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See the latest news, innovation updates, trial results, grower stories and more from Agricen.

September 4, 2018 — Posted By Agricen

agricen-20-years-01 This year, Agricen celebrates 20 years of agricultural technology research, discovery and innovation aimed at sustainably improving crop yields. Two decades is no small feat in the agribusiness industry, and it's an even bigger achievement in our sector, focused on agricultural biostimulants and biologicals.

This sector has made huge strides since we were founded in 1998 in Pilot Point, Texas. When we began, there was a general skepticism about biological solutions for agriculture. This was driven in part by a lack of knowledge about how the science had begun to advance—moving beyond "bathtub brews" to advanced, quality controlled products with claims that could be supported by field and university data.

A brief look at the history of Agricen through the years.

From the start, growers and other partners asked us to prove that our product technology consistently works to increase the efficiency of applied fertilizers, improve plant health and provide a return on investment. We invested heavily in understanding how our technology functions and tested it extensively to see how it performs in real world conditions. With well over 1,000 studies to date, we can confidently stand behind the efficacy of our biocatalyst technologies.

The newfound acceptance of the ag biostimulant and biologicals sector can also be seen in the growing number of places you will find our product technology today. From just a few hundred acres in the United States when we began, to nearly 250 thousand acres a decade later, and to over eight million acres on four continents in 2018, our proven, world-class product technology is helping growers compete and thrive—and is even helping U.S. corn growers achieve top yields.

In the next decade, we look forward to continuing to deliver industry-leading solutions for agriculture and related industries that are 'Based on Nature, Built on Science.'

A special thank you to our dedicated team, our partners (including Loveland Products and Nutrien Ag Solutions), and our customers for all of their support. We firmly believe that the next 20 years are going to be even more exciting and game-changing for the entire agricultural community.

Learn more about who we are and what we do by viewing our "About Us" page or watching our featured videos.

Titan XC Brings Out the Best in Alfalfa Field

August 7, 2018 — Posted By Agricen

After viewing this alfalfa field image, the grower, who is a dairyman, went to visit his local Nutrien Ag Solutions branch in Dassell, Minnesota with an important question: "What's wrong with the top half of the field?"

Looking back in his records, branch manager Mike Amundson saw that the only difference between the different parts of the field was that fertilizer on the top half of the field had not been treated with a biocatalyst. The fertilizer on the bottom half, where the alfalfa crop was really thriving, had been treated with Titan XC.

Both the treated and untreated fertilizer (200 lbs/acre of ammonium sulfate) had been spread on May 25, 2017. Titan XC was applied to the treated fertilizer prior to spreading. The Echelon image, seen above, was taken two months later, on July 29, 2017.

It turns out that Titan XC was the key to bringing out the best in this alfalfa field.

Learn more about Titan XC by downloading the Titan XC booklet.

Titan XC Helps Bring in Big Yields in 2017 Corn Yield Contest

July 25, 2018 — Posted By Agricen

national-corn-growers Our final winner profile from the 2017 National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) corn yield contest features Jeannie and Wally Linneweber of Vincennes, Indiana. With a yield of 347.5 bushels per acre, Jeannie earned second place nationwide in the AA non-irrigated corn category. She and Wally used Titan XC as part of their winning program.

Jeannie Linneweber: 2nd Place — AA Non-Irrigated Corn

Location: Vincennes, IN

Yield: 347.5 bu/acre

Hybrid: Pioneer

Products Used: Titan XC

Serviced by: Jeff Houchin, Branch Manager, Nutrien Ag Solutions, Decker, IN and John Wheatley, Nutrien Ag Solutions, Oaktown, IN

Jeannie and Wally Linneweber of Vincennes, Indiana. Jeannie came in second place nationally in the AA non-irrigated corn category.

Jeannie and Wally Linneweber farm on the same land where Wally's mother and several other generations of his family were born. The Linnewebers grow a variety of row crops, typically corn, soybeans, milo (grain sorghum) and wheat. They also raise hogs on a contract basis in ten hog finishing buildings on their property.

