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

Frequently Asked Questions About Using TERRAMAR in Row Crop Programs

March 5, 2024 — Posted By Agricen

Last season, TERRAMAR was applied on over 2.7 million acres of row crops, including corn, soybeans, wheat and cotton. In this blog, we answer common questions about using TERRMAR in row crop programs.

What is TERRAMAR?
TERRAMAR is a breakthrough product that combines a biologically converted kelp source and biologically converted leonardite, which is a carbon source. It is intended for foliar applications in row crops at vegetative and reproductive stages. TERRAMAR supplements a balanced crop nutrition system by helping to maximize plant performance and yield across any type of growing condition.

Why use TERRAMAR in row crops?
TERRAMAR is formulated to increase nutrient uptake and enhance stress mitigation, which can optimize plant health and contribute to enhanced yield. In 76 trials conducted from 2019 to 2023 across corn, soybeans, wheat and grain sorghum, TERRAMAR offered an average yield advantage of +7.12 bu/acre compared to untreated check.

What are the key benefits of TERRAMAR for row crops?
TERRAMAR sets a new standard in stress mitigation and plant performance. Foliar application of TERRAMAR improves abiotic stress tolerance (e.g. heat, cold, drought) at various stages of plant growth. Visible improvements in stressed crops can often be observed several days after application. Additionally, increased nutrient use efficiency has been documented when TERRAMAR is applied in conjunction with a foliar nutrition program.

How is TERRAMAR applied?
TERRAMAR is recommended for liquid foliar applications in row crops to enhance plant performance while minimizing weather-induced stress. Foliar applications deliver TERRAMAR's unique set of highly active, metabolite-based compounds for quicker absorption through the plant leaf tissue. The recommended rate for TERRAMAR is 1 quart per acre. It is compatible with a broad range of liquid fertilizers, insecticides, herbicides and fungicides for maximum application flexibility.

When should TERRAMAR be applied?
TERRAMAR can be applied in early post-emergent applications as well as mid- to late-season fungicide applications.

Should I apply TERRAMAR even if I am not anticipating severe crop stress?
Yes. TERRAMAR can optimize plant performance in all growing conditions, whether they are stressful conditions in which crop development could be impacted or average to ideal conditions in which crops have the best chance of reaching their yield potential.

Learn more by downloading the TERRAMAR Frequently Asked Questions bulletin.

Interview: Get More from Your Crop Fertility Program with Extract PBA

February 20, 2024 — Posted By Agricen

Wity-radio-down on farm Agricen's Scott Lay recently spoke with WITY Radio’s Dennis Michelsen about why pairing EXTRACT PBA with crop fertility programs makes sense.

Dennis - WITY Radio: Before you know it, it will be time to get the 2024 planting season going, and if you want to get the most out of your fertility program, you really need to find out more about EXTRACT.

Scott - Agricen: Applying nutrients is simply step one. The next question is, “What can you do as a farm operation to enhance the availability of those nutrients that you’ve applied?”

Dennis - WITY Radio: The key is not to reduce what you're putting down. It's just to get more value out of every dollar from your fertilizer program.

Scott - Agricen: That's right. EXTRACT is not a replacement for fertility or nutrients. But it is a technology that is available today to aid in the mineralization of nutrients in the soil profile and in the release of nutrients bound by calcium, magnesium or other components in the soil, so that they can be available for your crop.

Dennis - WITY Radio: Like all of your products, EXTRACT has been tested extensively both in the field and by university researchers.

Scott - Agricen: Ultimately, the end result that any farmer wants is an increase in yield. We've done extensive research with land grant universities across the Midwest—Purdue University, University of Illinois, University of Nebraska, Iowa State and others—to validate what Extract is doing in the soil profile to hopefully give that plant a better chance to yield.

There are two things in particular we can point to when EXTRACT is applied in a broadcast fashion on the soil. The first is we're able to increase the amount of phosphorus available to the plant, more specifically P1, by 10 to 15%. Secondly, both the nitrate and soil ammonium forms of nitrogen are increased by 15 to 20%. That's not a guarantee of greater yield, but we do know that there's a high correlation between having greater amounts of soil nitrogen and phosphorus and increased yields.

Dennis - WITY Radio: EXTRACT offers a way to make sure that every nutrient you're putting down goes to good use.

