By Jeremiah Butler

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!

by Steve Sexton, Agricen

Growers today are confronted with a large number of fertilizer additive options, including agricultural biostimulants. Too often, some of these products are lumped into the same category, despite different modes of action and varying impacts on crop yields and return on investment (ROI).

Humic Acid Products

Humic acid products are biostimulant products derived from leonardite (low grade coal) that is reacted with potassium hydroxide (KOH) to create a black liquid containing organic acids—primarily fulvic and humic. These organic acids are either long- chained molecules (humic acid) or short-chained molecules (fulvic acid) that contain sites carrying a negative charge. When a grower adds humic acid to a production program, it acts like a bucket—it will hold positively charged nutrients by attracting them to the negatively charged sites on its molecules. However, humic acid cannot fill the bucket with the nutrients the plant needs. This is where biochemical products, which are also biostimulants, play a critical role.

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.

By Steve Sexton & Brian Cornelious, PhD, Agricen

Growers use starter fertilizers to try to get plant nutrients in the right place at the right time for early plant growth. By applying small quantities of nutrients close to the seed in starter programs, growers can usually get their crops off to a good start—an advantage they can often maintain during the growing season. However, as with any fertilizer program, making sure that applied nutrients in a starter program are in a plant-available form right when the crop needs them most can be a challenge. How can growers improve the efficiency of their starter programs and realize the payoff of higher yields in the process?

We’re proud to announce that Accomplish LM has been recognized by Farm Industry News as a FinOvation 2016 honoree, joining 21 other ag technologies that have also been recognized for their innovation.

We are now in the running for a further honor, the FinOvation 2016 Product of the Year Award. 

Please take a moment to vote for Accomplish LM as the FinOvation 2016 Product of the Year, and help us gain even more recognition for the unique benefits of this innovative fertilizer biocatalyst. Voting ends at noon on January 25.

Growers know that uniform corn emergence is a must for achieving great yields. Recent research shows that a delay in emergence of just 12 to 14 hours can affect yield potential.

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 fantastic tool for soybean growers who want to boost plant performance. 

Recent harvest data from Nebraska show impressive results when Accomplish LM is used on soybeans in-furrow as a starter, with a 13.8 bu/acre soybean yield increase compared to untreated acres.

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.”

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.

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.