The couple is no stranger to the NCGA corn yield contest. In 2007 and 2015, they placed first nationwide. The couple placed second in 2009 and, in 2017, Jeannie took second place nationally for AA non-irrigated corn.

The entrance to Linneweber Farms.

"It's a great experience to participate in the contest," said Wally. "We know the seed companies personally, especially Pioneer Seed, and we have the privilege to test new genetics as they're made available first."

The field they planted for the 2017 NCGA contest has been corn on corn for 30 years. They credit some of their success in the contest to the hog manure that they obtain from their finishing buildings and use as a fertilizer. Another part of their winning program in 2017 was Titan XC, which they used on their dry fertilizer for the first time after having it recommended by their crop advisors from Nutrien Ag Solutions.

As for trying Titan XC, Wally says, "So far, so good!"

John Wheatley, Nutrien Ag Solutions, Oaktown, Indiana (left) and Jeff Houchin, Branch Manager, Nutrien Ag Solutions, Decker, Indiana (right).

Jeannie and Wally began the 2017 NCGA contest as entrants in the no-till non-irrigated category, but ended up competing in the AA non-irrigated category after heavy, pounding rains forced them to replant about 600 acres of corn in mid-May of that year. Interestingly, the corn they did not tear out at replanting yielded 150 bushels less than the corn they did replant.

In 2018, the couple will reduce their acres of corn planted due to prices, with more acreage devoted to soybeans. They also plan to compete in the NCGA corn yield contest again.

We wish them and all of the other growers the best of luck!

To find out more about the other winners who used a biocatalyst product like Titan XC, you can read our profile of Don Stall, national winner of the irrigated corn category, or Kevin and Shawn Kalb, who won two non-irrigated corn categories.

You can also learn more about Titan XC by downloading the Titan XC booklet.

Accomplish LM Helps Couple Win Two Corn Yield Contest Categories

July 19, 2018 — Posted By Agricen

national-corn-growers Today, we feature Kevin and Shawn Kalb of Dubois, Indiana, a husband and wife team who used Accomplish LM as part of their programs to win two non-irrigated categories in the 2017 National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) corn yield contest. With a yield of 386.16 bushels per acre, Kevin placed first nationwide in the AA non-irrigated corn category, while Shawn's yield of 354.13 bushels per acre put her in first place for AA no-till/strip-till non-irrigated corn.

Kevin Kalb: 1st Place — AA Non-Irrigated Corn

Shawn Kalb: 1st Place — AA No-Till / Strip-Till Non-Irrigated Corn

Location: Dubois, IN

Yield: 386.16 bu/acre (Kevin) & 354.13 bu/acre (Shawn)

Hybrid: Dekalb

Products Used: Accomplish LM

Serviced by: Scott Brinkman, Branch Manager, Nutrien Ag Solutions, Jasper, IN

Kevin Kalb, winner of the 2017 AA non-irrigated corn category, is pictured above holding the trophies awarded by Agricen to him and his wife, Shawn. Shawn (not pictured) won the AA no-till/strip-till category.

Kevin and Shawn Kalb are fourth-generation farmers who began their corn and soybean operation in 1997. All of their acreage is dryland, and their typical practices are conventional tillage corn-on-corn and no-till corn following soybeans. The biggest limiting factor they face in their area is high humidity during the growing season, especially during grain fill. Although high humidity is good for plants during the day, at night it causes them to retain heat. This can have a detrimental effect on yield. Ideally, humidity would be lower at night to allow the corn to respire and "cool off".

Despite this challenge, the husband and wife team have maintained an impressive track record since first entering the NCGA corn yield contest in 2008. In 2011, 2014, 2016 and 2017, their corn yields placed them first in the nation, and they took second place in 2009, 2015 and 2016. They've also ranked within the top three NCGA corn producers in the state of Indiana on two occasions. In the 2017 competition, Kevin took first place nationally for non-irrigated corn (conventional tillage), while Shawn earned first place in the nation for non-irrigated/no-till corn. This was despite a major rain event that caused them to have to replant most of their acres.

