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

Congratulating the 2019 NCGA Corn Yield Contest Winners

February 19, 2020 — Posted By Agricen

Every year, growers across the country compete in the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) Corn Yield Contest and attempt to push their corn yields as far as they can go. We want to congratulate all of the 2019 winners, with special recognition to the 6 national and 17 state winners who used Accomplish LM, Extract PBA or Titan XC technology on their winning acres!

08-20-NCGA-winners

Among the 2019 winners who used our technology are Health Cutrell, Kevin and Shawn Kalb, Don Stall, Kelly, Cael and Colin Garrett, the Hults family, and Tommy and Valerie Cartrite–many of whom we've profiled on our blog for their previous wins.

NCGA_2019_winners

Pictured: Kelly Garrett (left), Kevin and Shawn Kalb (top center), Don Stall (bottom center), Heath Cutrell (right).

Congratulations to the winners on your achievements, and we wish all growers success in the coming season!

Learn more about the biocatalyst technology that's helping top corn growers achieve big yields by downloading our FAQ.

Using EXTRACT PBA to Maximize the Nutrient Content of Manure

February 3, 2020 — Posted By Agricen

spreading manure Although animal manures can be a rich source of nutrients for crops, the nutrients found in them–whether from swine, beef cattle, dairy cows or poultry–are not always in a form that is readily available for crop uptake.

Phosphorus is a good example. With its negative charge, phosphorus easily binds to positively charged micronutrients, such as those found in animal rations or dairy cow footbath solutions. Once bound, it remains in a form that is unavailable to the plant until transformed through natural processes (e.g., weather, soil microbes) or agronomic management. As a result, growers who have been applying animal manures may see high levels of unavailable phosphorus on their soil tests (indicated by a high Bray P2 value), but a deficit of plant-available phosphorus (low/lagging Bray P1).

EXTRACT PBA, which helps to convert P2 to P1, is one of the agronomic tools available to help growers be more efficient with their nutrient applications by making phosphorus and other nutrients found in manures, crops residues and the soil more readily available for crop uptake.

The concentrated biochemistry in EXTRACT PBA not only helps to break down organic matter, but it can also separate positively charged (+) cations (e.g., calcium, magnesium, aluminum, iron, zinc, copper) from negatively charged (-) anions (e.g., phosphate, nitrate, sulfate, chlorides). As a result, the nutritive value of manure treated with this biocatalyst increases, as seen in the swine manure study below.

By giving crops greater access to plant-available forms of phosphorus and other important nutrients found in manures, EXTRACT PBA can help growers improve their nutrient use efficiency and help crops better reach their yield potential. EXTRACT PBA can also help protect against nutrient loss to the environment by promoting greater nutrient uptake by the crop. This flexible tool can be broadcast with manures or used as a manure pit treatment prior to pumping. In strips where manure has already been applied, it can be sprayed with pre-emergent or burndown chemistries.

Learn more about using EXTRACT PBA with manures or litters by viewing a featured study.

How Do Microbes Influence Nitrogen Use Efficiency?

January 6, 2020 — Posted By Agricen

green corn Many growers apply the “4R” framework for nutrient management—using the right fertilizer source, at the right rate, at the right time and in the right place—to more closely match crop nutrient needs to fertilization practices while supporting sustainable agriculture goals.

Guided by this framework, growers have been able to improve their fertilizer use efficiency and reduce nutrient loss to the environment. However, despite best practices, an estimated 40% to 50% of applied nitrogen is either immobilized by soil microorganisms or lost from the soil through denitrification or leaching, rendering it unavailable to the crop. Although some soil microorganisms contribute to nitrogen loss or immobilization in the soil, others can have a positive influence on nitrogen use efficiency by enhancing the availability or stability of nitrogen in the soil or by enhancing root growth and physiological functions.

How Microbes Affect Nitrogen Use Efficiency

Bacteria and other microorganisms—through their metabolic processes—exude or secrete a wide range of biochemical compounds (called primary and secondary metabolites) into the soil. These biochemicals are not simply the waste or byproducts of metabolic functions. They are the tools through which microorganisms communicate and function in the soil. Some of the ways they can influence nitrogen use efficiency are by:

Complexing nitrogen into organic forms. Biochemical compounds exuded by bacteria and other microorganisms can influence nitrogen transformations. They can also promote the combination of nitrogen into more complex organic compounds, such as amino sugars, amino acids, and proteins, which can induce a metabolic response in other microorganisms and plants.

