Blog

See the latest news, innovation updates, trial results, grower stories and more from Agricen. 
A New Option for Combating Drought Stress
June 12, 2023 — Posted By Agricen

With growers turning their attention to early post-emergent herbicide and other foliar applications in corn and soybeans, Agricen's Scott Lay spoke with Dennis Michelsen of WITY Radio to discuss Terramar, a new option for mitigating the effects of weather-related stress and helping crops realize their yield potential.

Dennis - WITY Radio: Tell us a little bit about Terramar.

Scott - Agricen:  Terramar is not only a new product, but also a new practice that can now be employed in farmers’ growing systems: the practice of minimizing weather-related stresses. Weather plays a tremendous role in determining yield, and weather stress may present itself through the months of May, June and July in the form of heat, drought or other challenges. Terramar helps to minimize the stress impact that crops experience and allows them to realize more of their potential.

Dennis - WITY Radio: I understand it's derived in part from kelp.

Scott - Agricen:  It is. Our colleagues in California who grow fruit and vegetable crops have been using kelp for some time. They recognize that plant extracts from kelp help crops with stress. It doesn't take the place of moisture or precipitation, but it does allow that plant to continue more of its normal physiological growth processes and minimize the impact of heat and drought.

There's also a carbon component to Terramar. Even in the absence of stress, that carbon provides needed energy for the plant, which is then translated into a plant that can pull more water and nutrients into the cells as it needs them. We saw some tremendous positive yield results last year when Terramar was applied in corn and beans.

Dennis - WITY Radio: There's a lot of different kinds of stress that Terramar can help fight.

Scott - Agricen:  If we apply this technology early in the crop's growth process, we're preparing that crop for whatever may come. While we can't predict whether there will be any heat or drought impact on that crop, we do know that if we can improve specific metrics in the plant with Terramar, for instance, increased chlorophyll production or increased water transpiration, that will result in a better performing plant, regardless of weather circumstances.

Dennis - WITY Radio:  Terramar is applied with a foliar application and I understand it mixes well with other crop inputs growers are already going to be using. How late into the season can we apply Terramar?

Scott - Agricen:  It can be applied even as late as reproductive stages in concert with fungicide applications. In corn, that’s shortly after pollination or tassel time. In soybeans, those fungicide applications may take place well into the reproductive stages into late July or early August.

Dennis - WITY Radio: I like to think of a product like Terramar as sort of like an insurance policy. Could we benefit by using it twice, one run with the herbicides and then maybe later with the fungicide application?

Scott - Agricen:  Last year we saw evidence of that, where multiple applications turned out to provide a greater return in terms of increased yield. You could think of it as a practice that allows the plant to perform more closely to its potential. And in the absence of stress, pulling more nutrients into that plant—which the carbon based component provides—is a very critical yield enhancing practice.

Dennis - WITY Radio:  What sorts of results have you seen when you look at the return on investment?

Scott - Agricen:  Last year, the average response in corn was 7 to 8 bushels. In times of severe heat and drought stress like we had in the Western Corn belt, those yield responses were even greater, oftentimes in the 12- to 15-bushel range. In soybeans last year, the average yield response was right at about 4 to 5 bushels. Under today's commodity price environment, that’s a very handsome return.

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.

Access the Booklet

 

Read More
[On-Demand] Terramar: A New Way to Help Row Crops Stand Up to Stress
May 24, 2023 — Posted By Agricen

Terramar Webinar

How can growers mitigate the effects of weather-related crop stresses like heat and dry conditions while also increasing nutrient uptake by their crops during the growing season?

Watch our on-demand webinar, "Introducing Terramar: A New Way to Help Row Crops Stand Up to Stress," to hear:

  • How Terramar improves crop tolerance to abiotic stresses while enhancing nutrient uptake

  • Why Terramar is a good fit for any row crop program, including corn, soybean, and wheat

  • Details about application timing, trial results, and more

Intended for foliar use in row crops, Terramar delivers increased nutrient uptake and enhanced stress mitigation to optimize plant health and contribute to enhanced yield.