"We had heavy rain on April 28th last year, after all of our corn was planted. That event wiped out all but 28 acres of our corn stands," says Kevin. "We had to replant, but we couldn't do it until May 15th. The saving grace was that we had very cool weather in August, with only one night where the low was above 70 degrees Fahrenheit. That weather set the stage for excellent grain fill and very heavy test weights."

Kevin says they've changed their approach to planting in the last four to five years to ensure that their corn plants get off to a good start.

"We don't plant by the calendar date. Instead we wait for 10 consecutive days of good weather before planting, as opposed to planting early and placing seeds in cold soil," he says. "The first 48-60 hours are critical for corn seedlings. 'Seedling chill' can occur if the young plants take their first drink and soil moisture is too cold."

Over the years, the Kalb's fertilizer program has changed too, moving from anhydrous ammonia to dry fertilizer, then to their current fertility program, which is all liquid fertilizer. Part of that program also includes using Accomplish LM (2 quarts/acre) at planting in a 2x2 band with UAN and ammonium thiosulfate.

"Scott Brinkman, who is a crop advisor and branch manager at Nutrien Ag Solutions in Jasper, Indiana, encouraged us to adopt Accomplish LM into our fertility program," says Kevin. "We use it because it helps process nutrients into plant available forms and positively impacts the root systems of corn seedlings, helping to provide them with a good start. It works."

Scott Brinkman Nutrien Ag Solutions

Scott Brinkman, Crop Advisor & Branch Manager at Nutrien Ag Solutions in Jasper, Indiana.

Kevin has also seen the product's positive impact on nitrogen efficiency across the farm. The corn in the contest plot had a nitrogen efficiency of 0.6 units of N per bushel of corn, and nitrogen efficiency over the entire farm was 0.7 units of N per bushel of corn.

“Shawn and I are very happy with our current production program and the suppliers that provide the products we are using,” he adds.

(UPDATE: Kevin and Shawn both took first place nationally again in 2018 in their respective categories, with yields of 388.07 bu/a [Kevin - AA Non-Irrigated] and 343.0 bu/a [Shawn - AA No-Till/Strip-Till Non-Irrigated]. Congrats to both of them!)

To find out more about the other winners who used biocatalyst products, you can read our profile of Don Stall, national winner of the irrigated corn category, or Jeannie and Wally Linneweber, who placed second in the AA non-irrigated corn category.

You can also learn more about Accomplish LM by accessing our Accomplish LM booklet.

Top Corn Producers Used Accomplish LM, Extract PBA & Titan XC

June 13, 2018 — Posted By Agricen

national-corn-growers When the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) announced the national winners of the 2017 NCGA corn yield contest earlier this year, four of these top corn producers had something big in common. It was their use of one or more biocatalyst technologies made by Agricen and available from Loveland Products. Over the next few weeks we will profile each of those top producers and talk about how they utilized Accomplish LM, Extract PBA or Titan XC as part of their winning program. This week, we start by featuring Don Stall of Charlotte, Michigan. With a yield of 407.22 bushels/acre, Don placed first in the nation for irrigated corn.

Don Stall: 1^st Place — Irrigated Corn

Location: Charlotte, MI

Yield: 407.22 bu/acre - $743.04/acre ROI

Hybrid: Pioneer

Products Used: Accomplish LM, Titan XC and Extract PBA

Serviced by: Clay Martz, Branch Manager & Consulting Agronomist, Nutrien Ag Solutions - Woodbury, MI

2017 Irrigated Corn Winner Don Stall (left) is pictured above with Clay Martz (right), Nutrien Ag Solutions Branch Manager.

Don Stall is a sixth-generation farmer who runs an operation near Charlotte, Michigan. A Marine Corps veteran, Don returned to farming in 1986 after spending six years in the service. Today, he lives one mile from his family's original homestead, which was founded after his ancestors migrated from Ohio to Michigan in 1836.