Keeping nitrogen in plant-available forms. Biochemical compounds in the soil can help keep or convert nitrogen into a plant-available form. One of the well-understood mechanisms of conversion is mineralization, which is the conversion of organic nitrogen to plant-available ammonium. Although not all of the exact mechanisms of conversion or transformation through which this occurs have been uncovered, it is thought that the biochemicals in the soil might also influence the conversion of nitrate back into an ammonium form, or even the transformation of ammonia back into ammonium or amino compounds.

Enhancing root growth and root physiological functions. Roots can respond to signals from biochemical compounds in many ways, including by increasing growth and branching, increasing the uptake of nutrients such as nitrogen, or limiting the uptake of compounds such as salt ions. Roots can also respond to biochemical signaling in the soil biochemistry by making changes to their own exudates. This can have an effect on rhizosphere bacterial functions that, in turn, may help make nutrients more available to the plant.

Helping Growers Improve Nitrogen Use Efficiency

To gain greater nitrogen use efficiency, growers who are already using the 4R framework and similar practices can utilize additional tools and technologies to aid with soil health, plant health and nutrient efficiency. Available technologies not only include enhanced efficiency fertilizers, nitrogen stabilizers and nitrogen inhibitors, but also biochemical tools like fertilizer biocatalysts, which make use of biochemical mechanisms to directly stimulate bacterial, nutrient and plant functioning.

The fertilizer biocatalyst ACCOMPLISH MAX can effectively convert applied nitrogen into plant-available forms to increase nutrient availability and facilitate nitrogen uptake by the plant, as seen in this pivotal study with the original ACCOMPLISH formulation. Similarly, EXTRACT PBA is a biocatalyst that can be used to release nutrients that are tied up in the soil, hasten residue breakdown and facilitate the cycling of nutrients—including nitrogen—back into the soil. By helping to ensure that more of the nitrogen a grower applies gets into the crop, these biochemical technologies can increase nitrogen use efficiency.

Learn more about the influence of soil biochemistry on plant health and nutrition by downloading the 'Understanding Soil Microbiology and Biochemistry' booklet.

EXTRACT PBA Helps Overcome Phosphorus Deficiency in Fallow Soil

October 10, 2019 — Posted By Agricen

extract fallow Wet conditions in the spring can create major planting challenges for growers. Flooding and excess moisture in the fields can lead to millions of acres being left unplanted. Unfortunately, this can create favorable conditions for fallow syndrome, a phosphorus deficiency in the soil that can negatively impact next season’s crop.

Growers with fields left fallow can consider making a fall or spring application of EXTRACT PBA to overcome the potential impact of fallow syndrome. EXTRACT helps growers maximize yields by releasing bound nutrients in the soil, making them available to the next crop.

What causes fallow syndrome?

When the soil is left fallow (uncultivated) for an extended period of time, changes in soil biology occur. In particular, a decrease in the population of specific beneficial fungi, called “vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizae” or VAM, is observed. These mycorrhizal fungi help the roots of plants such as corn take up phosphorus and zinc, but they require actively growing roots to survive. The decline of these fungi in unplanted acres causes fallow syndrome, which primarily impacts grass crops like corn and small grains.

In addition to nutrient deficiencies, fallow conditions also impact soil quality due to reduced organic matter content (e.g., carbon and nitrogen) in the absence of crop residue. As a result, soil microbial functions within the soil are adversely affected, leading to reduced denitrification and soil respiration rates.

Corn is the crop that will be the most impacted. Affected corn plants will exhibit symptoms of phosphorus and zinc deficiency, including stunting, purple leaves, and uneven growth.

How can EXTRACT PBA help?

Growers can turn to EXTRACT to overcome phosphorus deficiency in fallow fields and help prevent fallow syndrome. A soil-applied biocatalyst, EXTRACT is designed to improve soil health and effectively increase the release of nutrients from the soil. In fallow soil conditions, EXTRACT can assist by maximizing the availability of bound phosphorus for easier plant uptake.

In a recent study (Fig. 1) conducted in fallow soils in Minnesota, soil treated with EXTRACT showed a >38% increase in plant-available phosphorus compared to untreated soil. Similar increases in potassium, zinc and several micronutrients were also observed in the study.

