As we enter planting time and growers make final decisions for the coming crop year, many growers will consider using in-furrow products. There are several reasons why they should research and consider in-furrow applications.
Many of you have heard Dr. Fred Below of the University of Illinois talk about his “Seven Wonders of the Corn Yield World.” As we look at the factors below, we can see that there is no silver bullet. Attaining a high yield truly takes a systems approach!
Seven Wonders of the Corn Yield World and Their Potential Impact on Yield
The value of each factor is presented in bushels/acre as well as a percentage of the total (260 bushels/acre). Source: U Illinois Crop Physiology Lab
Although in-furrow products are not included on his list of major factors that impact corn yield, Dr. Below was recently asked whether in-furrow products are important in an interview with Farm Industry News. Here is his answer:
"We are starting to see synergistic advantages of in-furrow technologies, where a fungicide is applied with an insecticide along with a starter fertilizer. These products enhance and protect the plant or seedling, and by having the nutrients alongside them, can start the plant off to a faster growth trajectory. Ultimately, I think we will have other growth-enhancing technologies that can go in-furrow. I think it is one of the next new things in agriculture."
So, when should growers consider a starter fertilizer? There are several scenarios in which an in-furrow product can make a lot of sense:
When cultural practices such as no-till or minimum tillage are utilized
On coarse textured or low organic matter soils
On poorly drained or cold soils
On low testing P and K soils
When nodal root systems are severally impeded by challenging growing conditions
When soil pH is unusually high or low
When substantial drought stress is likely
Loveland Products has a variety of in-furrow technologies that can be used as part of a systems approach to obtaining a healthy, high yielding crop. In addition to the starter fertilizers Levitate and Riser, these include:
Accomplish LM, a biochemical technology that improves nutrient availability and uptake for better plant performance
Radiate, a growth regulator that can be used to promote a larger root mass for more water and nutrient interception
We are very excited to introduce “Prove It to Me,” a new film that follows five farmers through the 2015 growing season—from planning and planting to growth and harvest.
Each of the farmers featured in the film used Accomplish, Titan or both technologies as part of their program, and all speak about the results they achieved with our biocatalyst technology (Hint: It’s pretty darn good news!). We invite you to watch a “Prove It to Me” online today.
None of the farmer testimonials were scripted or coached. Their thoughts on the products and practices are simply in their own words and, as you’ll see, a great testimony to using Accomplish and Titan as part of any growing program.
We hope you enjoy the film, and we would be happy to hear any feedback you might have.
In side by side field trials at three different locations led by North Carolina State University cropping systems specialist Dr. Ron Heiniger, an in-furrow application of Accomplish LM promoted uniform corn emergence, increased row and kernel number, and increased ear weight by 1/8 lb compared to check (10-27-0 applied in a 2x2 band). Uniform emergence was associated with higher yields: Accomplish LM increased the average yield by +11.5 bushels per acre.
Accomplish LM is a nutrient use efficiency product that offers concentrated biochemistry tin an easy-to-handle liquid form. Formulated for broadcast and starter fertilizer applications, it helps growers get the most out of their crop fertility programs by increasing nutrient availability and uptake and by promoting root growth and development.
Use Accomplish LM this spring for more uniform crop emergence and the potential for higher yields at harvest.
Interested in more information on Accomplish LM in corn starter programs? Read our starter booklet.
Brandon Burkhart is a fourth-generation farmer from Oto, Iowa. Varying soils on his family's 2500-acre corn and soybean operation used to mean it was difficult to get a good, efficient use out of their applied nutrients. Today, Brandon and his family use Accomplish LM and Titan PBA to maximize their fertilizer efficiency, with excellent returns from the accompanying gains in yield.
“When using our Accomplish LM and Titan PBA combination on corn, it’s been [a yield increase] upwards of 10 bushels or more,” says Brandon. “On our bean operations with just Titan PBA, we’ve seen jumps of 10 bushels per acre.”
“It’s been a great investment for us. It’s been a great return on investment also.”
See how Accomplish LM and Titan PBA are paying off for Brandon and his family.
Farming corn and soybeans in Breda, Iowa, Cory Uhlenkamp and his family use Accomplish LM on every acre to help with soil health and crop productivity.
“Yield-wise I’d say we’re getting at least 10 bushels [increase per acre] or better,” says Cory.
“We only use products that we truly do believe work. Accomplish LM is one of those products that we’ve added to our normal lineup,” he adds. “It’s a product that every year, year in and year out, you can always count on.”
Hear more of what Cory has to say about Accomplish LM.
