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See the latest news, innovation updates, trial results, grower stories and more from Agricen. 
Making Better Use of Dry Fertilizer Nutrients
September 27, 2021 — Posted By Agricen
Wade Hoffman Titan XC Dassel MN

Grower Wade Hoffman of Dassel, Minnesota has used TITAN XC on his dry fertilizer for the last eight years. One of the reasons he keeps coming back to Titan XC is because it helps him make better use of the nutrients in his dry fertilizer, which he typically applies in the fall.

"It gives me more use of the fertilizer and a little more even emergence," says Wade. "It seems like the crops really take the fertilizer up better. We've used it for over eight years now, and it's just real consistent."

Mike Amundson of Nutrien Ag Solutions explains that applying TITAN XC to dry fertilizer helps to better break down the dry fertilizer prills for Wade's corn plants. This provides a big advantage for Wade and other growers who use TITAN XC on their dry fertilizer by giving them greater utilization of their applied nutrients.

Wade has seen other benefits, too. When asked if he has observed any soil health advantages, he says that he thinks his soil tilth is better since using TITAN XC. He also has noticed overall good plant performance, even when conditions have been dry in his area.

"It's been really dry up here, and I think the TITAN has worked well in these conditions," says Wade. "I can see the benefits of it. Year after year, it really feels like I'm getting a lot of fertilizer out of it. For the dollars I spend, the plants are getting a lot of use out of the dry fertilizer."

Wade is planning on using TITAN XC on his dry fertilizer again this fall. You can hear more about his experience in this short clip.

Learn more about TITAN XC by downloading the TITAN XC fall fertilizer booklet.

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Corn and Soybean Growers See Synergy Between TITAN XC and EXTRACT PBA
June 7, 2021 — Posted By Agricen

TITAN XC and EXTRACT PBA both help growers get more out of their fertilizer investments. But is there any benefit when they are applied in the same growing season? These trials show how TITAN XC on fall dry fertilizer followed by EXTRACT broadcast in the spring with pre-emerge herbicide can lead to improved yields and return on investment for the grower.

All three on-farm trials—two corn, one soybean—were conducted in South Sioux City, Nebraska, to look at the addition of TITAN XC and EXTRACT to the grower's standard practice (GSP). TITAN XC was applied at 1 pint per ton to dry fertilizer that was spread in the fall of 2019. This was followed in the spring of 2020 by EXTRACT applied at 1 gallon per acre with pre-emerge herbicide. 

In both corn trials, fall-applied TITAN XC followed by spring-applied EXTRACT led to a yield increase of over +12 bushels per acre, which was accompanied by a positive ROI.

Titan-Extract-corn-1-1

Titan-Extract-corn-2-1

Similarly, the soybean trial also showed a yield increase (+4.98 bushels/acre) and positive net ROI with TITAN XC and EXTRACT in the grower's program.

Titan-Extract-soybeans

Treating dry fertilizer with TITAN XC, a proven technology for enhancing dry fertilizer efficiency, expedites nutrient availability and uptake from the treated ton, while EXTRACT, whether applied alone or with pre-emerge herbicides, helps to release tied up nutrients in the soil. 

Whether a grower wants to find ways to be more efficient with their crop nutrition, improve sustainability, or stretch each dollar further, TITAN XC and EXTRACT can help, and can even be used together for greater benefits. 

Learn more about TITAN XC and EXTRACT PBA by downloading the Frequently Asked Questions booklet.

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Illinois Farm Family Benefits from Earlier Planting with EXTRACT PBA
April 19, 2021 — Posted By Agricen

Along with raising cattle, the DeBaillie family has been growing corn and soybeans in northwestern Illinois for over 65 years. Today, Randy, Rob and Russell DeBaillie, who are the third-generation of farmers in their family, farm around 6,000 acres of land in a longstanding no-till farming practice. EXTRACT PBA is one of the products they rely on to help them run a successful operation.

Like other growers, the DeBaillies like to get their crops in as early as possible, usually in the last week in April. They typically plant corn at 36,000 seeds per acre in their highly productive rolling clay hills. Given their northern location in Orion, Illinois, harvest ordinarily ends around Thanksgiving.

DeBaillie FarmRob, Russell and Randy DeBaillie of Orion, Illinois - on the farm and ready to plant in an Extract-treated field.

