Calculate how much nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, and micronutrients your crops take off the field — so you can plan replacement fertilizer based on what the land actually lost.
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Nutrient Removal Calculator
Weighted totals above reflect the blended mix.
If you also harvest the residue check the relevant box. Residue removal can double or triple the K₂O coming off an acre.
Multiply each per-bushel rate by yield to get pounds per acre.
| Crop | N | P₂O₅ | K₂O | S |
|---|
* Soybean N removal is real — the harvested grain carries this nitrogen off the field — but soybeans fix most of their own nitrogen from the atmosphere and typically require little to no N fertilizer application. Do not treat this number as a fertilizer replacement target for soybeans. It is shown here for nutrient accounting purposes only.
Nutrient removal values come from University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension fertilizer guides (AGR-1 Lime and Nutrient Recommendations) and the International Plant Nutrition Institute's (IPNI) *Nutrient Removal by Crops* reference, which is the standard data source used by every land-grant university for nutrient budgeting.
P and K are expressed as P₂O₅ and K₂O (the oxide forms) because that's how fertilizer is sold and how soil test recommendations are written. To convert to elemental P or K: elemental P = P₂O₅ × 0.437, elemental K = K₂O × 0.830.
Important caveat on micronutrients. Published removal values for Zn, Mn, B, Cu, and Fe are available but should not drive replacement decisions the way N-P-K removal does. Most western Kentucky soils supply adequate micronutrients naturally, and deficiencies are better diagnosed through soil testing and tissue sampling than by matching removal rates. Treat the micronutrient table as reference information, not a fertilizer prescription.