Figure 1. Percentage increase in fallow soil nutrient content after treatment with EXTRACT PBA. Both P1 and P2 increased with treatment.

Nutrient release with EXTRACT has also been shown to help increase the yields of corn and other crops, as seen in a meta-analysis that includes 86 trial observations across corn, soybeans and wheat (Fig. 2).

Figure 2. The average yield increase with a fall or spring application of EXTRACT PBA was 6.56 bu/acre across 86 trials in corn, soybeans and wheat.

Learn more about EXTRACT PBA by downloading the EXTRACT Product Booklet.

Starter Program with Accomplish LM Key Part of Farmer's Success

September 30, 2019 — Posted By Agricen

kolb farm minnesota Fifth-generation farmer, Dave Kolb, of Kolb Farms near Paynesville, Minnesota, is one of 11 children who grew up working on a dairy farm with his siblings and parents. The Kolbs have been in this area since their ancestors arrived to homestead in 1861.

Today, Dave farms and dairies with three of his brothers and his mother. They employ a corn, oat, alfalfa and wheat rotation to produce forage and grain for the 500 cows that they milk. They also raise their own replacement heifers. It is a very busy operation, but Dave and his family members have seen their hard work pay off, including as entrants in the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) Corn Yield Contest.

In the 2018 contest, the Kolb Farms plot yielded 259.8895 bu/a, placing third in the Minnesota irrigated division (and just missing first place in the state by 3.73 bushels).

dave kolb minnesota NCGA winner

Gabe Kjellsen of Loveland Products (right) presenting an achievement award to Kolb Farms'
Dave Kolb (left) for his success in the NCGA corn yield contest using Accomplish LM technology.

What is Dave doing to achieve his high yields? He has a very detailed fertility program that includes soil and tissue testing followed by foliar sprays to alleviate macro- and micronutrient deficiencies. He also relies on a sound starter fertilizer program that includes 6-24-6 amended with Accomplish LM, a fertilizer biocatalyst, to increase plant rooting and nutrient availability.

In Dave’s own words, “With declining commodity prices, I had to cut some things out of my starter program. But the one input I will not cut is Accomplish LM.”

car kolb farm

In 1995, Dave was injured in a car accident that paralyzed him from the waist down, but he hasn't let that slow him down or take him away from the farm. Dave does all the planting, spraying, and crop planning at the farm, and he drives a semi truck. It's another example of the hard work and drive that are helping Kolb Farms successfully meet the challenges of running a busy cropland and dairy operation.

Learn more about the Accomplish LM technology in Dave's starter program by downloading the Accomplish LM product booklet.

Biocatalyst Technologies Are Helping to Transform Grower Productivity

September 26, 2019 — Posted By Agricen

NCGA 2018 accomplish technologies In 2018, no fewer than five national winners and seven state winners of the NCGA's National Corn Yield Contest used Agricen's biocatalyst technology on their winning acres. We are fortunate to be represented in the best practices of many leading growers, and humbled by the opportunity to help transform grower productivity.

Before the start of this year's harvest, we had the opportunity to meet up with some of the 2018 NCGA winners to celebrate their success last season. Here are some of the folks we are honored to say have used Accomplish LM, Titan XC or Extract PBA as part of their winning strategy.

2018 National Winners

Don Stall, 1st place, Irrigated Corn Category (477.69 bu/a). Don Stall started farming at age 14, when he began cultivating 31 acres for a school project. Following graduation, he served for six years in the Marines, then operated a beef and cash crop operation. Don eventually moved to an all cash crop operation, and he currently farms 2,800 acres of corn, soybeans, and wheat in Charlotte, Michigan. In his "spare time," he serves his local community, both as the Township Supervisor (as he has done for the past 24 years!) and on the board of his county's fire department.
Don has been entering the NCGA Corn Yield Contest since 2003, when he noticed that he was already achieving yields comparable to the growers who were winning the contest. He has been the Michigan high yield champion for nine years in a row. In both 2017 and 2018, Don won first place nationally in the irrigated corn category, and his winning yield of 477.69 bu/a in 2018 also placed him as the overall yield champion in the United States.

Don credits a systems approach to his success. "There is no one answer to achieving high yields. It is a system approach, and you must understand your soils better than anyone else."