Scott - Agricen: That's true. The term that's becoming more popular is “nutrient cycling.” In broad terms, it’s simply the ability to take nutrients that are applied or in the soil profile and convert them more readily to a plant-available form. EXTRACT can increase the level of nutrient cycling, which can lead to greater yield results.

Dennis - WITY Radio: It all comes down to the bottom line. What kinds of ROI have you seen with EXTRACT?

Scott - Agricen: EXTRACT has been available on the market since 2017, and this past year we treated a little over 2 million acres across the United States. With EXTRACT, the average yield increase for corn over years of trials is 10.2 bushels per acre. For soybeans, it’s 4.2 bushels per acre. For wheat, it’s a shade over 5 bushels per acre. The number of additional bushels needed to pay for that EXTRACT investment is very minimal. In corn, it's less than 2 bushels. In soybeans, it’s about 0.4 bushels to break even.

Our objective with any farmer, anywhere is to help them lower their production cost per bushel or unit of output. We believe that the economics with EXTRACT stack up very favorably. It’s also very consistent in terms of return on investment and, in the longer-term, positively impacting that soil health, which is any farm’s number-one asset.

EXTRACT PBA is available from Nutrien Ag Solutions.

This interview was edited for length and clarity. You can listen to the interview below or on Agricen's YouTube channel.

Learn more about EXTRACT PBA, a biocatalyst specifically formulated to maximize nutrient release from the soil and crop residues, by downloading the EXTRACT PBA booklet.

[Interview] Helping Dry Fertilizer Overcome Cool Weather Challenges

December 13, 2023 — Posted By Agricen

AgriTalk podcast 1200px Ron Calhoun, PhD, Senior Manager for Plant Nutrition at Loveland Products, sat with AgriTalk’s Chip Flory to discuss the challenges that cool weather can bring when growers add dry nutrition to the soil during the fall.

Ron - Loveland Products: As we put our dry fertilizers like MAP, DAP, potash, and MESZ in the fall to get ready for next year, those dry materials need to be mineralized by the microbial communities in the soil for the nutrients in them to be available to our plants. Cool conditions in the fall and spring don't really propel that process forward, so that can limit the efficiency of those products. The mineralization process needs assistance to overcome the depressed microbial activity.

Chip - AgriTalk: Where does that assistance come from? Is it biochemistry?

Ron - Loveland Products: You're exactly right. We have a dry fertilizer enhancement product called Titan XC, and it is using that biochemistry from the soil microbial community to make the nutrition more available. We take that biochemistry and we'll actually sparge it onto the dry fertilizer ahead of time.

That way, when you're putting the treated dry fertilizer out, the biochemistry that would typically be provided by soil microorganisms is already on the fertilizer prills, so that we can start the mineralization process and have the nutrition ready to go when the crop season hits.

Chip - AgriTalk: How effective is Titan XC in boosting fertilizer efficiency?

Ron - Loveland Products: We have probably 300 trials from the last 12 to 15 years, and we're closing in on 100 million acres on which Titan XC-treated fertilizer has been applied. I would say, in general, we're looking at probably around a 15 to 20% improvement in nutrient use efficiency.

Designed for use with dry fertilizers, Titan XC contains concentrated biochemistry to help growers maximize the yield potential of their crops by increasing nutrient availability and uptake. It is compatible with a variety of dry fertilizer blends, including phosphate and potash (P & K) blends, MESZ, MES10, sulfate of potash and ammonium sulfate. Titan XC is available from Nutrien Ag Solutions.

This interview was edited for length and clarity. You can listen to the original interview below or on Agricen's YouTube channel.

Learn more about Titan XC by visiting cropfertility.com or downloading the Titan XC product booklet.

Lifelong Friendship Leads to Advice a Grower Continues to Count On

November 6, 2023 — Posted By Agricen

Jason Jaggers Illinois - Doing More with Less Jason Jaggers is a third-generation corn and soybean farmer in Wyanet, Illinois. When it comes to getting advice from his Nutrien Ag Solutions agronomist, Chad Taylor, he knows he has someone he can count on. Chad is not only his agronomist, but also his childhood friend.

"Chad and I grew up together. Now he's my Nutrien agronomist. If he brings a product to me, he knows it better perform," says Jason. "He's also a grower himself, so he understands that."

