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See the latest news, innovation updates, trial results, grower stories and more from Agricen. 
April 29, 2024 — Posted By Agricen

By Brian Cornelious, PhD, Agricen

corn soil sky-1

The use of starter fertilizer, aimed at getting plant nutrients in a concentrated zone close to the point of seed placement, is a common practice in some parts of the country.

A standard starter program for corn in the U.S. Corn Belt is 3-5 gallons of ammonium polyphosphate (10-34-0) plus 1 quart of zinc per acre. More progressive growers have gravitated towards readily available orthosphosphate blends containing micronutrients or other enhancements like biostimulants. Regardless of the rate, timing, source and amount (the “4Rs”) of the practice, the goal is the same: Get the most out of every nutrient applied for better early growth and development.

Conversion from polyphosphate to plant-available orthophosphate takes place in the soil, where microbes and soil chemistry both play a role in making the applied and existing soil nutrients available to the plant, as well as in the timing of nutrient release into the soil solution. For any liquid starter program to be successful, growers must consider several key factors like soil test values, crop yield goals, field conditions and potential for nutrient release when the crop needs them most.

Thankfully, growers don’t have to leave it all up to nature. By enhancing liquid starter programs with ACCOMPLISH MAX or PROLOGUE, growers can speed up the conversion process in the soil and facilitate plant nutrient uptake by providing highly available forms of nutrients. The outcome is improved plant performance, as demonstrated in the trials below.

ACCOMPLISH MAX

ACCOMPLISH MAX is specifically formulated for use with liquid starter fertilizers. It contains diverse biochemicals (e.g., organic acids, enzymes) that interact with liquid fertilizers and soil chemistry to improve nutrient availability and facilitate nutrient uptake by the crop. It also contains a kelp-based technology that helps crops better tolerate potentially yield-robbing stresses like cold temperatures, saline soil, heat or dry conditions.

In the corn trial below from Ohio, the grower standard practice (GSP) was an in-furrow program consisting of NPK, a micronutrient starter and Proven 40 (a microbial nitrogen-fixing product from Pivot Bio). This was compared to GSP plus 1 quart/acre of ACCOMPLISH MAX over three fields.

The results? Adding ACCOMPLISH MAX to the grower's standard in-furrow program led to a yield advantage of +6 bu/acre over the GSP alone.

Corn_Ottawa_Ohio_Accomplish_Max

In another example, a corn trial in Nebraska looked at the impact of adding ACCOMPLISH MAX at 1 quart/acre to a starter program consisting of Loveland Products’ Riser (2 gals/acre) and Black Label Zn (1 gal/acre).

The results? A visual difference with ACCOMPLISH MAX earlier in the season, including thicker stalks and healthier plants above ground, with deeper, more developed roots below. The early, healthier start resulted in a +4.5 bu/acre yield advantage at harvest compared to the starter program that did not include this technology.

corn_Curtis_Nebraska_Accomplish_Max

PROLOGUE

PROLOGUE (5-0-0 6.3% Zn) is a combination of highly plant available zinc and nutrient solubilizing technology comprised of microbial metabolites (biochemicals) and active, phosphorus-scavenging microbes that colonize within the root system.

PROLOGUE fits any banded liquid phosphorus-based fertilizer program requiring supplemental zinc for optimal plant growth. It is formulated to increase the efficiency of both applied phosphate and existing phosphate bound in the soil, as well as balance the P:Zn uptake ratio. (For every 10 units of phosphorus, a plant needs 1 unit of zinc.)

In this corn trial from Kentucky, PROLOGUE was applied 2x2 with 10 gals/acre of 10-34-0.

The results? A yield advantage of +7.15 bu/acre with PROLOGUE in the starter program compared to the 10-34-0 starter alone.

