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In the past 50 years, science, technology and economics have dramatically changed family farming. But the connection to the land and the choice to farm still passes from generation to generation. In this blog series, we’ll feature two generations of the Orr family, who maintain a strong connection to the land their relatives first began to farm over a century ago in Iowa.

Meet the Orrs: Farming the Land for Five Generations

Jim and Janet Orr are proud Iowans who run a Century Farm—a rare and officially recognized entity that has been continuously owned and farmed by the same family for at least 100 years. They are joined by their son, Jason, who works on the farm and manages a nearby livestock operation. Their other son, Jamie, also remains connected to agriculture and his farming roots, working as a Division Manager for Crop Production Services (CPS) (now Nutrien Ag Solutions).

“My great-grandfather purchased the land and started farming it in 1897,” says Jim. “Today, Janet and I own 40 of the original acres, rent the remaining original acres from my dad, and farm an additional 2500 acres, growing all corn. We also raised hogs and cattle in the past, but now are strictly grain.”

Like most family farmers, Janet helped Jim do everything in the beginning, from driving the tractor to operating the grain cart in the fall. Today, Janet handles the bookkeeping for the farm and family, while Jim focuses on operations, production, and ways to make their business more efficient. 

“The way we farm has changed a lot since I started. Now, technology and new products allow us to increase production and efficiency, while maintaining and even improving the condition of the soil,” says Jim. “To learn about new ways to grow, we used to just read magazines and talk to friends and other farmers. Today, we still talk to other growers, but we also need to attend meetings and spend time doing research on the Internet just to keep up.”

As Jim mentions, one of the keys to their success on the Orr farm has been the application of new technologies as they become available. The family began computerizing their bookkeeping in the 1980s and have used a yield monitor in their combine since 1996. GPS steering systems, variable rate planting and mapping are now standard. Starting in 2009, the Orrs began using Accomplish LM, Agricen’s liquid fertilizer catalyst. They use Accomplish LM for corn-on-corn residue, yield benefits and overall nitrogen management. 

“We first tried Accomplish LM on a small test plot to see whether it would make a difference,” says Jim. “We liked the results and started applying it to the entire corn crop, where we saw increases in yield. We also noticed it had a positive effect on water quality, meaning there isn’t as much nitrogen runoff. Last year, we banded two quarts of Accomplish LM with UAN 32%, Thio-sul, and BlackLabelZn over the row post-plant, and we used Accomplish LM on our corn residue in the late fall.”

Find out in part two of this series how Jim and Janet’s sons, Jason and Jamie, have continued the family tradition of farming and agriculture, and how they are using new technologies to increase the efficiency of farm inputs and improve the soil for future generations.

Learn more about Accomplish LM by downloading the Accomplish LM product booklet.

Here we discuss why your crop residue is valuable and how your farm can benefit from a post-harvest application of EXTRACT. 

Q: I mostly consider my residue to be a nuisance. Do I need to rethink that view?

A: Given where prices are, growers are really going to have to focus to make money next year. Residue can play an important role in helping to achieve that. Residue doesn't have to be just another obstacle to deal with when you're trying to get your crop planted. By releasing the nutrients locked up in your crop stubble, you get more ROI out of your original nutrient investment by benefitting next season's crop. We recommend that you rethink your residue as an important component of the planning process for next year's crop. 

Q: What is the value of my residue?

A: Here's a great example of the value of residue. If you're a corn producer, for every bushel of corn you grow, your residue contains an average of 0.45 lbs of N, 0.16 lbs of P, and 1.1 lbs of K. If you had a 200-bushel crop in 2014, that's an NPK value of 90-32-220. Think about how valuable those nutrients can be if you can release them in time for spring planting.

Q: With a big harvest, how should I deal with all of my post-harvest residue? What's a good way to speed residue breakdown and access the nutrients in my stubble?

A: Many growers turn to fall tillage or a fall nitrogen application to help them speed residue breakdown. Although tillage does a good job of physically breaking up the residue and increasing the surface area that microbes have to work on, it has little direct influence on the mineralization of nutrients trapped in residue. Nitrogen can provide some benefits, but lack of sufficient N is not the main limiting factor for residue breakdown–soil temperatures are, since microbial activity, which is what produces the biochemistry needed to break down crop residue, drastically drops off below 50 degrees F. This is why we recommend a post-harvest application of EXTRACT – which contains biochemistry that enhances residue breakdown, nutrient release and nutrient mineralization, even at lower temperatures – to help you capture the value of your residue. 