Two of the products that Chad has introduced to Jason are Titan XC and Extract PBA. They are biocatalyst technologies that help growers "do more with less" by enhancing nutrient use efficiency.

"As he's brought Titan, Extract and multiple other products to the table, they've all performed very, very well," says Jason.

In the fall, Titan XC on dry fertilizer is a particularly important part of the equation.

"If you're making a fall application of fertilizer, it needs Titan XC," say Chad. "Titan brings multiple levels of benefit...being able to take a grower's fertilizer dollar and increase it by upwards of 20 percent."

On Chad's recommendation, Jason has used Titan XC on his fall dry fertilizer for the past decade.

"We've used it for probably the last 10 years in the fall," says Jason. "We tried it on a couple of farms the first year and instantly saw good results. Now I use it on 100 percent of my acres."

Titan XC fall fertilizer Getting ready to spread Titan XC-treated dry fertilizer.

Extract PBA is another product that Chad commonly recommends for corn and soybean producers. He has seen some outstanding results.

"I had a couple of growers say 'I can't raise beans on this farm.' We started utilizing Extract on the solution for corn years and on the residue for bean years. Now they're like, 'Wow, I never thought I would take 80+ bushel beans off this farm.' It's just been a tremendous turnaround in farm production," explains Chad.

On Jason's farm, Extract PBA is being used as a residue management tool on his corn stubble prior to planting soybeans.

"We're going to apply it on standing corn stalks that are going to go to soybeans next spring just to try to break down the massive amount of residue that we have," Jason says. "It seems that the residue is tying up more and more nutrients, so we're trying to get it to breakdown to get them into the soil profile for next spring."

One of the newer products that Chad is able to bring to the table for his grower customers is Accomplish MAX, which is designed for use with liquid starter fertilizer programs and combines the nutrient availability technology found in products like Titan XC and Extract PBA with a marine-based technology for stress mitigation.

"Everyone who's used it that I've talked to is seeing results. The stress mitigation factor of the kelp extract paired with the Accomplish technology has been a tremendous fit. Now you are getting a healthier, stronger seedling that's encountering less stress— whether it be from cold weather, starter fertilizer salt or salinity within the soil profile," Chad says. "There couldn't be a better coupling of what a new planted seedling needs trying to get up and out of the ground fast and uniform."

You can watch the video below, here or on our YouTube channel, to hear more from Chad and Jason.

Learn more about Accomplish MAX, Extract PBA and Titan XC by downloading the Frequently Asked Questions booklet.

[Interview] Put Your Chips on Titan XC This Fall

October 18, 2023 — Posted By Agricen

Wity-radio-down on farm Agricen's Scott Lay recently spoke with Dennis Michelsen of WITY Radio about using Titan XC on fall-applied dry fertilizer blends.

Dennis - WITY Radio: In the fall season, we always talk about Titan XC. Talk a little bit about how it helps growers get the most out of fall fertilizer applications.

Scott - Agricen: Titan XC is applied on dry phosphorus and potash to help mineralize and break down those fertilizer prills, making them more available for next year's crop.

Dennis - WITY Radio: Ag producers don't want to have an extra trip across that field because that's money that they're spending. Titan XC does not require an extra pass.

Scott - Agricen: Titan XC is applied on the dry fertilizer. So whether the local Nutrien retail facility is applying the dry fertilizer or the farmer himself is applying it, putting on the Titan XC doesn't make that job any more difficult, and it also provides a benefit. In terms of a yield impact, we're looking at about an +11-bushel average yield response in corn and about a +4.2-bushel average response in soybeans. So the economics stack up very favorably.

Dennis - WITY Radio: We're talking more than a 7 to 1 ROI when you add the cost of the product.

Scott - Agricen: That's correct. Farmers are obviously interested in the potential for yield response. But they also ask, "How many additional bushels do I need to produce to pay for that additional input?” In soybeans, a farmer would only need 0.6 additional bushels to pay for Titan XC. In corn, it’s a bushel and a half. Farmers are all riverboat gamblers at heart, and they put their chips behind reasonable propositions. With a high probability of payback, Titan XC is one of them.