Terramar combines two unique technology platforms with complimentary functions to improve plant performance and help crops "Stand Up to Stress":

  • Carbon-Based Technology, or CBT. CBT is derived from biologically converted leonardite, a carbon source. CBT enhances nutrient uptake and provides key carbon derivatives for additional energy to optimize plant performance

  • Marine-Based Technology, or MBT. MBT is derived from biologically converted kelp. MBT improves crop tolerance to abiotic stressors such as heat, drought, salt, and cold, which can represent significant yield-limiting factors.

Terramar is compatible with key crop inputs, including foliar nutrition, insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides, for maximum application flexibility. Multiple field trials validate the effectiveness of Terramar as an addition to crop protection (herbicide, insecticide or fungicide) and nutritional programs.

Terramar can be used in combination with early, mid-season, or late-season foliar applications to mitigate stress and improve nutrient uptake. Foliar applications deliver its unique set of highly active, metabolite-based compounds for quick absorption through the leaf tissue of the plant.

Terramar is exclusively available from Nutrien Ag Solutions.

Watch the webinar today to learn how Terramar can help row crops stand up to stress.

Watch the Webinar

 

Read More
[Interview] Employing Sustainable Technologies to Enhance Yield
May 4, 2023 — Posted By Agricen

Wity-radio-down on farmAgricen's Scott Lay recently spoke with Dennis Michelsen of WITY Radio about sustainable plant health technologies growers can employ this season to enhance yield and ROI. 

Dennis - WITY Radio: Agricen has a booklet about the company's sustainable plant health technologies. Tell us more about that. 

Scott - Agricen: Sustainable practices or technologies can be employed in real-life intensive managed production systems, and not at the expense of yield. They can enhance yield and productivity.

Our technologies, they either benefit the plant, benefit the soil, or both. If we can pair those technologies with traditional production practices, that’s a win-win.

Dennis - WITY Radio: One of the products you talk about is ACCOMPLISH MAX. Sometimes when we get a later planting, the crop doesn’t have a chance to get a good, deep root structure to get through those dry periods in the summer. ACCOMPLISH MAX could help avoid some of those stresses.

Scott - Agricen: Last year, ACCOMPLISH MAX is an in-furrow product used with starter fertilizers, with an average 7 to 8 bushel yield response in corn. If you can minimize early season stresses and enhance the amount of nutrients available to the plant, that plant has a better chance of yield.

Dennis - WITY Radio: EXTRACT PBA is about making sure you get all the benefit out of the nutrients you’re already putting down in your soil.

Scott - Agricen: There are hundreds of dollars’ worth of nutrients that every farmer in the US has already paid for, which are already in the soil profile or in the prior year’s residue. EXTRACT is a broadcast application designed to accelerate Mother Nature’s work in mineralizing those nutrients into a plant-available form.

Dennis - WITY Radio: Another product you have is TERRAMAR, which my listeners might not be as familiar with.

Scott - Agricen: Last year we had an informal introduction of TERRAMAR with tremendous results. It’s a foliar or post application timing for corn or soybean crops. While we can’t control temperature, precipitation or other environmental conditions, we know those environmental conditions have a tremendous impact on a crop's ability to yield. TERRAMAR minimizes heat and drought stress to preserve the yield potential that exists in that corn or soybean plant.

Dennis - WITY Radio:  And TERRAMAR can be combined with other products that you're already going to be making the pass in the field with.

Scott - Agricen: If we can embed our technology in applications that are already taking place so that farmers don’t have to alter what they are already doing, we’ve got a better likelihood of experiencing success.

ACCOMPLISH MAX, EXTRACT and TERRAMAR are 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.

Download the Sustainable Plant Health Technology Overview to learn more about Accomplish MAX, Extract PBA and Terramar.

