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

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Titan XC Proves Worth & Increases Corn Yield in VRT Fertilizer Program
May 21, 2020 — Posted By Agricen

corn tasselIn the fall of 2017, Benjamin Rice, a crop consultant for Nutrien Ag Solutions in Sidney, Illinois, was faced with a challenge. 

He typically recommended Titan XC to his grower customers as a treatment for applied dry phosphorus and potassium fertilizers to help increase yield and profitability. Making the case for using this fertilizer biocatalyst was easy with growers who were blanket spreading dry fertilizers, but demonstrating the value of Titan XC was more complicated with a customer who used variable rate (VRT) applied fertilizer and did not want to pay more for the Titan XC technology. Benjamin needed to figure out a way to prove that Titan XC could have a nutrient efficiency and yield benefit when used with his customer's VRT fertilizer.

Benjamin and his grower devised a large, split-field trial consisting of 320 acres over five fields. Half of the acres would be treated with the grower's standard program (100% VRT-applied P & K), and the other half treated with Ben's program (90% VRT-applied P & K plus Titan XC). The trial was designed so that both programs were identical in cost to the grower. 

Two of the fields were spread with each fertilizer program in the fall of 2017, and the remaining three fields were spread with each program the following spring, in 2018, with no additional applications planned for the trial period. Corn was planted in the spring of 2018.

Yield Results in Corn

At harvest, Titan XC proved its worth. Compared to the grower's standard VRT program, the VRT program with Titan XC-treated fertilizer resulted in an average corn yield increase of +6.8 bu/acre over the five fields, for a net revenue of $23.80/acre (based on corn at $3.50/bu). 

Titan XC VRT 01 Corn 2018

One Application, Two Years of ROI

No additional fertilizer was spread in the fall of 2018 or spring of 2019 for the 2019 soybean crop planted in the trial fields. Even so, Ben’s customer recorded a +2.6 bu/acre soybean yield increase where the Titan XC program had been applied the previous year, for an added return on investment of $22.10/acre (based on soybeans at $8.50/bu).

Titan XC VRT 02

Summary

In this split-field trial, one application of Titan XC-treated VRT fertilizer resulted in increased yields and profit for the grower over two seasons. The two-year total ROI with VRT fertilizer spread with Titan XC was ~$45.90/acre in this corn/soybean program, with no cost to the grower for the Titan XC technology. With a planned trial period of four years, Ben and his customer continue to analyze the potential for greater nutrient efficiency and higher yields with Titan XC, and the grower is eager to try this biocatalyst technology on his untreated fields at the trial's end. 

Learn more about Titan XC by downloading the Titan XC product booklet.

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Extract PBA Helps Improve Corn Yield, Improves Plant Health
May 19, 2020 — Posted By Agricen
corn crop health 2Luke Bryan makes a valid point when he sings, “rain makes corn,” but do you know what can help make even more corn? Extract PBA.

With uncertainties in the market, the ability to increase corn yields in a cost-efficient way is more important than ever. Extract PBA in a broadcast application with a corn pre-emerge herbicide, burndown herbicide or liquid UAN can provide numerous benefits including:

    • Accelerated mineralization and release of nutrients in the soil
    • Improved plant vigor

    • Increased plant performance and yield

The benefits of Extract PBA in a corn program are supported by data from numerous corn trials that show the ability of this technology to provide an opportunity for improved crop health, higher yields and a better return on investment. In an analysis of 40 yield comparisons across the Midwest and South, the average yield increase from adding Extract PBA to a corn program was +10.1 bu/acre. 

Extract Corn Data pianoLearn more about the benefits of Extract PBA in a corn program by downloading the Extract PBA Makes Corn overview.

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Nutrien's Gregg Schmitz on Adopting Biochemistry in the Field
March 16, 2020 — Posted By Agricen

Gregg S - Nutrien

Nutrien Ag Solutions’ Gregg Schmitz has witnessed transformational changes in agriculture–from the birth of modern crop protection to the growth of today's market for ag biostimulants and biologicals, even leading some of the early, pivotal field trials that brought Accomplish technology to Nutrien's row crop customers.

We recently spoke with Gregg about his take on this biocatalyst technology, and why growers who aren't already using Accomplish LM, Titan XC or Extract will want to consider adopting this biochemistry in their fields in 2020.

With a father who was part owner of an agriculture retail facility in Iowa, Gregg grew up in the ag business, working in both retail and wholesale during high school and joining the sales team when he graduated. In 1985, the business was acquired by United Agri Products—which ultimately evolved into Nutrien Ag Solutions. Currently, Gregg serves as Nutrien Ag Solutions' Marketing Manager for the Western Iowa, Eastern Nebraska, South Dakota Division.

Gregg is a sound agronomist who firmly believes in soil health. His 2007-2008 replicated trial results on Accomplish were the springboard for incorporating this technology into Nutrien’s core fertilizer and plant nutrition business.

“In the summer of 2007, I got a call to evaluate a product called Accomplish LM that was then being used in California and other states, mainly on specialty or high value crops," says Gregg. "We decided to spray some strips in the fall of 2007 at a corn test plot we had north of Wall Lake, Iowa. To be honest, I was initially skeptical."