Dennis - WITY Radio: Lab tests have shown a 22% increase for the first year use as far as available nutrients in those soils. That's a huge advantage.

Scott - Agricen: It is. If we think about a dry fertilizer prill, we're applying rocks to the surface of the ground, albeit small rocks. So the objective is to mineralize those fertilizer prills into a plant-usable form. If we can increase that rate of mineralization by 22%, that translates to a benefit in next year's crop, and that translates to yield.

Titan XC is available from Nutrien Ag Solutions.

This interview was edited for length and clarity. You can listen to the interview below or on Agricen's YouTube channel.

[Watch] Enhance Dry Fertilizer Efficiency to Maximize Yield & ROI

September 27, 2023 — Posted By Agricen

How can growers enhance the efficiency of their fall-applied dry fertilizer blends to maximize yield and return on investment?

Watch our on-demand webinar, "How to Enhance Dry Fertilizer Efficiency to Maximize Yield & ROI," to hear:

How to enhance the efficiency of your fall dry fertilizer application
What you can do to improve nutrient recovery after applying dry fertilizer blends
How to increase yield and return on investment in any crop production system with Titan XC on your dry fertilizer blend

The nutrients in dry fertilizer prills are not highly available to the crop as applied. To become available for crop use, they must first be converted into a plant-available form.

Titan XC is a fertilizer biocatalyst designed to expedite this process and unlock the potential of dry fertilizer programs. When applied to fall- or spring-applied dry fertilizer blends, Titan XC can expedite nutrient availability and uptake, enhance nutrient use efficiency and improve nutrient recovery from the applied fertilizer and from the soil.

In an analysis of 125 third-party and side-by-side trials conducted over the past decade, the average yield increase gained by treating dry fertilizer blends with Titan XC was +10.9 bu/a in corn (73 trials), +3.9 bu/a in soybeans (30 trials) and +4.0 bu/a in wheat (22 trials) as compared to yields with untreated dry fertilizer.

By giving crops greater access to the nutrition they need, Titan XC can help boost crop yields and increase a grower's return on investment.

Titan XC is exclusively available from Nutrien Ag Solutions.

Watch the webinar today to learn how to maximize dry fertilizer efficiency this fall with Titan XC.

Enhancing Fall Dry Fertilizer Efficiency and Grower ROI with TITAN XC

August 24, 2023 — Posted By Agricen

Fall can be a good time to apply dry phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) fertilizers because of lower workloads and drier soils. A fall dry fertilizer application can also increase P and K availability for crops planted in the spring by giving the fertilizer prill more time to undergo natural weathering and breakdown in the soil compared to spring applications.

However, just because you apply 300 pounds of P and K this fall, it doesn’t mean that all 300 pounds will be available to next season's crop. Soil physical, chemical and biological properties combined with weather conditions all play a role in fertilizer availability. Even under the best conditions, an application of dry fertilizer on its own is usually not very efficient. In the first season after application, only about 10-30% of applied P and 20-60% of applied K is typically available for use by the growing crop.

For a higher rate of fertilizer efficiency, TITAN XC can be applied to dry fertilizer blends, increasing the efficiency of applied P and K fertilizers by an estimated 30%. This contributes to a number of benefits, including improved plant performance (as seen in the photos below from Dassel, Minnesota), as well as a positive yield response.

In the corn trial below from Ohio, a fall application of TITAN XC-treated dry fertilizer led to an average yield increase of +8.3 bushels per acre over 6 replications as compared to untreated dry fertilizer.

In a corn trial from Nutrien Ag Solutions’ Hopkinsville, Kentucky research farm, treating dry fertilizer with TITAN XC led to a yield increase of 6 bushels or more per acre compared to untreated fertilizer. This was true whether the fertilizer was applied at the full rate (300 lbs/acres) or the reduced rate (270 lbs/acre). What is most notable here is that there was no real difference in corn yield between the two different rates of untreated fertilizer (270 or 300 lbs/acre).

Sometimes the answer is not more fertilizer, but rather greater efficiency. By employing TITAN XC to increase the breakdown or mineralization of the P and K nutrients spread in fall, more will be available to the crop next year when it needs it, which can lead to better yield results.

Learn more about TITAN XC by downloading the TITAN XC fall fertilizer booklet.