Download the Bulletin

Read More
Congratulating the 2022 Corn & Soybean Yield Contest Winners
May 1, 2023 — Posted By Agricen

In the NCGA's 2022 National Corn Yield Contest, nearly three dozen winners used Agricen's biocatalyst technologies in their winning programs. They include four farmers who took top places at the national level and 31 who took top places in their states. 🏆

NCGA_social-2022 (1)

The winning growers used one or more of the following products in their corn fertility programs: Accomplish MAX, Extract PBA, Levitate, Maritime, Terramar and Titan XC. All of these products are available from our partner, Loveland Products, through Nutrien Ag Solutions.

Corn Yield Winners

National corn yield winners include Virginia farmer Heath Cutrell, who, with a yield of 394.05 bu/acre, earned first place in the "Conventional Non-Irrigated" category. His yield was also the highest overall corn yield in this year's contest. Heath was previously featured in Agricen's Last Stand film.

Other national winners who used Agricen's technology include Chad Henderson of Alabama, who placed second nationally in the "Conventional Irrigated" category with a yield of 333.04 bu/acre, and Temple Rhodes of Maryland, who took third place in the nation in the "Strip, Min, Mulch, Ridge-Till Irrigated" category with a yield of 344.94 bu/acre. 

Soybean Yield Winners

Agricen's biocatalyst technologies were also a part of several winning soybean programs. The top place winner of the Pennsylvania Soybean Yield Contest and two first place winners of the Michigan Soybean Association Yield Contest all used at least one of Agricen's technologies in their soybean fertility programs:

  • A. Dale Herr, Jr., 1st Place, Overall & South Central Region, Pennsylvania - 97.49 bu/acre
  • Don Stall, 1st Place, Overall & Late-Maturity, Michigan - 98.88 bu/acre
  • Jim Schaendorf, 1st Place, Mid-Maturity Non-Irrigated, Michigan - 89.40 bu/acre 

We are proud to be part of all of these growers' winning programs and wish them the best of luck this season.

Learn more about the technologies used in the winning programs by downloading the Sustainable Technology Overview.

Download the Overview

Read More
[Trial] Impressive Yield Results with ACCOMPLISH MAX in Irrigated Corn
April 12, 2023 — Posted By Agricen

In an irrigated corn trial conducted in Benzie county, Michigan in 2022, adding ACCOMPLISH MAX to the grower's standard practice (GSP) starter fertilizer led to impressive yield results. 

ACCOMPLISH MAX was added to the GSP starter fertilizer at two different rates (1 pint/acre and 1 quart/acre, the recommended rate) and then compared to the GSP alone. The GSP 2x2 starter fertilizer blend consisted of UAN 28% (7.5 gal/acre), ammonium thiosulfate (ATS, 3 gal/acre), 10-34-0 (7.25 gal/acre), and Pro Zinc 10+ (0.25 gal/acre). The grower's fertility program also included a dry fertilizer broadcast application of 46-0-0 (300 lbs/acre) plus 0-0-60 (100 lbs/acre) applied over corn stubble. The field was no-till, corn on corn.

Adding ACCOMPLISH MAX at either rate provided both a yield advantage and a return on investment (ROI) for the grower.

AccomplishMAX-irrigated-corn

At harvest, the average corn yield with the GSP starter fertilizer alone was 165.0 bu/acre.

Where ACCOMPLISH MAX had been added at the 1 pint rate to the GSP, the average corn yield was 176.0 bu/acre, for a yield advantage of +11.9 bu/acre equating to an ROI of 6:1 compared to the GSP.

Most impressively, where ACCOMPLISH MAX was added to the GSP at the recommended 1 quart rate, the average corn yield was 185.8 bu/acre, for a yield advantage of +20.8 bu/acre over the GSP alone. At the time this trial was conducted, that yield advantage equated to a grower ROI of 12:1.

At planting, row crops are up against environmental challenges that include cold temperatures, fertilizer salts and more. ACCOMPLISH MAX can be used with liquid in-furrow starter fertilizers to help crops better tolerate these stresses while also increasing nutrient uptake, so that growers can help their crops live up to their full potential while also pushing their yields to the next level.