Learn more about the benefits of a residue application of EXTRACT by reading the our crop residue booklet.

By Brian Cornelious, PhD, Director of Applied Sciences 

Everyone has a favorite ride at the amusement park. Some treasure the predictability of the carousel, while others seek the thrill of the rollercoaster.

The more I ponder on this analogy, the more I begin to think of farming. 

Some very traditional farmers live by the philosophy of “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” while others ascribe to a more progressive approach of “It’s working pretty well, but I think I can make it even better.” Both ways of thinking have their benefits, but I speculate that we’ll need more of the latter philosophy as we move forward, especially in light of current conditions facing the modern farming industry.

Has Farming Been More Like a Carousel Ride or a Rollercoaster?

Let’s get back to the amusement park analogy for a moment and compare riding on the carousel versus rollercoaster from my own experiences with each:

I’m sure there are other things that you would add to the list, but, in the sense of what the farmer is facing today, I would bet the ride is more like the rollercoaster that the carousel, especially when you look at some of the major factors influencing crop production decisions:

• Commodity prices
• Fertilizer costs
• Seed costs
• Land cost
• Equipment costs
• Financing/operating capital
• Weather patterns

We could go into great detail about each of these factors, but let’s focus on the impact that commodity prices have on fertility practices. Let’s also look at how some of the management decisions based on this single factor might affect the productivity and profitability of today’s farmer.

Saying Goodbye to $7/Bushel Corn

The years of $7/bushel corn have passed, and when they’ll return is anyone’s guess.  While the US farmer’s ability to produce record amounts of corn has been proven once again with the amazing 2014 crop, this record crop is placing pricing pressure on December new crop corn. Growers are now facing corn that’s under $4/bushel, and it may seem almost impossible to make a profit at this rate after figuring in production costs. This is giving many growers pause when it comes to any additional inputs beyond crop protection and their liquid or dry fertilizers. Some might even be thinking of scaling back on their fertility. What can growers do to stay profitable?

Nutrient Use Efficiency Is Key for Profitability

During periods of declining prices, it is critical to increase yields in order to lower the cost of production per bushel. That means increasing the efficiency of fertilizer inputs in the face of lower corn prices. This process will allow the grower to produce more bushels at a lower cost.

Most growers will apply dry phosphate (P) and potash (K) as a blend after harvest this fall.  Dry fertilizer is considered a standard input for corn production, even though only 20-30% of the phosphate and 20-60% of the potash is available to next spring’s corn crop.  The inefficiency of applied P & K isn’t really acceptable, but what can be done to improve nutrient use efficiency by releasing the P & K that get tied-up in the soil? 

Titan PBA Can Help Growers Get the Most Out of Their Dry Fertilizer Inputs

The answer is to add biochemical fertilizer catalyst technology found in Titan PBA.  In combination with a dry fertility program, Titan PBA increases the availability of applied nutrients and improves plant uptake and utilization.  The increased efficiency of the fertilizer as a result of the Titan PBA allows growers to realize higher yields—as seen in the data below—and lower production costs per bushel. 

I think most growers would agree that the past several years have been more like a rollercoaster ride than a carousel ride. However, uncertainty about commodity prices should not affect the attitudes towards using sound fertility programs to maintain or even increase yields. Adding biochemical technology to a dry fertility program can enhance nutrient use efficiency and increase yield potential—helping growers cope with the ups and downs of today’s rollercoaster ride.

By John Wolf, Director of Commercial Development, Agricen

Across most of the corn production area, 2014 has the potential be a banner year for yield. Given that higher average yields increase supply, economics dictate that prices will be somewhat lower without an accompanying increase in demand. This poses a dilemma for growers as they plan for next year’s crop.

With many growers producing more corn than usual (and probably more than they fertilized for), overall soil nutrient levels are likely to drop as nutrient removal rates surpass what was applied ahead of the crop. Faced with commodity price pressures, growers are unlikely to increase their traditional dry fertilizer rates, even though they will probably need more nutrition to overcome high nutrient removal rates from this year’s excellent yields. This means there is a great risk that growers won’t supply next year’s crops with enough nutrients. 