Prologue_Corn_KY

Crops that get off to a good start often maintain an advantage during the growing season over those that struggle to get going. As these studies show, growers that include a technology such as ACCOMPLISH MAX or PROLOGUE in their starter programs—whether a polyphosphate, an orthophosphate/polyphosphate blend or other liquid starter—can maximize the efficiency of applied nutrients and improve crop performance.

Learn more about starter fertilizer programs by downloading our booklet, Improving Crop Yields with Starter Fertilizers.

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April 24, 2024 — Posted By Agricen

CropLife-webinar-archive

Whether conditions are “ideal” or stressful, the key is to be prepared for whatever the growing season brings so that you can reach your yield goals.

In this on-demand webinar hosted by CropLife, "Stand Up to Stress for Higher Yield & ROI," you'll learn:

  • What abiotic stress is

  • How ag biologicals and biostimulants fit into crop stress and plant health management programs

  • How TERRAMAR, a new foliar technology for agricultural crops, enhances plant performance while mitigating the impacts of abiotic stress

During the webinar, Dr. Connor Sible of the University of Illinois discusses common abiotic stresses, how biological and biostimulant technologies can play a role in addressing them, and, specifically, how marine extracts promote stress relief in plants. He also discusses the need for a proactive approach when it comes to application timing.

"Stress mitigating biostimulant applications need to be proactive, not reactive," says Dr. Sible. "The crop needs time to build the defense so that it is able to tolerate the stress when it arrives."

Agricen's Dr. Brian Cornelious follows his presentation with a discussion of TERRAMAR, which can be used to enhance nutrient uptake while improving crop tolerance to abiotic stress.

TERRAMAR is a unique combination of carbon- and marine-based components that have complimentary functions:

  • Carbon-Based Technology (derived from biologically converted leonardite) enhances nutrient uptake and provides key carbon derivatives for additional energy to optimize plant performance

  • Marine-Based Technology (derived from biologically digested kelp) improves crop tolerance to abiotic stressors such as heat, drought, salt, and cold

Exclusively available from Loveland Products through Nutrien Ag Solutions, TERRAMAR can be used in combination with early, mid-season, or late-season foliar applications (including foliar nutrition, insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides) 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. Multiple field trials validate the effectiveness of TERRAMAR as an addition to crop protection and nutritional programs.

Watch the webinar to learn how to help your crops stand up to stress for higher yield and ROI.

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April 15, 2024 — Posted By Agricen

More than three dozen farmers in the 2023 National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) Corn Yield Contest used Agricen's biocatalyst technologies in their winning programs. They include four farmers who took top places at the national level and 34 who took top places in their states. 🏆

NCGA_social-2023

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

Corn Yield Winners

The 2023 national corn yield winners again included Virginia farmer Heath Cutrell, who earned first place in the "Conventional Non-Irrigated" category (396.12 bu/a yield). You can learn more about Heath in our short video, Striving for Record Corn Yields.

Other national winners who used Agricen's technology were:

  • Maryland farmer Temple Rhodes, winner of the "Conventional Irrigated" category (375.67 bu/a yield)

  • Ohio's Corey Farrens, winner of the "Conventional Non-Irrigated - Corn Belt States" category (340.46 bu/a yield)

  • New Jersey's Scott Truszkowski, who earned second place nationally in the "Strip, Min, Mulch, Ridge-Till Non-Irrigated" category (323.75 bu/a yield)

We are proud to be a part of these growers' winning programs and wish them the best of luck as we begin the 2024 growing season.

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

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March 29, 2024 — Posted By Agricen

By Ronald Calhoun, PhD, Loveland Products

Crops need phosphorus (P) early in their development to help them get off to a good start. This important macronutrient not only helps them capture and convert sunlight into useful plant compounds, it also assists with plant growth, stalk strength and early root growth and development.