[Interview] Taking a Bite Out of Drought & Heat Stress in Agriculture

July 17, 2023 — Posted By Agricen

Wity-radio-down on farm With dry, hot weather having impacted many areas of the country, Agricen's Scott Lay spoke with Dennis Michelsen of WITY Radio to discuss how Terramar is helping corn and soybean growers minimize the effect of drought and heat stress on their crops.

Dennis - WITY Radio: After a long duration of dry weather that we had during this growing season, we're getting a great chance to see just how much Terramar is helping reduce some of that drought stress we saw.

Scott - Agricen: Terramar is a new product to the Midwest and row crops. More importantly, it's a new practice. We now have a technology available to us in our arsenal that will help minimize stress.

Dennis - WITY Radio: This product is all about standing up to stress.

Scott - Agricen: We know that if the nighttime low does not get below 70 degrees Fahrenheit, that's a bad day for the corn plant. That impacts yield. We also know from our replicated studies with Terramar that we're able to decrease the crop canopy temperature by a measure of three to five degrees Fahrenheit for a period of three to four weeks. Again, that's not going to eliminate the negative impact of extremely hot temperatures, but it sure takes a bite out of it.

Dennis - WITY Radio: How is Terramar working on soybeans this year across the Midwest?

Scott - Agricen: Regardless of zip code and regardless of crop, minimizing heat and drought stress while increasing the amount of nutrients that the carbon component in Terramar can bring into that plant is a good transaction.

With respect to soybeans specifically, we're entering a critical stage, and that is the reproductive stages. That's when 90% of all nutrients are consumed by the plant. That's when yield is determined.

Again, we can't control what Mother Nature brings our way in terms of precipitation, but if we can increase the amount of nutrients flowing into that plant by virtue of stimulating that plant with our Terramar product, we've got a better chance to preserve yield potential.

Dennis - WITY Radio: Whether it's corn or soybeans, Scott, you guys have done a lot of testing of this product on acres that, quite frankly, are more susceptible to drought than we usually see here in Central Illinois.

Scott - Agricen: When we started to look at this on crops in tough growing conditions, like grain sorghum and dryland corn in western Kansas early on, we started to detect not only a positive yield impact, but also better plant health that maintained throughout the growing season. We knew at that point that we needed to get this more widely across the Midwest in corn and soybean growing areas. As a result, this year we'll approach about 2.5 million acres treated with Terramar.

Dennis - WITY Radio: I understand this product is working good as a tank mix companion with a lot of different materials, whether early in the season as you're doing an extra fertilizer run or when you're applying a fungicide.

Scott - Agricen: That’s correct. As we look out over the month of July, any farmer of corn, soybeans or cotton is looking to preserve yield potential. Fungicides are a key part of that equation.

We're able to pair Terramar with fungicide and see a favorable impact in terms of minimizing the effect of drought and heat, which is a result of the kelp component, while also pulling more nutrients into that plant as a result of the carbon component.

Plants enjoy carbon and, when in abundant supply, it provides needed energy to produce a more robust root system that is able to pull more water and nutrients into the plant. That often leads to a more consistent yield result.

Dennis - WITY Radio: Whether it's corn or soybeans, Terramar can help you stand up to stress.

Terramar is available from Nutrien Ag Solutions.

This interview was edited for length and clarity. You can listen to the interview below or on Agricen's YouTube channel.

Learn more about Terramar by downloading the Terramar product booklet.

Terramar Helps Grower Hold on to Corn Yield in Tough Conditions

July 10, 2023 — Posted By Agricen

Lee Lubbers Terramar Trial Lee Lubbers, an XtremeAg grower in Gregory, South Dakota, tried Terramar for the first time in 2022, testing it across fields with different yield environments.

"We were very intrigued by Terramar being a stress mitigation product," says Lee. "We ended up applying about 4,000 acres worth of Terramar on corn."

His first trial was in a field that was traditionally in the bottom one-third when it comes to yield.

"It ended up showing that the Terramar is 7% better than the untreated," he says. "In our yield environment this year, to get a piece of ground to do this, and then to see a 7% increase...If we take that times 120 bushel, that's going to be about $60 an acre to our pocket. I'll take that all day long."

Lee speaks about that experience below.

A trial in a different field also showed him how well Terramar can help growers hold on to yield under tough conditions.