The best choice for growers is to apply the appropriate fertilizer rate to maintain adequate soil nutrition levels as indicated by a soil test.  For growers who simply don’t want to bear the added cost of increased fertilizer rates, increasing the first-year recovery rates of the fertilizers they do apply may be a cost-effective alternative.

First-year recovery rates for applied dry N,P & K are generally accepted to be:

•   N +/-50%
•   P +/- 25%
•   K +/- 50%

By including a cost-effective biochemical product like Titan PBA—which increases the rate at which applied dry nutrients are converted to inorganic forms (N&P) that can be utilized by growing crops—growers can improve their first-year nutrient recovery rates and ensure that next year’s crop has the potential for another banner harvest.

This corn trial from Minnesota is a good example of the benefits Titan PBA can bring to growers when applied in the fall along with dry fertilizer.

By Fred E. Below, PhD, Professor of Plant Physiology, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Agronomic advancements have brought corn yields to new heights, but producers have had little guidance on how to meet the nutrient requirements of modern, high-yield corn hybrids in a way that maximizes their yields. As a result, the high yields we see today have been accompanied in many places across the United States by a significant drop in soil nutrient levels, particularly phosphorus (P), potassium (K), sulfur (S) and zinc (Zn). This combination—higher yielding hybrids and decreasing soil fertility levels—suggests that producers have not sufficiently matched their maintenance fertilizer applications with nutrient uptake and removal by the corn.

By better understanding nutrient uptake and partitioning, producers can optimize their fertilization practices to meet their crop needs and attain maximum yield potential. I’ll focus here primarily on the uptake, partitioning, and utilization of P and K by corn.

Typical fertilization for corn in the United States is 180 lbs of N, 90 lbs of P₂O₅ and 160 lbs of K₂0 per acre, with no S or micronutrients. For modern corn hybrids in high-yielding systems, mineral nutrients with high requirements for production (i.e., nitrogen [N], P, K) or with a high harvest index (HI: the percentage of total plant uptake that is removed with the grain) (i.e., N, P, S, Zn) are important for obtaining high corn yield (Table 1).¹ 

Producers must consider the impact of increased grain and stover nutrient removal on the next crop and employ appropriate fertilizer strategies to ensure that adequate nutrients are available to the crop. Phosphorus is probably one of the most overlooked nutrients, and most farmers are not putting out enough. In relation to total uptake, nearly 80% of P is removed in corn grain, while K is retained to a higher percentage in stover.

Production practices that utilize above-ground stover (i.e., cellulosic ethanol, silage production) may remove an additional 20.8 lbs of N, 4.0 lbs of P₂O₅, and 23.3 lbs of K₂O per ton of dry matter, along with micronutrients. While farmers in Illinois, for example, fertilize 93 lbs P₂O₅ per acre, on average, for corn production², the large majority (~80%) of soybean fields receive no applied P. As a result, they would have only the remaining 13 lbs/acre of P₂O₅ available for soybean production in a corn–soybean rotation³, where P and K fertilizer are commonly applied for both crops in the corn production year. This value would be inadequate to meet soybean P needs for total uptake (48 lbs/acre P₂O₅) or nutrient removal (30 lbs/acre P₂O₅) based on a conservative yield estimate of 46 bushels/acre in Illinois.⁴ Clearly, typical fertilization practices may need to be adjusted to meet crop nutrient needs.

Mineral nutrients are not all acquired at the same time or used in the same way by corn plants, and some require season-long uptake by corn roots for the crop to achieve a high yield. During the V10 to V14 growth stages, 230 bushel corn requires 7.8 lbs of N, 2.1 lbs of P₂O₅ and 5.4 lbs of K₂O per day, but these needs change at other times. To optimize their programs, producers need fertilizer sources that supply nutrients at the rate and time that match their plants’ nutritional needs.

Potassium accumulates more than three-fourths of total uptake by VT/R1 (Figure 1)¹, while over 50% of total P uptake occurs during grain fill (after VT/R1) (Figure 2)¹, in addition to remobilization of 57% and 77% of the maximum measured leaf P and stalk P contents, respectively. This suggests that a season-long supply of P is critical for corn nutrition, while availability of K at levels that can meet the maximum rates of uptake during early season vegetative growth would be expected to meet corn nutritional needs, since the majority of K uptake occurs during vegetative growth. Thus, practices that are effective for one nutrient may not improve uptake of the other.