Don also treats all of his dry fertilizer with Titan XC to help make the most of his applied nutrition, and he has also used other biocatalyst products in his program. As he says, "Biochemistry is intriguing and interesting. I believe these products are needed in today’s farming."
Kevin Kalb, 1st place, AA Non-Irrigated Corn (388.07 bu/a), Shawn Kalb, 1st place, AA No-Till/Strip-Till Non-Irrigated (343.0 bu/a) & Nikia Kalb, 3rd place, AA Non-Irrigated Corn (343.23 bu/a). The Kalbs and their four children (including third-place winner, Nikia) grow soybeans and corn in the small town of Dubois, Indiana. They also run a turkey operation, producing over 1.8 million tom turkeys in the last 12 years.
Kevin and Shawn have been entering the NCGA Corn Yield Contest since 2007, winning 12 national titles in the non-irrigated division. Both Kevin and Shawn have had back-to-back, first-place national wins in their respective categories over the past two years (2017 and 2018).

In 2018, Kevin achieved his personal best yield in the contest, achieving 388.07 bu/a in the AA Non-Irrigated Corn category.

The Kalb family can also be seen on the farm reality television show, Corn Warriors.
Tommy & Valerie Cartrite, 3rd place, Irrigated Corn (350.63 bu/a). Hailing from Sunray, Texas, Tommy and Valerie also won first place in their state competition.

2018 State Winners

Stuart Askew, 1st place, A No-Till/Strip-Till Non-Irrigated, North Carolina (274.58 bu/a)
Connor & Kelly Garrett, 1st place, No-Till / Strip-Till Irrigated, Iowa (326.05 bu/a)
Tommy & Valerie Cartrite, 1st place, Irrigated, Texas (350.63 bu/a)
David Hults, 2nd place, No-Till/Strip-Till Irrigated, Idaho (299.27 bu/a)
Leslie Lindner, 2nd place, AA Non-Irrigated, Missouri (299.99 bu/a)
Chris Lindner, 3rd place, AA Non-Irrigated, Missouri (294.35 bu/a)
David Kolb, 3rd place, Irrigated, Minnesota (259.89 bu/a)

It's starting to matter not just what producers grow, but also how they grow it. Biocatalyst technologies play a role by making fertilizer applications more efficient and more cost effective, while also helping growers achieve their best yields.

As this season's harvest comes in, we wish the best of luck to all of the growers who are competing in the 2019 corn yield contest.

(UPDATE: Learn about some of the 2019 corn yield contest winners who used biocatalyst technology.)

Learn more about biocatalyst technologies by downloading the Biocatalyst Technology FAQ.

Obtaining the Highest ROI on Fall Fertilizer Applications

September 4, 2019 — Posted By Agricen

titan-fall-fertilizer When it comes to fall dry fertilizer applications, poor soil conditions and bad weather can significantly decrease fertilizer efficiency. Treating dry fertilizer with Titan XC before it goes out in the field can help growers address these challenges and get the highest return on their fertilizer investment.

How Titan XC Helps Maximize Grower ROI

The concentrated biochemistry in Titan XC makes nutrients in treated phosphorus and potassium-based fertilizers available to the crop more quickly. This creates greater fertilizer efficiency in the first season after application and ensures that the crop has the necessary nutrition when it needs it most.

Titan XC also helps hold the applied nutrients in a plant-available form, protecting them from tie-up in adverse soil conditions, such as high pH or poor soil composition. As an additional benefit, Titan XC has been shown to promote greater root system development, which gives the crop better access water and nutrients. This can lead to increased nutrient uptake and better yield performance.

Recent Trials Demonstrate Increased Fertilizer Efficiency

In five recent Midwest corn trials evaluating Titan XC with a fall or spring fertilizer application, treating dry fertilizer with Titan XC led to an average yield increase of 6.8 bu/a compared to untreated fertilizer. This yield increase was achieved despite reducing the treated fertilizer rate by 10% compared to untreated fertilizer.

Getting the Most Out of a Crucial Investment

Adding the Titan XC biocatalyst to dry fertilizer is a great way to get the most out of a crucial investment this fall. With Titan XC, growers can expect to get more efficiency out of their fall-applied phosphorus and potassium fertilizer through increased nutrient availability and enhanced root development, setting the crop up for improved performance in the coming season.

Download the Titan XC corn bulletin to learn more about how Titan XC performs in fall and spring fertilizer programs.

