Fertilizing your crops in 2010 is going to be a lot cheaper than this year, says a Purdue University expert. Quoted on the AgWeb site, economist Bruce Erickson says per acre expenditures could be down as much as a third. “Some farmers spent as much as $200/acre to fertilize 2009 corn — more than rent in some cases — including N,P,K and lime. We are projecting $100 to $130 for next year, depending on soils and crop rotation,” he says. Purdue pegs total variable costs on average soils at $363 for continuous corn, $351 rotational corn and $194 rotational soybeans. For their complete spreadsheet, including estimates for low- and high-productivity soils, click here.