden
Solving Soil Fertility Challenges
For Randy Madden, farming is both a legacy and a constant evolution. Over decades of managing his 3,000-acre continuous corn operation in north central Iowa, Randy has embraced the challenges of adapting to market demands, achieving competitive yields and maintaining soil health. At the heart of his success is a practical approach to decision-making and a trusted partnership with ADM Farm Direct Fertilizer.
Building a Continuous Corn Model
Randy’s decision to focus on continuous corn production was driven by strong local demand for corn from swine finishing and ethanol production in the region. Soil conditions less favorable for soybeans further solidified his strategy to prioritize corn production.
“It’s been a big challenge to develop a continuous corn model that can still produce yields that are competitive with rotated yields,” Randy shares. “We use a lot of swine manure, which has caused some nutrient imbalances. We’ve had to get creative in terms of fertilizer and nitrogen delivery, and that is one of the reasons we feel a sense of value from our relationship with ADM.”
ADM Farm Direct: A Trusted Partner
Strong supplier relationships have been critical to helping Randy navigate the challenges of continuous corn production.
Today, Randy works with three to four suppliers for his inputs, including ADM Farm Direct. Throughout nearly 50 years of farming, Randy has learned to adapt to shifting supplier dynamics as companies have merged and long-time contacts have retired.
“Many growers face these changes as they age, and it forces you to evaluate where suppliers create value in the relationship,” he says. “Sometimes that value is measured monetarily in terms of price. Other times it’s based on information and trust.”
Randy credits ADM Farm Direct’s expertise and unique purchasing model for helping him refine his fertility strategy. Through forward pricing, convenient delivery options and access to market insights, ADM has become a vital partner in Randy’s operation.
“Given the global nature of the fertilizer business, it’s important to get that global perspective from experts like ADM,” he says. “The monthly ADM Farm Direct Fertilizer call is an important resource that allows us to plan and change some of the components in our fertilizer program.”
Transitioning to Self-Applied Fertilizer
ADM Farm Direct has also played a key role in Randy’s transition to independent fertilizer application. When Randy committed to a continuous corn model, his first step toward self-applied fertilizer included investing in an anhydrous storage tank and the setup required to receive transports.
The decision was driven by the need to address nitrogen delivery at different times throughout the growing season, such as side dress, and using various forms of nitrogen to support the demands of continuous corn production.
“We have highly variable glacial till soils that include some high pH areas,” Randy explains. “Managing them with animal manure proved to be very challenging, so anhydrous was the first infrastructure we added to supplement the need for commercial fertilizer.”
More recently, Randy has added the capability to apply his own dry fertilizer and receive it in transport quantities, enabling him to treat variable regions of his fields with greater precision.
“The challenges associated with storing dry fertilizer have been intimidating to me, so we have not made that leap yet,” he admits. “Instead, we receive semi-quantities on the farm.”
Gradual Steps Toward Greater Efficiency
While the process of transitioning to self-applied fertilizer involved navigating a slow learning curve, Randy considers it a worthwhile investment.
“Even after 50 years I’m still learning what we can do differently, and while we may not be doing anything better than anyone else, having on-farm fertilizer capability has proven to be essential for us,” he says.
Randy encourages other growers to take a gradual approach when evaluating similar investments.
“My advice to other growers thinking about self-applying fertilizer would be to take it slowly and not make a big plunge expecting a big return,” he says. “We’ve made mistakes along the way and learned from them, but the future is bright in terms of the potential for higher yields on the acres we operate.”
He acknowledges that part of this progress will come with advancements from genetic providers and continued discovery in using resources, like fertilizer, more wisely and efficiently.
“Keep an open mind, experiment and consider sharing infrastructure with neighbors,” Randy adds. “The future will require us to develop more of that competency in our own operations and lead to more value and relationships with providers like ADM.”