Since first entering the NCGA corn yield contest in 2004, Don has had some very impressive results. In addition to finishing in fourth place nationally several times, he has been the Michigan state winner eight times, including in the most recent competition.

Last year was a first for Don, however, when he won first place nationally in the Irrigated Category. With a corn yield of nearly 407.22 bushels per acre, he nudged just past defending category champion Randy Dowdy (406.06 bushels per acre) in the 2017 competition.

On the farm, Don uses a corn to beans to wheat rotation and minimum tillages practices, employing vertical tillage on corn to soybeans and a chisel plow in the fall so that corn can be planted the following spring. He describes his soil as heavy and "not very forgiving," with clay and sand loam types and a cation exchange capacity (CEC) ranging from 5-11 meq/100g.

As part of his 2017 winning progam, Don used Accomplish LM, Extract PBA and Titan XC, relying especially on the Titan XC technology to release nutrients from his potassium and MESZ fertilizers. First introduced to Titan about nine years ago by Clay Martz of Nutrien Ag Solutions of Woodbury, Michigan, Don hoped that Titan would make nutrients in dry fertilizer available at a faster pace to plants—and it proved to do just that.

“Now I automatically treat dry fertilizer with Titan XC so that nutrients are made available when plants need them,” says Don.

Don Stall Farm Michigan

The Stall farm, located near Charlotte, Michigan.

Don applies his treated dry fertilizer using variable rate technology (VRT) and says that most of the farm receives 60-70 lbs of treated fertilizer per acre, although some spots receive up to 300 lbs/acre. However, that volume is declining due to increasing soil fertility.

"Soil tests show that Don's soil nutrient levels have been maintained or even increased, with little or no increase in applied nutrients," notes Clay. "That's one of the things we have noticed since using biocatalyst products, which we implemented to improve nutrient availability from fertilizers, residue and the soil."

In the past, Don applied Accomplish LM on crop residue in the fall to facilitate nutrient release. He now uses Extract PBA in the fall, which is the newer residue management product, and has moved his Accomplish LM application to the spring, where he applies it with starter in a 2x2 band.

"Don’s achievements are from a total system program used for about nine years now," says Clay. "Everyone has the same opportunity and no two growers will follow the same program. Identifying when and how an application will work in your operation is key. Knowing your soils and reducing stress to the crop at all times are also critial."

Clay also remarked that having even corn emergence was an important part of Don's success.

"Even hours or a day will make a difference," states Clay. "Don’s harvested crop plants per acre consisted of 96.77 % of planted seeds. This alone was a substantial increase from 2016. What drove it? That's our secret!"

Don's goal for the 2018 NCGA corn yield contest is an ambitious 500 bushels per acre.

"We have more ideas and concepts to put into action," says Clay. "The plan is set and under way now."

(UPDATE: Don won the Irrigated corn category again in 2018 with a whopping 477.68 bu/a yield! Congrats, Don!)

To find out more about the other winners who used biocatalyst products, you can read our profile of Kevin and Shawn Kalb, who won two non-irrigated corn categories, or Jeannie and Wally Linneweber, who placed second in the AA non-irrigated corn category.

You can also learn more about Accomplish LM, Extract PBA & Titan XC by accessing our Biocatalyst Technology booklet.

Biocatalyst Technologies a Good Match with Poultry Manures and Litters

May 15, 2018 — Posted By Agricen

Poultry manures and litters are an excellent source of crop nutrients—ones that can be more easily accessed by the crop when EXTRACT PBA, which contains ACCOMPLISH nutrient release technology, is used. In the corn trials below, this biocatalyst technology maximized nutrient release from poultry manures so that more nutrients were available to the crop, leading to higher corn yields.

In a trial conducted in Kentucky, EXTRACT was spread with UAN over turkey manure in the fall. Soil samples from the treated and untreated plots were taken in January, and showed an increase in the availability of many nutrients with the EXTRACT application. At harvest there was a 16.9 bu/acre corn yield increase where EXTRACT had been applied.