Learn more about ACCOMPLISH MAX by downloading the ACCOMPLISH MAX product booklet.

Download the Accomplish MAX Product Booklet

Read More
Minimizing Early Season Challenges with Extract PBA & Accomplish MAX
March 15, 2023 — Posted By Agricen

Wity-radio-down on farmWith planters running soon, Agricen's Scott Lay spoke with WITY Radio about utilizing Extract PBA and Accomplish MAX in the spring to minimize early season challenges related to nutrient availability and weather-related stress.

Dennis - WITY Radio: It has been an incredibly mild winter, but Mother Nature likes to change things up and throw a lot of stress our way, and that’s what the products from Agricen are so good at. It’s really a simple concept: Draw out more nutrients and help with the stress.

Scott - Agricen: That’s the essence of it. If you can’t minimize challenges with regard to weather-related stresses or the challenges that soil profiles present in terms of allowing plants to access nutrients, you’re not going to maximize your return.

Dennis - WITY Radio: Talk a little bit about your Extract product.

Scott - Agricen: We designed Extract for the farmer who does not utilize liquid in-furrow starter applications but wants to get that starter-like effect. It is applied in pre-plant broadcast applications with herbicide or liquid fertilizer.

The intent is really simple. We’re looking to increase the mineralization of nutrients that are already in the soil profile and release nutrients (phosphorus and potassium in particular) that are bound to that soil colloid.

There are a lot of dollars’ worth of nutrients already in the soil profile. If we can accelerate the release of nutrients that the farmer has already paid for and put more in the plant, we’ve got a better chance for yield.

Dennis - WITY Radio: Soil tests that you have done show more available nitrogen not only in the 0- to 8-inch part of the soil profile, but way down deep at that 8- to 24-inch level. Those soil tests don’t lie...that means the product is working.

Scott - Agricen: We have University of Nebraska data to substantiate that we’re increasing both ammonium and nitrate levels in the soil. We’re increasing the amount of available nitrates at 0-8 inches by about 10% and at 8-24 inches by 15-20%. For a corn crop, that’s where the business takes place in the months of June, July and August when the plant is stretching for nutrients, so that’s a good transaction for that corn plant.

Dennis - WITY Radio: Tell us a little about the Accomplish MAX product.

Scott - Agricen: Accomplish MAX is applied with liquid in-furrow starter fertilizers. It’s not fertility, but it’s used as a companion product to liquid starters. There are two principles behind Accomplish MAX. One is to release more nutrients in the furrow, in close proximity to that planted seed. The second dimension is stress reduction. What that translates to is quicker emergence, particularly in times of cooler soil conditions which we often see during planting time.

Dennis - WITY Radio: These products are tested not only in the greenhouse environment but also in the real world in field trials.

Scott - Agricen: Whether you’re in Illinois, the middle of Nebraska or southern Georgia, Accomplish MAX provides a high level of consistency regardless of crop. On average, we see about a 7 to 9-bushel response in corn and, while starter fertilizers are not as common in soybean, we still see a 4 to 5-bushel yield response. That's not just in replicated university trials, but also in real, on-farm, side-by-side trials that our customers provide for us.

Dennis - WITY Radio: And that provides customers with the return on investment they are looking for. 

Accomplish MAX and Extract are 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 Accomplish MAX, Extract PBA, and other innovative products by downloading the Sustainable Plant Health Technology Overview.

Download the Overview

 

Read More
ACCOMPLISH MAX Helps Soybeans Overcome Fertilizer Salt Stress
March 8, 2023 — Posted By Agricen

Salt stress can significantly hamper soybean germination and development. Since ACCOMPLISH MAX is designed to help crops better tolerate abiotic stresses such as salt and cold, the Nutrien Ag Solutions Carolinas Division set up a trial in Ahoskie, North Carolina, to evaluate how well ACCOMPLISH MAX could help mitigate the effects of fertilizer salt stress on a soybean crop at planting.