A Closer Look at Biostimulants for Agriculture and Horticulture

August 18, 2019 — Posted By Agricen

By Brian Cornelious, PhD, Director of Applied Sciences

botanical-biologicals-biostimulants The plant biostimulant industry today is improving agricultural sustainability and soil health while generating significant new economic growth. This global growth is being driven by the need to produce more food for a growing world population, and to do so more sustainably in response to demands from consumers, advocacy groups, and regulators.

Plant biostimulants can include products such as bacterial or microbial inoculants, biochemical materials, amino acids, humic acid, fulvic acid, and seaweed extracts.

As part of the Biostimulants Council, Agricen and other council members are working to advance policy and regulatory frameworks that increase biostimulant market access and encourage research and innovation in the United States. A key part of this work is to develop an industry definition of biostimulants in the U.S., similar to work done in Europe that led to the recent inclusion of plant biostimulants in the EU Fertilizing Products Regulation (FPR) that took effect in July 2019.

Within the FPR, plant biostimulants are defined as:

"A product stimulating plant nutrition processes independently of the product’s nutrient content with the sole aim of improving one or more of the following characteristics of the plant or the plant rhizosphere:

Nutrient use efficiency
Tolerance to abiotic stress
Quality traits
Availability of confined nutrients in soil or rhizosphere."

Agricen's products, which are based on nature and built on science, are designed to give growers the tools they need to increase plant productivity, quality and sustainability by addressing these points.

As groups across the spectrum work diligently to address the urgent issues confronting agriculture around the globe, we at Agricen are looking forward to continuing to participate in and meaningfully contribute to the search for new innovations and solutions.

You can learn more about biostimulants for agriculture by downloading our "Growing for the Future" white paper.

Accomplish LM Is a Great Fit for Potato Growers

August 14, 2019 — Posted By Agricen

We often focus on Accomplish LM in corn, soybean or wheat crops, but the benefits of Accomplish LM technology also extend to specialty crops like potatoes. A recent side by side comparison from a 2019 potato trial in Grafton, North Dakota shows earlier potato emergence and more robust plants when Accomplish LM has been added to the grower's standard potato fertilizer program. In this trial, Accomplish LM was applied at planting with 10-34-0, placed below the seed in a band.

This translates into yield benefits as well. In this 2018 potato trial from Bear Lake, Michigan, adding Accomplish LM to the grower's standard practice increased potato yield by 44.6 cwt per acre, with a return on investment of over $400 per acre to the grower.

Other trials similarly show that Accomplish LM is a great fit for growers who want to improve their potato yields. At nine sites that trialed Accomplish LM in potato planter bands from 2008-2012, adding Accomplish LM technology to the grower's standard fertilizer program led to an average potato yield increase of 25 cwt/acre compared to the grower's standard program alone.

We've also seen excellent results on seed potatoes and processing potatoes in Australia, showing the flexibility of this nutrient availability technology in different geographies.

For more information on Accomplish LM, contact your local Nutrien Ag Solutions location or download the Accomplish LM booklet.

Releasing Nutrients from Cover Crop Skeletons with EXTRACT PBA

August 8, 2019 — Posted By Agricen

Soybean with cover crop Cover crops provide many benefits that can improve the health of soil, water, and the following crop. However, they can also pose some drawbacks. In the spring at planting, cover crop skeletons can interfere with seed to soil contact. They can also stress the seedling by interfering with access to sunlight, requiring the planted crop to stretch so that it can reach above the cover crop canopy.

EXTRACT PBA provides an efficient way to manage cover crop skeletons so that growers can avoid these issues and give the coming crop a nutritional boost. These Nutrien Ag Solutions trials conducted in Ohio show how an application of EXTRACT can break down cover crop skeletons to release nutrients for the following crop.

In the picture above, EXTRACT was applied in the fall at 1 gallon/acre. In the spring prior to emergence, the treated part of the field had better planting conditions with more available nutrients compared to the untreated part of the field. This translated into healthier soybean plants during the growing season.

In the picture below, EXTRACT was applied in the summer at 2 gallons/acre. Once again, this side by side trial shows healthier, more robust soybean plants in the EXTRACT-treated part of the field compared to no treatment.

You can learn more about EXTRACT PBA by downloading the EXTRACT PBA booklet.

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