Research by the University of Arkansas also shows that biocatalyst technology can improve corn yields in poultry manure applications. In these replicated corn trials, ACCOMPLISH was applied over fresh and pelletized poultry manure at broadcast in the spring. At harvest, the biocatalyst treatment was associated with a corn yield increase of 30.7 bu/acre where fresh poultry manure had been used and 32.8 bu/acre where pelletized manure had been applied. Both findings were statistically significant (P≤0.1).

For convenience of application, EXTRACT can be applied with burndown herbicides or with pre-emergent herbicides in a fertility program with poultry manure or litter.

Learn more about using biocatalyst technology to release nutrition from poultry manures and litters, swine manure, and cattle manure by viewing our manure studies.

Breaking Down Corn Stalk Residue with EXTRACT PBA

May 1, 2018 — Posted By Agricen

In a demonstration conducted by Nutrien Ag Solutions in Galesburg, Illinois, EXTRACT PBA was sprayed in fall on a corn field post-harvest. In the following spring, stalks were pulled and split to examine the differences in residue breakdown between treated and untreated parts of the field.

As seen in the photo, the EXTRACT-treated stalks were in a more advanced stage of decomposition than untreated stalks by early spring.

extract-corn-stalk-residue-illinois EXTRACT was sprayed on Nov. 29, 2017. This photo shows corn stalks from treated and untreated parts of the field that were pulled and split on March 23, 2018.

"I think this picture speaks volumes about product performance due to the fact that EXTRACT was sprayed when nozzles were almost freezing up, and the stalks were pulled when it was nearly freezing outside," says Michael Bern, the crop consultant who performed the demo. "It's a good illustration of how EXTRACT works when the soil microbes technically haven’t even woken up from hibernation."

EXTRACT can be broadcast or applied though fertigation at 1 to 2 gallons/acre, with 1 gallon of UAN/acre recommended and a minimum spray volume of 10 gallons/acre.

Learn more by downloading the EXTRACT product booklet.

Understanding the Biochemistry in Accomplish Technologies

April 24, 2018 — Posted By Agricen

Accomplish MAX, Extract PBA, and Titan XC contain concentrated biochemistry that helps growers increase nutrient availability to their crops, enhances root growth and functioning, and improves overall plant performance. But, what exactly is biochemistry?

Biochemistry is the chemistry of life. It is created by, in, and from living organisms, such as soil microbes. A number of different biochemistries are created by soil microbes—each serving an important role in soil microbial functioning, and even in plant functioning.

Examples include:

Enzymes to break down organic matter or transform N for energy
Proteins to signal changes in microbe response
Antibiotics to reduce competition
Chelators to mobilize nutrients
Other compounds to induce plant rooting, change physiological functions, induce immune responses, or increase salt tolerance

By controlling the flow of information between soil microorganisms, biochemistry acts to regulate their activity in everything from the breakdown of bound nutrition to the metabolism of individual microbes.

You can learn more about biochemistry and its role in plant health by downloading our booklet, Understanding Soil Microbiology & Biochemistry.

Agricen Hires Scott Lay as Director of Business Development

April 10, 2018 — Posted By Agricen

We're happy to announce the hiring of Scott Lay as director of business development at Agricen. In his new role, Scott will focus on developing plant health technology partnerships and collaborations in emerging market segments and regions.

Scott is a seasoned ag industry veteran. He joins Agricen from Loveland Products, where he most recently served as Midwest area sales manager for four years. Prior to that role, Scott was proprietary products manager for five divisions of Crop Production Services (CPS) in Illinois, where he was instrumental in the successful introduction and promotion of leading Loveland brands, including Accomplish LM, Titan XC, and Extract PBA. He has also served in various roles with Bayer CropScience, working with professional farm management, consultants and state commodity managers.

"Agricen’s longstanding relationship with Loveland Products has given me the opportunity to understand the company's unique plant health technology platform and its benefits for growers," said Scott. “I'm excited to be a part of the team and to help connect new markets with Agricen's proven plant health technologies.”