To intentionally elicit an adverse salinity response, 10-27-0 starter fertilizer was applied at 5 gallons per acre in-furrow with the soybean seed. ACCOMPLISH MAX was applied at 1 quart per acre with the liquid starter fertilizer on half of the field.

The addition of ACCOMPLISH MAX to the liquid starter fertilizer had a positive impact on germination and establishment in soybeans under fertilizer salt stress.

As seen in the photo below, soybeans planted in the untreated part of the field struggled with germination and establishment, while those planted where the ACCOMPLISH MAX treatment was applied were up and established more quickly.

MAX-soybeans-NC-2022

Soils that are high in salts, whether from irrigation waters or from commercial fertilizers, can negatively affect seed germination and plant development. ACCOMPLISH MAX contains kelp technology that can help mitigate salt and sodium stress in several ways, including by freeing calcium from the soil chemistry (which allows sodium to be flushed from the root zone), encouraging plants to take up additional potassium to offset the toxic effects of sodium, and breaking soluble salts apart.

This trial, which used 10-27-0 to intentionally induce salt stress in soybeans, demonstrates that ACCOMPLISH MAX can be an important addition to fertility or management programs for crops that may be affected by salinity.

Learn more by downloading the ACCOMPLISH MAX salt stress bulletin.

Download the Bulletin

 

Read More
[Watch] Early Season Opportunities to Enhance Plant Nutrition & Health
January 30, 2023 — Posted By Agricen

01-23-Early-Season-Opp-landing-pageHow can growers optimize early-season crop health and get more from their investment in their fertilizers, crops, and soil?

Watch our on-demand webinar, "Early Season Opportunities to Enhance Plant Nutrition & Health," to hear:

  • How ACCOMPLISH MAX and EXTRACT PBA improve nutrient availability in the soil
  • Where these biocatalyst products fit into spring crop plans
  • Details from recent corn and soybean trials

ACCOMPLISH MAX combines proprietary biocatalyst technology with kelp technology to give growers "More Nutrients, Less Stress." It can be applied with liquid starter fertilizers in-furrow or 2x2 to enhance nutrient availability from starter fertilizer blends while protecting the developing crop from abiotic stresses like cold temperatures, drought and salt (including fertilizer salts).

EXTRACT PBA contains biocatalyst technology for enhanced nutrient release and mineralization paired with ammonium thiosulfate (ATS), a source of nitrogen and sulfur. Designed for broadcast use (including application with soybean or corn pre-emergent chemistries, burndown chemistries and sidedress UAN, or applications to manures, litters or crop residue in the field), it helps "Unlock More Nutrition" by aiding with conversion or recycling of residual nutrients in the soil or in surface crop residues. It also improves nutrient availability and uptake of nutrients from liquid fertilizers.

With an in-furrow application of ACCOMPLISH MAX or a broadcast application of EXTRACT PBA, growers can put their nutrients to work this spring. As part of a balanced crop nutrition program, they can increase nutrient use efficiency and help growers reach their yield goals—making them an important part of the equation for high yield and return on investment.

ACCOMPLISH MAX and EXTRACT PBA are exclusively available from Nutrien Ag Solutions.

Watch the webinar today to learn how Accomplish MAX and Extract PBA can enhance spring fertility programs and help you maximize crop yield and ROI. 

Watch the Webinar

 

Read More
Wheat Crop Benefits from Early Nutrient Availability with EXTRACT PBA
December 16, 2022 — Posted By Agricen

In addition to the fertilizers growers apply each season, crops can benefit from the nutrients that are already in the soil or in surface crop residues. But first, these nutrients must be mineralized and converted into plant-available forms that the crop can use. An application of EXTRACT PBA can make this process faster and more efficient.  

In the photo below taken by the Nutrien Ag Solutions North High Plains branch in the spring of 2022, half of this Kansas wheat field had a fall application of EXTRACT PBA technology on it (right side), helping to break down corn stalk residue and increase nutrient availability, while the other half (left side) was untreated. 