Mike Roegiers, a crop consultant with Nutrien Ag Solutions who has been the DeBaillie family's advisor for over 25 years, says that with their high yields and today's genetics, the DeBaillies needed an effective way to manage their corn residue so that they could get in their fields earlier than in the past.

"We don't have enough heat in the fall and early spring to rely on the residue from the high-yielding, fuller season hybrids naturally breaking down in time for that early planting window," says Mike.

About six years ago, the DeBaillies started a trial with EXTRACT to try to address this challenge, and today they spray it on all of their corn stalks. Bean stubble gets a vertical tillage tool in the fall. They also use TITAN XC to treat their dry fertilizer on most acres. 

"With EXTRACT, the residue in between the corn stalk rows turns to dust now when the planter's residue managers hit them," say the DeBaillies. "We also get in the fields at least a week earlier than in the past." 

This, in turn, helps them achieve an earlier harvest date.

When they look at their neighbors' fields, the DeBaillies have said they can see a difference in the amount of crop residue compared to their own fields, with corn stalk rows from two years prior still visible in the neighbors' bean stubble. They've also seen a yield impact in their soybeans planted after corn. 

"Our soybean yields were rather flat before," they say. "Since we started using EXTRACT, we see our yield averages constantly on an upward trend."

They believe a lot of this success is from earlier planting in drier and warmer soil conditions due to using EXTRACT.

Mike adds that EXTRACT has also made a significant overall improvement in the DeBaillies' farming operation by allowing earlier application of herbicide in the spring. They are now looking into applying EXTRACT with fall herbicide for soybeans to make early spring more efficient. 

"In the old days, they may have had to let a field sit an extra couple days to dry," he remarks. "Now they have that little edge with EXTRACT to make the field work earlier and much profitably all year." 

Learn more about using EXTRACT PBA to help manage crop residue by downloading the crop residue booklet.

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Continuous Corn Growers See Yield Benefit with EXTRACT PBA
March 30, 2021 — Posted By Agricen

Crop residue left on the soil surface after harvest can present both challenges and opportunities going into the next planting season. Potential tie-up of important nutrients, delayed nutrient recycling, and difficulty getting pre- and post-applied weed control coverage are some challenges growers may face. However, if crop residues are properly managed, there are great opportunities for nutrient release, improvement in soil organic matter, and soil moisture preservation.

Harvest and tillage equipment that mechanically break down residue are useful management tools, but adding a biochemical tool in the form of EXTRACT PBA can also help growers manage and even benefit from surface crop residue, regardless of their tillage practices.

"Whether you want to release nutrients from the soil or break down your crop residue, EXTRACT does all the heavy lifting, delivering consistent ROI to the farmer," says Michael Bern, Nutrien Ag Solutions Location Manager in Galesberg, Illinois.

Applied in spring or fall, EXTRACT helps to speed nutrient recycling by accelerating the breakdown of organic matter on the soil surface using microbial-derived biochemistry, which allows growers to recapture more of their original fertilizer investment. By helping to decompose crop residue, EXTRACT can also facilitate more effective tillage and better seedbeds, with improved seed-to-soil contact at planting and better crop stands.

On-Farm Studies

In a trial near Edgar, Nebraska, EXTRACT was applied at 1 gal/acre in the spring with pre-emergent herbicide to assess its impact on dryland corn in a corn-on-corn rotation. Both the treated and the untreated parts of the field also had UAN 32 applied at 9 gal/acre. The photo below powerfully illustrates how this treatment can release nitrogen tied up in crop residue.

Extract Corn – Edgar NE

On the untreated side, not only is more residue present on the soil surface, but the lower leaves of the plant are also firing, a sign that the plant is nitrogen deficient. On the EXTRACT-treated side, there is less residue present on the soil and the lower leaves are still green and healthy. In this trial, the EXTRACT treatment led to a yield increase of +15 bu/acre compared to untreated.

In Essex, Iowa, the addition of EXTRACT (2 gal/acre rate) to the grower's standard program of UAN 32 (applied at 7 gal/acre) also had a big yield impact in continuous corn, with larger corn ears (seen below) and a yield increase of +22 bu/acre where EXTRACT had been used.