Please join us in welcoming Scott as the newest member of our team!

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Learn more about Agricen's plant health technologies by accessing our Biocatalyst Technology FAQ booklet.

[Data] Titan XC Proves Agronomic Benefit in Cotton, Corn & Soybeans

March 27, 2018 — Posted By Agricen

Results from cotton, corn and soybean trials conducted in North Carolina and Virginia show how Titan XC can optimize yield potential by enhancing the availability of applied P&K within an annual cropping cycle.

In cotton, treating dry fertilizer with Titan XC led to a yield increase of 328 lbs of lint/acre compared to untreated fertilizer, for a return on investment of over $203/acre for the grower.

Corn trials conducted at five locations in the mid-North Carolina and Virginia region showed an average yield increase of 10.4 bushels/acre with Titan XC-treated dry fertilizer compared to untreated, with an average ROI of $31.60/acre.

Finally, soybean trials conducted at six locations in North Carolina demonstrated an average yield increase of 3.98 bushels/acre when Titan XC-treated fertilizer was used, with an average ROI of $28.84/acre.

Learn more about using Titan XC as an agronomic tool in your dry fertilizer program by viewing our Titan XC featured studies.

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Blog

Jeannie Linneweber: 2nd Place — AA Non-Irrigated Corn

Kevin Kalb: 1st Place — AA Non-Irrigated Corn

Shawn Kalb: 1st Place — AA No-Till / Strip-Till Non-Irrigated Corn

Don Stall: 1^st Place — Irrigated Corn

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[Interview] Protecting Existing Crop Yield Potential from Heat Stress

Enhancing Wheat Performance on Your Farm with TERRAMAR

Enhancing UAN Sidedress Efficiency to Optimize Corn Yield Potential

Corn (101)

TITAN (72)

EXTRACT PBA (66)

Soybeans (57)

Accomplish LM (38)

Dry Fertilizer (36)

Ag Biologicals/Biostimulants (33)

Indiana (26)

ACCOMPLISH MAX (24)

Corporate & Community (19)

Crop Residue (21)

Videos (18)

Wheat (18)

Abiotic stress (18)

Grower Stories (18)

Iowa (17)

TERRAMAR (17)

Illinois (15)

Sustainability (14)

Michigan (13)

Minnesota (11)

Starter/In-Furrow Applications (11)

Guest Blogs (9)

Nebraska (9)

Ohio (9)

Webinars (9)

NCGA (8)

North Carolina (8)

Kentucky (7)

MARITIME (7)

Blog

Jeannie Linneweber: 2nd Place — AA Non-Irrigated Corn

Kevin Kalb: 1st Place — AA Non-Irrigated Corn

Shawn Kalb: 1st Place — AA No-Till / Strip-Till Non-Irrigated Corn

Don Stall: 1st Place — Irrigated Corn

Subscribe to Email Updates

Sign Up for Agricen’s Blog to stay up to date on the latest news.

[Interview] Protecting Existing Crop Yield Potential from Heat Stress

Enhancing Wheat Performance on Your Farm with TERRAMAR

Enhancing UAN Sidedress Efficiency to Optimize Corn Yield Potential

Corn (101)

TITAN (72)

EXTRACT PBA (66)

Soybeans (57)

Accomplish LM (38)

Dry Fertilizer (36)

Ag Biologicals/Biostimulants (33)

Indiana (26)

ACCOMPLISH MAX (24)

Corporate & Community (19)

Crop Residue (21)

Videos (18)

Wheat (18)

Abiotic stress (18)

Grower Stories (18)

Iowa (17)

TERRAMAR (17)

Illinois (15)

Sustainability (14)

Michigan (13)

Minnesota (11)

Starter/In-Furrow Applications (11)

Guest Blogs (9)

Nebraska (9)

Ohio (9)

Webinars (9)

NCGA (8)

North Carolina (8)

Kentucky (7)

MARITIME (7)

Don Stall: 1^st Place — Irrigated Corn