This year, many parts of the country dealt with above-average to excessive spring rains. Wet conditions set the stage for denitrification (converting nitrogen in the soil system into N2 gas) and nitrate leaching, which may explain some of the yellowing growers have observed in fields where there has been a lot of moisture.
Starter fertilizer use can help to overcome some of this nitrogen loss by adding nitrogen back into the system. Other crop inputs can also pay off. Accomplish LM can be used in a starter blend to ensure that more of the applied nitrogen or nitrogen in the soil system is in a form that is readily available for plant uptake.
In the field trials we’ve seen this season, the difference between starter and no starter was very obvious. Starter applications that included Accomplish LM have been giving a very strong performance, as seen in these corn trials from Wheatland, Indiana.
Corn - Wheatland, Indiana (2015)
Starter vs. no starter fertilizer; Photo taken May 27, 2015
Corn - Wheatland, IN (2015)
Accomplish LM applied at 1 qt/acre; RiseR FA applied at 2.5 gals/acre; Sniper LFR applied at 3.2 oz/acre
Corn - Wheatland, IN (2015)
Accomplish LM applied at 1 qt/acre; Black Label Zn applied at 3 gals/acre; Sniper LFR applied at 3.2 oz/acre
Norman McPherson and M.H. Bitely are growers in Grady, Arkansas, who incorporated both Accomplish LM and Titan PBA into their fertility program for this year’s corn. Both growers applied Titan PBA on their dry fertilizer in the fall, and included Accomplish LM with their standard liquid starter fertilizers at planting.
The results so far are impressive.
Growers Norman McPhersonand M.H. Bitely in Grady, Arkansas.
In fields where Accomplish LM and Titan PBA were added to the standard fertility program, corn had much smaller dents compared to corn from a nearby field they farm where Accomplish LM and Titan PBA weren’t used.
Smaller dents will add up to a lot more yield, says Norman.
With Accomplish LM and Titan PBA, corn ears show less denting.
Root digs reveal that the addition of Accomplish LM and Titan PBA also leads to significant improvements in root mass.
Significant gains in root mass with Accomplish LM and Titan PBA.
From these mid-season results, we expect to continue to see great things, as we have seen in other trials incorporating both Accomplish LM and Titan PBA into fertility programs on corn, soybeans, rice, and wheat.
We’ll follow up again with Norman and M.H. later in the season to share more details about their crops’ performance.
In a previous post, we got to know Jim and Janet Orr, fourth generation farmers from Iowa. In this blog post, we meet their sons, Jamie and Jason, who continue the family tradition in farming and agriculture.
Jamie and Jason Orr grew up on their parents’ Century Farm near Rowley, Iowa. Growing up in a farming family instilled a strong work ethic and respect for the land.
“I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t outside helping my folks,” says Jamie. “There were chores before and after school. I fed the hogs, helped pick rocks out of fields, and ran equipment pretty early on.”
“We were always working,” Jason adds. “I even slept on the floor of my dad’s combine when he drove it. Farming is in our blood.”
Farming Inspires Ag Careers
Although both men grew up helping their parents on the farm, they would end up working in different sectors of agriculture.
Jamie first worked at AgVantage FS, an agriculture and energy supplier. He then joined Crop Production Services (CPS) in 2005, where he is currently the General Manager of the Western Illinois Division.
“I enjoy talking to growers, finding out what makes them successful and bring them new ideas to make them even more profitable” says Jamie.
Jason, meanwhile, completed a college program in agriculture, then began farming land located two miles from his parents’ farm. He now grows continuous corn on 375 acres and manages three hog buildings, each with 2400 hogs.
Science and Technology Drive Farming
“These days, you can’t grow without science and technology,” says Jason. “I plant disease-resistant seeds and use GPS mapping and a yield monitor to observe field conditions. I also use the Internet to stay up to date on the latest technologies, trends and opportunities. These are the tools that help me make better decisions and be a better grower.”
Jason was introduced to the biochemical technology in Accomplish LM by Jamie, who saw the first-hand benefits in CPS trials throughout Illinois and Wisconsin.
“I first tried Accomplish LM in 2013, applying it on 182 acres of corn. I left 30 acres untreated,” says Jason. “We harvested five bushels more per acre on the treated acres. Based on those results, I’ve continued to use it.”
“All farmers value quality products and healthy crops, and they’re looking for ways to be as efficient and profitable as possible,” says Jamie. “It’s not just for the money, although we all know that’s important. It’s also to feed the hungry world.”
Learn more about Accomplish LM and how it benefits farming operations by downloading the Accomplish LM booklet.
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.
The soil is a living environment, full of microorganisms that create biochemical compounds that influence plant growth. At Agricen, we take this biochemistry and make it work even better for the grower, with benefits that include improved plant performance and increased nutrient availability.