Extract Corn Ears Iowa

In another example, adding EXTRACT (1 gal/acre rate) to the grower's standard program led to corn yield increases of more than +8 bu/acre in the two fields shown below near Greensburg, Indiana. These fields had been continuous corn for roughly six years.

Extract Greensburg IN 1Extract Greensburg IN 2

Compatible with Both Spring and Fall Applications

For those considering a spring or fall application, EXTRACT can be tank mixed with herbicides, including glyphosate, and applied with burndown. It can also be broadcast with liquid fertilizers.

By using EXTRACT to increase nutrient release from crop residues and the soil, growers will be set up for greater success in the coming season.

Learn more about the benefits of using EXTRACT PBA in a corn program by downloading the Extract Makes Corn bulletin.

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Agricen's Product Technology Part of Top Corn Growers' Wins
February 3, 2021 — Posted By Agricen

Last season, Agricen's product technology helped some of the highest-yielding corn growers in America take home a winning title in the National Corn Growers Association's 2020 National Corn Yield Contest.

A total of 6 national and 20 state winners used at least one product containing Agricen's biocatalyst technology in 2020. Among them were Don Stall of Charlotte, Michigan, who was the top-yielding grower overall in the contest, Kevin, Shawn, Nikia and Rhylan Kalb of Dubois, Indiana, who took national wins across three categories, and Leonard Truszkowski of Stewartsville, New Jersey, who also placed nationally.

NCGA_social-01

The biocatalyst-based products represented in the top growers' programs were Accomplish LM, Titan XC, Extract PBA, Prologue, Levitate and NexBlu. All are exclusively available from Loveland Products though Nutrien Ag Solutions.

Grower Don Stall came in first place, nationally, in the Conventional Irrigated category with a yield of 476.9052 bu/acre, which was also the overall highest yield in the 2020 contest.

"Titan and Accomplish...turn nutrients into an available, soluble form so we can take them up," says Don. "It obviously works. You can see it, when you run the combine across the field and you weigh it. The results speak for themselves."

The Corn Belt's first place national winner in the Conventional Non-Irrigated Category was Kevin Kalb, with a yield of 385.4405 bu/acre.

"When I talk about raising, potentially, the biggest crop we have, I need to get as much phosphorus as I can into the plant. Titan makes that possible," Kevin says.

Kevin's wife, Shawn Kalb, also took home a first place national win in the No-Till Non-Irrigated category in the Corn Belt (329.0569 bu/acre), while Kevin and Shawn's children, Rhylan and Nikia, each placed second nationally in the Conventional Non-Irrigated (345.9045 bu/acre) and Strip, Min, Mulch, Ridge-Till Non-Irrigated (323.7572 bu/acre) categories in the Corn Belt states, respectively.

If you are interested in more details about these and other growers who have had winning corn yields in the NCGA contest, you can read about them in these posts:

Wishing everyone great success in the coming season!

You can learn more about the biocatalyst technology that is helping top corn growers achieve big yields by watching our film, Last Stand, or downloading our FAQ.

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Yield Success with EXTRACT PBA in Mississippi Corn Trial
October 29, 2020 — Posted By Agricen

Yield success for a grower near Macon, Mississippi started in the fall when he applied 1 gallon per acre of EXTRACT PBA (with 1 gallon/acre of UAN 32 +15 gallons/acre of water) on cotton residue from his harvested crop.

The grower planted corn the following spring. Where EXTRACT had been used, he realized a yield increase of +11.47 bushels per acre compared to the check, as well as a net ROI of over $30 per acre with his EXTRACT application.

10-20-Extract-corn-01

The NDVI shows the greater vegetation density and crop health where EXTRACT was applied on the cotton residue.

10-20-extract-cornExtract PBA was applied in early October 2019 with 15 gallons of water per acre.

EXTRACT is a mineralization technology that converts organic nutrients into plant-available, inorganic forms that the plant can take up and use for nutrition. For example, an application of EXTRACT can help convert organic nitrogen into plant-available ammonium (NH4+) and convert organic phosphorus into plant-available hydrogen phosphate (HPO42-). In addition, potassium and micronutrients are mineralized and released back into the soil solution when EXTRACT is applied.