"I was driving by a corn field where we applied Terramar on our side of the road. On the other side of the section line, the neighbor did not," he says. "When we planted we were looking at each other, the neighbor and I, and when we sprayed we were looking at each other. But we...went with stress mitigation with Terramar."

The day Lee checked in on that trial, the wind was blowing 25 to 30 miles per hour, the temperature was 105 degrees Fahrenheit and there had been little precipitation since planting.

"On our side of the section line, the leaves were green and erect. The plant was still functioning," says Lee. "I walked 40 feet across, and the neighbor’s field looked like a field of green onions. The corn leaves were just rolled up tight."

That fall, Lee cut 150- to 160-bushel corn, while the neighboring field got chopped for silage. Based on the strips left for the adjuster, Lee estimates that his neighbor had 40-bushel corn.

"We had to do fertility and our management practices to get to that point, but I know, in that third quarter going into the fourth, Terramar helped us preserve that yield," he says. "Where the neighbor lost, we held what we had."

You can hear about it in Lee's own words below.

Learn more about Terramar by downloading the Terramar booklet.

Terramar: Top 10 Field Performance Photos of 2023

July 5, 2023 — Posted By Agricen

Terramar Top 10 Many agricultural areas across the United States are facing weather-related challenges, but there are still opportunities to make the most out of what Mother Nature is dishing out.

Terramar, a new product for row crops, is formulated to help crops stand up to abiotic stresses (such as heat and dry conditions) while also increasing nutrient uptake for better plant growth.

The photos below document the performance of Terramar applications made on corn, soybeans and wheat earlier this season, and they show some very strong visual results.

With another opportunity to apply Terramar now here (this time with fungicide or plant nutrition products on reproductive-stage corn and soybeans), we wanted to share these images as a reminder of the potential in this year's crop.

Here are the top 10 Terramar field pictures of 2023, so far:

1. Terramar on Corn – Ferris, Illinois

Dry conditions (No rain for 11-12 days). Terramar was applied at 1 pint/acre. Photos taken May 26, 2023, 8 days after application. 15 plants per bundle.

2. Terramar on Corn – Muscoda, Wisconsin

Corn crop planted April 29, 2023. Dry conditions (2.2” precipitation since planting). Terramar was applied at 1 quart/acre at V5. Photo taken June 21, 2023, two weeks after Terramar application.

3. Terramar on Soybeans – Farmington, Illinois

Terramar was applied at 1 pint/acre on May 29, 2023. Photo taken 16 days after Terramar application.

4. Terramar on Soybeans – East Chain, Minnesota

Terramar was applied at 1 quart/acre. Photos taken 5 days after Terramar application.

5. Terramar on Wheat – Kentucky

Terramar was applied twice, each time at 1 pint/acre prior to a sub-freezing event. Joint (head) was above ground. Photos taken mid-May.

6. Terramar on Wheat – Oberlin, Kansas

Terramar was applied at 1 quart/acre on March 24, 2023. Very dry conditions. Photos taken May 4, 2023, 53 days after Terramar application.

7. Terramar on Corn – Fairview, Illinois

Terramar applied at 1 pint/acre at V4 (left) & at 1pint vs 1 quart (right).

8. Terramar on Corn – Bennet, Nebraska

Terramar was applied at 1 pint/acre on May 30, 2023. Photo taken June 20, 2023, 21 days after Terramar application. Some leaf rolling observed on untreated corn. 86 degrees Fahrenheit.

9. Terramar on Corn – Ferris, Illinois

Terramar was applied at 1 quart/acre on on June 3, 2023. Photos taken 5 days after Terramar application. Plants taken 20 rows into each block; 1 plant every 20 steps. 5 plants per bundle.

10. Terramar on Corn – Parker, South Dakota

Terramar was applied at 1 quart/acre at V4 on June 7, 2023. Photos taken 8 days after Terramar application.

*Bonus Photo* Terramar on Corn – Arcadia, Indiana

Terramar was applied at 1 quart/acre at V4-5.

*Bonus Photo* Terramar on Wheat – Western Kansas

Terramar was applied at 1 quart/acre at first green-up (Feekes 3-4) on March 21, 2023. Cold and dry conditions. Photo taken 54 days after application.