N Stabilizers: Maximizing Every Pound of Nitrogen
By their nature, nitrogen (N) stabilizers play a key role in helping customers protect their fertilizer investments. This has been true since these products were first introduced to the marketplace more than a half-century ago. But experts say, given today’s economic conditions for growers, N stabilizers will remain important for the 2026 growing season.
Before looking ahead to this year, however, let’s review how the category performed during 2025. According to Chris Kluemke, Market Development Specialist at Corteva Agriscience, N stabilizers helped growers deal with one of their main uncertainties last year — the weather.
“In some places, there was a lot of rain,” says Kluemke. “When the growers in these wet areas used a N stabilizer, they saw a 15- to 20-bushel increase in their yields compared with growers that didn’t use them.”
Corey Fisher, Plant Nutrition Marketing Manager, Loveland Products, says his company’s N stabilizer also helped growers during the 2025 growing season with these kinds of extreme weather issues.
“This past year, our below-ground stabilizer, Nitrain Bullet, was a standout performer,” says Fisher. “A wet fall in 2024 pushed a significant portion of anhydrous ammonia applications into the spring of 2025, creating early-season momentum that continued into the fall. [This created] favorable application conditions and helped set the stage for a strong year.”
Overall, N stabilizer demand among growers is expected to stay constant in 2026. In fact, according to results from the 2026 CropLife Buying Intentions Survey, 28% of ag retailers anticipate the demand for N stabilizers from their grower-customers will increase this year between 1% and more than 5%. Sixty percent predict that their N stabilizer demand will remain constant in 2026. Only 12% expect to see a decline in N stabilizer demand.
Based upon the other reads of the agricultural market, most experts believe that many of the driving forces for applying N stabilizers in 2026 will mirror those from the prior year.
“The key trends in 2026 are going to look and sound a lot like the ones in 2025,” observes Mike Zwingman, Director of Agronomy, Row Crops, at Verdesian Life Sciences. “The big one is the need for growers to optimize production costs. With lower commodity prices, it is critical [for them] to get the most out of every pound of nitrogen applied.”
Cody Hornaday, Technical Agronomist at Koch Agronomic Services (KAS), agrees with this view.
“Unfortunately, or fortunately in some cases, the key trends driving nitrogen stabilizers are consistent with trends we saw last year,” says Hornaday. “These include rising input costs, continued interest and engagement with agricultural stewardship practices, and technological advancements improving stabilizer efficiency. N stabilizers can help optimize yield, ultimately helping farmers stretch their dollars a little bit further and provide farmers with an opportunity to protect nutrients.”
The Cost Factor
Of course, say market insiders, the major reason growers use N stabilizers in their crop fields ties back to the most important factor influencing all of their in-season decisions — costs. Since the world began to emerge from the COVID pandemic’s after-effects during 2021-22, fertilizer prices across the board have spiked and remained above historic averages. For nitrogen-based fertilizers, this has meant price per ton costs of more than $1,000 for a sustained period.
At this same time, the prices growers have received for their crops during this time period have remained at historic lows. In particular, the per bushel price for corn has dropped from between $6 to $7 in 2022 to approximately $3 today.
“It’s no secret that fertilizer is one of the top costs farmers incur annually,” says Hornaday. “As we continue in the current economic cycle, N stabilizers will remain crucial for optimizing crop nutrition inputs by reducing fertilizer loss and ensuring more applied nitrogen stays available for plant uptake.”
Dr. Zack Ogles, Manager of Agronomy at Tessenderlo-Kerley, concurs.
“Nitrogen fertilizer can be one of the largest input costs for a corn grower in the U.S.,” says Ogles. “With depressed commodity prices, it is critical that growers get the maximum yield for their fertilizer investment. The addition of a nitrification inhibitor can help protect their investment by maintaining more of the nitrogen in the stable ammonium form in the soil, thus reducing the probability of nitrate leaching.”
In addition, Ogles sees environmental considerations as also helping to spur N stabilizer growth throughout the upcoming year.
“I think the trends driving the nitrogen stabilizer market are both economic and environmental,” he says. “In addition to protecting their nitrogen investment, growers also want to reduce their carbon footprint and do their part to protect the environment. For most growers, sustainability has been an integral part of their operations for decades. The use of N stabilizers is just another way for them to ensure they are protecting the environment for generations to come.”
The Reasons for Use
As Loveland Products’ Fisher points out, growers have plenty of N stabilizers options to choose from in the marketplace. The key to picking the correct one goes back to what the grower is trying to accomplish in their crop fields.
“Are they trying to protect above-ground losses, below-ground losses, or both?” he asks. “It’s important for growers to identify the main areas of risk to help them determine what stabilizer products will be most effective for their situation.”
In addition, other factors come into play, adds Fisher. For example:
- When is the bulk of a grower’s material applied?
- What environmental losses are most likely during that time?
- How does the timing relate to crop growth stage and demand?
- Is the ground irrigated, do they anticipate an incorporating rain event, or is it dry land with no precipitation forecast?
“You may have different risks you’re trying to limit early season vs. late season,” says Fisher. “With so many products available, it’s important for growers to discuss their concerns and objectives with their crop consultants to ensure the right solution is found.”
No matter what the reason, Christian Rohloff, Retail Product Specialist at CHS, predicts N stabilizers will continue to play an important part in keeping nitrogen fertilizer investments safe, in 2026 and for years to come.
“N stabilizers help growers make the most of the fertilizer they’ve already invested in,” says Rohloff. “While stabilizers don’t reduce a crop’s total nitrogen requirement, they can help minimize loss, reduce the likelihood of additional applications in certain conditions, and help growers avoid adding extra nitrogen as ‘insurance’ for anticipated weather-related losses. By helping maintain nutrient availability through unpredictable conditions and potentially reducing additional passes depending on field conditions and management practices, stabilizers support growers’ efforts to stretch fertility dollars and maintain consistent nutrient availability.”
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