Extract wheat Western KS

The visible improvement in wheat growth and color in the treated part of the field shows the wheat crop benefiting from early nutrient availability with Extract PBA, an improvement that also translated into higher yield.

At harvest, the average wheat yield in the untreated part of the field was 35 bu/acre, compared to an average of 45 bu/acre where EXTRACT PBA was used on the previous corn crop's residue—for a yield advantage of +10 bu/acre with fall-applied EXTRACT PBA. The Nutrien Ag Solutions branch noted that the half of the field treated with EXTRACT PBA was notoriously rougher ground, making these results more impressive.

Whether broadcast on crop residues in the fall, applied with liquid fertilizers and/or pre-emergent herbicides in the spring, or incorporated with sidedress UAN applications in the summer, EXTRACT PBA can enhance nutrient release and mineralization processes, regardless of grower tillage practices. This can lead to greater nutrient use efficiency and improve nutrient availability, including during critical periods early in the season. 

Learn more by downloading our booklet, "Maximizing Nutrient Release from Crop Residue."

Get the Booklet

 

Read More
Using EXTRACT PBA for Strategic Residue & Nutrient Management
November 29, 2022 — Posted By Agricen

By Steve Roehl, Sr. Technical Sales Agronomist, Nutrien Ag Solutions

At harvest, impressive corn yields also leave behind an impressive amount of leaf, stalk and root mass material in the form of stover or residue. While some may call this "corn trash", the sage farmer and agronomist knows that residue is actually a treasure rich in essential crop nutrients, including nitrogen (N), potassium (in the form of K2O), phosphorus (in the form of P2O5), and sulfur (S). 

Pounds of Nutrients per Ton of Residue

Crop residue also poses some challenges. Fields with heavy residue levels can be slower to warm in the spring and can pose issues related to planting (e.g., stalks and root balls can hamper planter disc openers and depth-gauge wheels) and crop establishment. In addition, heavy amounts of crop residue can hinder the ability of soil microbes to release nutrients from the residue. This is especially true for nitrogen and sulfur, which are effectively "tied up" (immobilized) by soil microbes that use them as a food source to break down residue. These immobilized nutrients only become available to the crop once the microbes finish digesting the residue and release (mineralize) the nutrients to the soil.

For these reasons, some forethought about residue and nutrient management this fall can pay dividends to your 2023 crop. For years, Nutrien Ag Solutions customers have utilized a fall or spring application of Extract PBA to maximize nutrient release from crop residues and the soil, extend the availability of nutrients later into the season, and optimize yield potential. This biochemical-based technology is an effective way to release bound nutrients while also making seedbed preparation and planting processes more effective in the spring.

A planned application of Extract PBA at 1.5-2 gal/acre in the fall with UAN will provide a food supply for residue-decomposing microbes, jumpstarting the breakdown of heavy residue while also mineralizing nutrients from the residue and soil for the next season's crop to use.

Studies conducted several years ago by Dr. Fred Below and Alison Vogel at the University of Illinois provide insight into the potential value of complimenting a corn residue management strategy with Extract PBA. In that research on continuous corn, corn residue was first mechanically treated with standard stalk rollers or chopped using the combine head. It then received either 1.) no further treatment or 2.) chemical treatment in the form of ammonium sulfate (AMS, 200 lbs/acre) or Extract PBA (2 gal/acre) plus UAN (1 gal/acre). At the following corn harvest, the use of Extract PBA with UAN in hybrid 6594SS/RIB led to the highest yield increases across both mechanical treatments compared to either no chemical treatment or to AMS alone, as shown in the table below.

Extract-residue-mgmt-U IllThe value of Extract PBA does not end with the breakdown of crop residue and release of nutrients. It also provides timely and efficient release of nutrients in liquid fertilizer sources and those already in the soil, helping you unlock even more nutrition for your crops.

Learn more about this biocatalyst technology by downloading the Extract PBA booklet.

Download the Booklet

 

Read More
<< Prev 1 ...
2 3 4 5 6
... 22 Next >>