Nutrient management is complex, but improved fertilizer use can be achieved by understanding patterns of nutrient uptake, partitioning, and utilization. Producers should pay special attention to P requirements as productivity increases, as current data suggest a looming soil fertility crisis if adequate adjustments are not made in P usage rates. Agronomic advancements have brought corn yields to new heights, but understanding how to maintain soil nutrient levels can go a long way in helping to sustain high yields.

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Learn how biocatalyst technologies can improve nutrient availability and uptake to help meet the nutrient needs of corn and other crops by downloading the Biocatalyst Technology FAQ Booklet.

References:

1. Bender RR, Haegele JW, Ruffo ML, Below FE. 2013. Nutrient uptake, partitioning, and remobilization in modern, transgenic insect-protected maize hybrids. Agron. J. 105:161–170.
2. National Agriculture Statistics Service (NASS), United States Department of Agriculture. Fertilizer and Chemical Usage. 2011. Illinois Farm Report. 32:8.
3. NASS. Fertilizer, Chemical Usage, and Biotechnology Varieties. 2010. Bulletin As11091, Illinois Agricultural Statistics.
4. Usherwood, N.R. 1998. Nutrient management for top-profit soybeans. News and views. Bulletin RN 98105. Potash and Phosphate Inst., Int. Plant Nutrition Inst., Norcross, GA.

For more than a decade, Agricen has invested in rigorous scientific research focused on developing practical biological and biochemical tools to improve the quality and performance of plant nutrition programs. The result is innovative products like Accomplish and Titan, used by growers worldwide to increase the availability of their applied nutrients, improve their nutrient use efficiency and maximize their yield potential.

Our products have been rigorously evaluated in hundreds of studies, demonstrating efficacy across crops, soil types and fertility practices.

We are constantly working to enhance our understanding of how biologically sourced tools can contribute to the economic and environmental sustainability of production agriculture. Our efforts in the field are complimented by an active laboratory research program, led by our sister company Agricen Sciences, devoted to unravelling the complexity of microbial communities and their interactions within the plant-soil system.

Today, we are leading the innovation and delivery of biochemical plant nutrition technologies to give growers the tools they need to increase sustainability and productivity.

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This is Part 5 of our five-part series (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5) about sustainable growing practices. To learn more about Agricen and our contributions to sustainable growing practices, subscribe to our blog.

Agricultural biologicals are a fast growing sector in agriculture, but it hasn’t always been this way.

One of the challenges in the advancement and modern day acceptance agricultural biologicals has been the profusion of companies over the years selling “miracle” microbial solutions—often of indeterminate quality or origin.

By making overstated claims that were not backed by rigorous science, these companies contributed to the perception that biologically sourced tools for plant nutrition were little more than “snake oil.”

Soils Systems Are Complex

Another major challenge to the development of these tools has been the very complexity of the soil-plant system, coupled with the limitations of the technology to meaningfully analyze this system.

In fact, developing a full understanding of the complex microbial communities in the soil is a challenge of staggering magnitude.

Even with today’s sophisticated genetic analysis tools, we can identify only about 1 percent of the microorganisms found in any soil sample at the species level. Thus we know very little about how the remaining 99 percent of the microbial community, which is still unidentified, functions in the soil-plant system.

Microbial Communities Impact Plant Nutrition Biochemically

Even more challenging—and perhaps more important—may be trying to understand how these microbial communities biochemically impact plant nutrition.

Each microbial and fungal organism may be the source of unique biochemical compounds that affect a variety of soil, plant and microbial community functions through interactions triggered at the molecular level.

With the evolution of next-generation tools for molecular analysis, we now know that there are numerous signaling compounds and other molecules that are capable of “turning on” various plant genes that affect plant functioning—things like nutrient acquisition, rooting responses and the production of secondary metabolites within the plant itself.

Research Increasingly Supports Biological Tools

Researchers today are working to deepen their understanding of how these complex microbial communities and their metabolites affect plant nutrition, and they are applying this knowledge to improve crop production. Their efforts are reflected in a growing body of literature that supports the use of biological tools in agriculture, as well as increasing recognition of the need for more sustainable production practices by growers, policymakers and international organizations.