EXTRACT combines the concentrated biochemistry of ACCOMPLISH nutrient release technology with ammonium thiosulfate (ATS) to help growers easily and effectively manage nutrients tied up in the soil, in crop residues and in animal manures and poultry litters. The biochemistry in EXTRACT increases nutrient release and accelerates residue and manure/litter decomposition for rapid nutrient recycling, while ATS promotes an optimal carbon to nitrogen ratio to enhance soil microbial activity, further expediting nutrient return to the soil profile.

For growers, increased mineralization with EXTRACT can equate to greater nutrient availability for the next crop and an increase in crop yield.

Learn more about the mineralization technology in EXTRACT by downloading the Frequently Asked Questions booklet.

Download the Booklet

 

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Yield Increase in Corn and Soybean with TITAN XC on Dry Fertilizer
October 27, 2020 — Posted By Agricen

Recent corn and soybean trials from the Bruce Research Farm at Hopkinsville, Kentucky highlight the opportunities for yield success with TITAN XC on dry fertilizer.

In corn, a replicated trial demonstrated a yield increase of +9.5 bushels per acre when dry fertilizer (300# 9-23-30) was treated with TITAN XC and compared to untreated dry fertilizer, with a calculated net return of $31.48 per acre. (The ROI calculation assumes corn at $4.05 per bushel.) 

10-20_Titan-corn-1

Even with a reduced rate of fertilizer (90% of the standard rate, or 270#), treating the fertilizer with TITAN XC produced a yield increase of +6.3 bushels per acre, for a net return of $24.93 per acre.

In soybeans, TITAN XC was applied to 200# of 9-23-30 fertilizer. Similar to the corn trials, it led to a yield increase of +9.5 bushels per acre compared to the untreated dry fertilizer, for a net return of $94.99 per acre (assuming soybeans at $10.50 per bushel). 

10-20_Titan-soybeans-1

Dry fertilizer is one of the largest investments made in a grower's production program each season, but it can also be highly inefficient. Growers, therefore, can benefit from technologies that enhance their dry fertilizer efficiency.

With a proven track record of performance over a range of geographies, genetics and management systems, TITAN XC is designed to help you get the most out of your applied dry fertilizer. Utilizing unique biochemistry to increase nutrient availability from treated prills, it can enhance the efficiency of dry phosphorus and potassium blends—turning your dry fertilizer into a driver of performance for your farm.

With TITAN XC on your dry fertilizer, more of your applied nutrients will be available to your crop, which can help you drive yield on every acre.

Learn more by downloading the TITAN XC fall fertilizer booklet.

Download the Booklet


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TITAN XC Raises Phosphorus Levels in Depleted Soil
September 30, 2020 — Posted By Agricen

At the Nutrien Ag Solutions branch in Manlius, Illinois, farmer and crop consultant Chad Taylor has been witness to many TITAN XC success stories. One that particularly stands out in his mind is the effect that TITAN XC has had on one of his grower client's fields, helping to transform farmland that was largely phosphorus deficient into land with optimal soil phosphorus levels. 

"The farm was quite run down when he purchased it, and we've been pretty amazed with the activity of TITAN XC in just a short time," says Chad.

When the grower first took over the field in 2012, soil tests taken in fall showed that phosphorus levels were very low throughout the field, with an average soil phosphorus level of just 41.5 lbs/acre. Five years later, after applying TITAN XC-treated phosphorus and potassium fertilizers every fall, soil phosphorus levels were excellent. In 2017, the date of the most recent soil tests (taken in spring), the average soil phosphorus level had increased to 122.5 lbs/acre. 

soil sample results - Titan XC cumulativeThe grower has been similarly satisfied with the corn and soybean yields on his acres. 

"We treat both the phosphorus and potassium with TITAN for all of his acres and we definitely plan to continue," says Chad. "He's a believer in this technology."

Titan XC yield history & fertility

As seen in this and other trials, the biocatalyst technology in TITAN can help growers maintain or build soil nutrient levels by increasing the availability of nutrients from applied phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. This can lead to increased nutrient use efficiency while also driving yield and ROI.

Learn more about TITAN XC, including how it helps drive yield and sustainability, by downloading the TITAN XC booklet.

Download the Booklet

 

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Addressing the Challenge of Dry Fertilizer Efficiency
September 24, 2020 — Posted By Agricen

Dry fertilizer dapGrowers make nutrient management decisions all season long. This includes the period just before and after harvest, when they need to decide whether a fall dry fertilizer application makes sense.