One challenge that growers need to think about each season is that phosphorus availability can be limited by soil fixation, poor root growth and cold temperatures that limit microbial activity. Much of the phosphorus that is applied each season is at risk of fixation with elements in the soil like iron (Fe), aluminum (Al) and calcium (Ca). Once those bonds have formed, the bound phosphate becomes essentially unavailable to the growing crop. For these reasons, it is difficult to access phosphate in the soil bank, making applied phosphate relatively inefficient.

Along with phosphorus, plants also need zinc (Zn). Zinc plays a role in the manufacturing of plant hormones that help drive root growth. It also has a unique relationship with phosphorus, interacting with phosphate to influence root growth. These two nutrients work best when they are available in a ratio in which neither one is limiting the other. Unfortunately, prevailing spring conditions, like cool temperatures and waterlogged soils, can limit the availability of zinc.

PROLOGUE (5-0-0 6.3% Zn) is a unique technology designed to enhance phosphate nutrition for a higher performing and more sustainable approach to crop nutrition. In the trial below, adding PROLOGUE to 10-34-0 starter led to an average yield increase of +8.9 bushels per acre across six sites.

04-24_Prologue-corn

PROLOGUE combines the critical early season micronutrient, zinc, with unique nutrient solubilizing technology that increases the efficiency of both applied phosphate and existing phosphate bound in the soil. Working together, these components enhance early germination and crop growth, helping crops better absorb both applied nutrition and soil bank nutrition:

  • Nutrient solubilizing technology - Microbial metabolites (biochemicals) and active, phosphorus-scavenging microbes that colonize within the root system to keep more applied nutrition available to the crop. They also help loosen the bonds of recalcitrant phosphorus in the soil to improve phosphorus availability during the growing season.

  • Chelated zinc - A plant-available form of zinc.

Many crops can benefit from PROLOGUE, especially those that do best with an early season application of liquid phosphate (including ammonium polyphosphate or liquid phosphate containing blends) near the developing root system.

With technology that drives more phosphorus into a developing crop, PROLOGUE can help growers realize big dividends at the end of the season.

Learn more by downloading the PROLOGUE booklet.

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March 11, 2024 — Posted By Agricen

03-24-extract-webinar-archive

How can growers get the maximum benefit from existing and applied nutrition to maximize their yield and return on investment?

Watch our on-demand webinar, "Early Season Opportunities to Enhance Nutrient Availability with EXTRACT PBA," to see:

  • How Extract helps unlock the nutrition crops need from the soil, organic and inorganic nutrient applications and the previous season's crop residue for maximum yield

  • How to get the most utilization out of applied and residual nutrition with Extract

  • Results from corn, soybean and wheat trials

Extract enhances nutrient release and mineralization from the soil, liquid fertilizers and crop residues, which promotes nutrient availability and uptake. It can be used with pre-plant liquid fertilizers, pre-emergent herbicides, UAN sidedress applications or fall burndown chemistries to unlock more nutrition for crops.  

In an analysis of 105 third-party and side-by-side trials conducted over the past decade, the average yield increase gained by utilizing Extract was +10.3 bu/a in corn (53 trials), +3.7 bu/a in soybeans (47 trials) and +5.5 bu/a in wheat (5 trials) as compared to no Extract treatment.

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

Extract is exclusively available from Nutrien Ag Solutions.

Watch the webinar today to learn how to maximize nutrient availability for your crops with Extract.

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March 5, 2024 — Posted By Agricen

TERRAMAR can be applied to a wide variety of row crops, including corn, soybeans, wheat, grain sorghum (milo) 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 conditions.

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.

Terramar-piano_graph 2019-2023

 

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.

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February 20, 2024 — Posted By Agricen

Wity-radio-down on farmAgricen's Scott Lay 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 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.

 

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December 13, 2023 — Posted By Agricen

AgriTalk podcast 1200pxRon 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.

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November 6, 2023 — Posted By Agricen

Jason Jaggers Illinois - Doing More with LessJason 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 fertilizerGetting 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.

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October 18, 2023 — Posted By Agricen

Wity-radio-down on farmAgricen'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.

 

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