In this short video, Agricen’s Director of Applied Sciences, Dr. Brian Cornelious, explains how the biochemistry in Accomplish LM and Titan PBA works to make the difference between having a good growing season and having a great growing season.
Dr. Brian Cornelious: Everybody knows where our food comes from. It’s right here on the farm. But do we really understand what it takes for a grower to get the most out of every acre he plants? In the next couple of minutes, I’m going to show you how a grower can use the biochemistry in Accomplish LM and Titan PBA to feed our growing population.
[Onscreen: “Agricen. Based on Nature Built on Science.” Then: “The Science Behind It All”]
Brian: The soil is a living environment, full of organisms producing biochemical compounds that influence plant growth. I’m holding just a couple grams of soil. Each gram of soil contains as many as 1 billion bacteria. At Agricen, we have a team of scientists working to make this biochemistry work even better for the grower.
[Onscreen: “The Lab: Where It All Starts”]
Brian: We’re here in the lab, and this is where we really get to understand how the biochemistry in Accomplish LM and Titan PBA actually help to improve our plant performance and increase our nutrient availability.
So, there are key nutrients we’re going to talk about today: nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium.
For nitrogen – the most abundant gas in the atmosphere – we have to have nitrogen to breathe; plants have to have nitrogen to grow. If you want that dark green color, add more nitrogen to the plant. Nitrogen, for the most part in the soil profile, is organic. We have to convert organic nitrogen—which is crop residues, manures, litters, composts, any of those organic sources—into ammonium or nitrate or inorganic forms the plant can use. It’s called the mineralization process. Biochemistry is the only thing in the soil profile that actually helps to mineralize organic nitrogen into an inorganic form that the plants can use.
What about phosphorous? If you really want to get that plant going, it’s just like lighting a match. We have to have red phosphate on that match to get that thing going. The phosphorous in the plant really helps with the establishment and getting that plant going and off to a good start. Again, we’re dealing with mineralization. Lots of phosphorous in the soil profile is inorganic. We have to get it into H2PO4 or HPO4, plant available forms of phosphorous.
What about potassium? Now, you’re probably familiar with this. If you eat bananas, you’re consuming potassium. Potassium helps the plant with regulation of water through the plant. You have to have potassium. It’s a little bit different from nitrogen and phosphorous. We’re not talking about mineralization of organic nutrients. We’re talking about release of nutrients that are in the profile. It gets locked in between the soil layers and it’s not available to the plant. The biochemistry in Accomplish LM can actually help improve that soil structure that helps improve that plant’s ability to take up that potassium.
There’s one more way that Accomplish LM and Titan PBA work to improve crop growth. Titan and Accomplish make the underground transportation system of nutrients much more efficient. It’s the difference between this [Points to slow traffic] and this [Traffic speeds up].
[Onscreen: “Dr. Pepper Ballpark: Home of the Frisco Rough Riders”]
Brian: To further explain the benefits of adding the biochemistry in Accomplish LM and Titan PBA to a grower’s fertility program, we’re here at the ballpark. So, let’s play ball.
The initial fertilizer application – that puts us at home plate. There’s several things that have to happen in order for us to score that run. First, the soil temperatures have to increase. That gets us to first base.
After those temperatures increase, microbes start to function. They’re producing biochemistry now. That gets us to second base. There’s something important about second base in a game of baseball. That’s having a runner in scoring position. With the biochemistry in Accomplish LM and Titan PBA, we start at second base.
Brian: Once the biochemistry helps to mineralize the nutrients, that gets us to third base. The plants are actually taking those nutrients up. Now the plants can actually utilize those nutrients for functioning and yield. And that scores that run. But, with the biochemistry in Accomplish LM and Titan, we’ve got that advantage. We’re scoring two runs with the same process.
As growers know, things are tight. Adding the biochemistry in Accomplish LM and Titan PBA can be the difference in just having a good season, and having a great season.
Brian: At Agricen, it’s important for us to deliver new technology options to allow the grower to get the most out of every acre he plants. The biochemistry in Accomplish LM and Titan PBA improve access of nutrients to the plant, more flow of nutrients in the plant, and also increases the efficiency of utilization of nutrients by the plant.
At Agricen, our technology truly is based on nature and built on science. I’m Brian Cornelious. Thank you for watching.
![Prove It to Me [Film]: Follow 5 Farmers Through the Growing Season](http://www.agricen.com/hubfs/ProveItSmall.png)
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![[Video] Understanding the Science Behind Ag Biochemicals](http://cdn2.hubspot.net/hub/269648/file-675980597-jpg/blog-files/field.jpg)