 

Growers who do decide to make a fall application face a significant challenge when it comes to dry fertilizer efficiency. This is because applied phosphorus and potassium fertilizers can be easily tied up by the soil chemistry. Even with the best program, only an estimated 10-30% of applied phosphorus and 20-60% of applied potassium will be available to their crop in the spring. This level of inefficiency is not good for the grower or the crop.  

 

One way growers can better ensure that they are getting more out of the nutrition they apply is by treating their dry fertilizer with Titan XC, a biocatalyst technology that is specifically formulated to increase nutrient availability from dry fertilizers. This can have a positive impact on a grower’s yield, as seen in the summary of corn, soybean and wheat trials from 2010-2019 below.

Titan Meta AnalysisProven on millions of acres across the country, Titan XC helps growers address the challenges related to dry fertilizer efficiency. Here's what some growers are saying:

 

Kelly"Every pound of potash that we put on, we also apply Titan XC with it...The biochemistry of Titan is the best choice for us to help solubilize the potassium and help get it into the corn plant." - Kelly Garrett, Iowa. Hear more from Kelly.

 

Matt"I use Titan XC on my fertilizer since noticing a better root system and color on my crops versus the untreated fertilized acres." - Matt Minnix, Indiana. Hear more from Matt.

 

Allen"I really like the biochemistry that Titan XC offers because I love the fact that I'm getting more out of my fertilizer and putting money in my pocket." - Allen Ehrman, Nebraska. Hear more from Allen. 

 

An application of Titan XC on fall dry fertilizer is a great investment in the next season. Ask for it on your dry fertilizer today!

 

Learn more about using Titan XC to maximize the efficiency of dry fertilizer applications by downloading our booklet, "How to Get Better First-Year Nutrient Recovery Out of Fall Dry Fertilizer Applications."

 

Download the Booklet

 

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Loveland Research Farm Trial Demonstrates How Titan XC Drives Yield
September 18, 2020 — Posted By Agricen

Yield and ROI 1As manager of the Loveland Research Farm in Owensboro, Kentucky, Tim Sickman is well acquainted with the benefits of applying TITAN XC on dry fertilizer. One of the trials that nicely highlights the advantages of TITAN XC on dry fertilizer was conducted by his group during the 2015 and 2016 growing seasons in corn and soybean.

"In 2015, we initiated a study in corn on a site that already had a very respectable P and K soil test level," he says. "We took 150 lbs of a 9-23-30 fertilizer blend. In one of the treatments, we impregnated the 9-23-30 with the standard rate of TITAN XC of 1 pint per ton of fertilizer. In the other treatment, we simply left that 150 lbs of 9-23-30 untreated."

Tim and his group then monitored the growth and development of the corn throughout the growing season, and harvested at the end of the year.

"When we ran the plot combine, what we saw was an 18 bushel per acre yield increase where TITAN XC had been used on the dry fertilizer versus where we had not used the TITAN," he says.

The team carried the trial forward into 2016, planting soybeans where the corn had been the previous season. However, they did not add any additional dry fertilizer at that time.

"At the end of the season when we harvested the beans...the soybeans actually yielded 5 bushels per acre better where we had used TITAN the prior year versus where we had not used TITAN on the dry fertilizer," Tim says. 

Tim notes that this trial illustrates a few very important things. First, it shows that TITAN XC improves the solubility of the dry fertilizer prill at the time that the initial application is made. It also shows that TITAN XC is helping to make applied nutrients available over the long haul.

"Not only did it make those nutrients more available on the soil exchange site and in the soil solution in 2015 when corn was in the field, but it continued to offer good availability of those nutrients to the soybean crop in the subsequent year," he says.

Tim adds that his group also observed an additional benefit.

"At the end of 2016 after soybean harvest, we went out and did an intensive soil sampling of the trial area. What we saw is that the P and K soil test levels were actually higher where we had used TITAN XC the prior spring," he says. "So not only did we harvest 18 more bushels of corn and 5 more bushels of soybean where we used the TITAN XC, but we actually saw soil test levels climb in that same environment versus where we had used the fertilizer without Titan XC."

Watch this video to hear Tim discuss the trial in his own words. 

Tim Sickman Video

You can learn more about TITAN XC by downloading the TITAN XC booklet.

Get the Titan XC Drives Booklet

 

 

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