It’s time for another look at how we can use the tools of biology to enhance an inherently biological system. This doesn’t require an anti-chemical approach. Rather, we can make our agricultural practices both more productive and more sustainable by incorporating the next generation of biologically sourced tools into existing growing practices—in a sense, an “integrated nutrient management” approach similar to the integrative frameworks used in crop protection practices.

It will take time for this science to evolve and mature. Years—perhaps even decades—of work lie ahead in deciphering the biologically induced changes within the soil-plant system. However, we don’t have to wait until all of the mysteries are solved to start putting the knowledge we do have to work for us—and solving some of the great challenges of the day.

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This is Part 4 in our five-part series (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5) about sustainable growing practices. To learn more about Agricen and our contributions to sustainable growing practices, subscribe to our blog.

For thousands of years, the world regarded the act of growing a plant in the soil as a biological process. But—as in all systems—the need for scalability to meet growing demands called for new, more efficient technologies to improve food production.

The agricultural advancements of the post–World War II era were nothing short of transformational in the scheme of human affairs.

Around the world, food production skyrocketed, owing to improved seed varieties, modernized irrigation, better control of plant diseases and pests, efficiencies created by broad availability and use of chemical fertilizers, and evangelists like Dr. Norman Borlaug, who promoted these practices to help the world feed itself.

As the agricultural practices of the Green Revolution swept the world, the contribution of biological elements to crop production received significantly less attention.

The Next Green Revolution

In more recent years, we have realized that the gains achieved through the tools of the Green Revolution are not limitless.

We have also realized that the intensity of agricultural production has some significant, long-term impacts on soil, air and water resources. This has prompted a renewed interest in the biological elements of crop production, including the use of soil management practices such as conservation tillage and organic matter augmentation, meant to improve the conditions of the soil and the organisms that it harbors. They have also led to the development of new biological and biochemical plant nutrition technologies, ones that are firmly rooted in science, and that can be incorporated into current growing practices to enhance agricultural sustainability and increase yields.

However, until recently, agronomists and other researchers have largely dismissed the possibility that biologically sourced tools could contribute significantly to feeding a growing population.

In our next blog post, we’ll ask “Why?” We’ll also explore the challenges of developing biologically sourced tools.

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This is Part 3 of our five-part series (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5) about sustainable growing practices. To learn more about Agricen and our contributions to sustainable growing practices, subscribe to our blog.

 We are excited to announce this morning that our long-term partner, Loveland Products, has increased their strategic investment in Agricen, acquiring a controlling interest in the company. They have also taken an equity stake in Agricen Sciences, our sister company.  

We have had a long history with Loveland Products, starting as the supplier of what have become two of their fastest-growing plant nutrition brands, Accomplish LM and Titan PBA. The success of these products led, in 2012, to Loveland Products’ first strategic investment in Agricen, giving Loveland exclusive, worldwide distribution rights to Agricen’s existing technology and access to new product and technology opportunities. Today’s news—that Loveland Products has acquired a controlling interest in Agricen—is the natural expansion of that relationship.

As part of Loveland Products, a subsidiary of Agrium, we look forward to helping create value for growers with our next-generation agricultural tools that complement and enhance existing plant nutrition practices. 

You can read the full press release about the announcement here.

Simply intensifying current agricultural practices— whether by farming more land, using more irrigation or using more fertilizer—won’t be enough to sufficiently augment crop yields to meet future food needs.

Instead, the next wave of agricultural productivity will have to incorporate new technologies. It will have to do so in a sustainable way by using production practices that meet human needs while reducing environmental impacts. This means using practices that make both environmental and economic sense for growers.

Agricultural sustainability does not need to come at the cost of economic sustainability.

While consumer and industry pressures for sustainable food production will increase, broad behavioral change—including rapid adoption of new practices—will be driven by grower economics.

In a sense, the starting point is economic sustainability—where growers will find ways to reduce input costs, sustain or increase output value and simultaneously improve the environmental sustainability of what they do.

Agricultural and economic sustainability are possible, and even go hand in hand.

In our next blog post, we’ll look at biologically sourced tools for agricultural production and how they might be essential for the next Green Revolution.

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This is Part 2 of our five-part series (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5) about sustainable growing practices. To learn more about Agricen and our contributions to sustainable growing practices, subscribe to our blog.