"In the summer of 2008, we started to see some visual differences at the V5-V6 stage of growth," he says. "In the area where we applied Accomplish, the corn leaf color was greener. Below ground, we saw more root mass with the Accomplish treatment. We had roots that extended at least three feet into the soil along with a more fibrous root system. We took these trials to yield and had good ROI on all of the applications we made."

AccomplishLM_Corn 01

Gregg and his team had also sprayed a few strips on soybeans in the fall of 2007, using the Accomplish that was left over after spraying the corn test strips. He saw benefits with that crop, too, including seeing the soybeans retain their leaves longer prior to harvest.

"Going into the fall of 2008, we set up trials with key customers at each of our divisions to replicate our results on a larger, real-world scale," he says.

Based on observations from his initial Accomplish LM trial work (harvested in 2008) and from subsequent trials testing the technology with customers at different locations over a two-year period, Gregg's skepticism changed into a belief that Accomplish technology could enhance his grower customers' operations. Some of his observations from that period included:

  • More mellow, less compacted soils and less residue where Accomplish was applied, allowing for smoother tilling operation
  • A customer with tight clay and high pH soils reporting a much more even appearance to his corn field with Accomplish than he had ever seen in past crops–the difference in emergence was right to the line where the trial was applied
  • A big visual difference in terms of more even color, plant development and tassel emergence–along with a 10+ bu/a yield response–in a large-scale trial testing Accomplish technology with UAN in a corn-on-corn field that had liquid hog manure applied the previous fall
  • Carryover effects on crop growth and yield into a second growing season–without additional Accomplish application
AccomplishLM_Corn 02
In an early trial testing Accomplish technology, more even corn tassel emergence
was seen where Accomplish was applied.

Today, Gregg uses a systems or solutions approach to help his customers maximize their ROI on every field, an approach that typically includes 1 gallon per acre of Extract (which contains Accomplish technology) each year. Since 2010, he has also used Titan XC on the majority of dry P&K applications. We asked him why he believes biochemistry is so important to soil health and sustainable crop production.

"There is a quote from Dick Goff, who was an agronomist from Midwest Laboratories in the 1980s. He always said, 'We cannot expect a plant’s productivity to be greater than the foundation and health of the soil.' This quote always stuck with me, as it is about balancing everything we do," says Gregg.

“In my mind, biochemistry is the catalyst to delivering the balance we need to help our customers preserve their ability to maximize productivity and ROI on every acre they farm," he says. "With the Accomplish products, we see many of those benefits, like the development of the roots and the mellowness of the soil, both in the current crop year and even beyond."

With plenty of growers who haven’t yet tried or adopted biological or biostimulant technologies, Gregg encourages them to explore the benefits of biochemistry for improving soil health and crop performance.

“There are over a decade's worth of trials showing how Accomplish biochemistry can benefit our growers," Gregg says. "Doing some hands-on research, even if it's outside of the normal row crop production, can be a good way to build confidence. One way I looked at the technology early on was by using it in my own garden and on my lawn."

"Make sure you dig plants and get your hands dirty," he adds. "It all starts in the roots and the soil.”

Find out why the biocatalyst technology Accomplish LM, Titan and Extract makes a good addition to agronomic programs by accessing the biocatalyst technology booklet.

Download the Booklet

 

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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.

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EXTRACT PBA Helps Overcome Phosphorus Deficiency in Fallow Soil
October 10, 2019 — Posted By Agricen

extract fallowWet 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.

Extract Nutrient Availability

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). 

Meta-Analysis-Extract

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.

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Starter Program with Accomplish LM Key Part of Farmer's Success
September 30, 2019 — Posted By Agricen

kolb farm minnesotaFifth-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.

Download the Accomplish LM Booklet

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.

Download the Accomplish LM Booklet

 

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Biocatalyst Technologies Are Helping to Transform Grower Productivity
September 26, 2019 — Posted By Agricen

NCGA 2018 accomplish technologiesIn 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 Stall on farming 2Don 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-shawn-kalb-ncga-2018Kevin 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.

Download the Biocatalyst Technology FAQ

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Titan XC Adding Value to Indiana Corn Program
July 24, 2019 — Posted By Agricen

A check-in on a corn trial near New Salem, Indiana, shows that Titan XC is adding value to the grower's standard corn program, resulting in bigger roots, plants and stalks where Titan XC-treated fertilizer was used.

corn-new salem 01

Download the Titan XC Booklet

“When we compared the plants we pulled, we consistently saw larger root masses, thicker stalks and larger plants on the treated side of the field compared to the untreated side," said Nutrien Ag Solutions' Sierra Gearhart, who is operating the trial.

In this trial, Titan XC was applied at 1 pint/ton to the grower's standard dry fertilizer, which was spread in the spring. In addition to using Titan XC to improve nutrient availability from the dry fertilizer, the trial also included a Nitrain, a nitrogen stabilizer, on the urea and ESN.corn-new salem 02corn-new salem 03

We look forward to seeing the results of this trial at harvest!

[UPDATE: Treating the grower's standard dry fertilizer with Titan XC led to a yield advantage of +17 bu/a (240 bu/acre with Titan XC vs. 223 bu/acre untreated) and a $57/acre net return to the grower.]

Learn more about using Titan XC on your acres by contacting your local Nutrien Ag Solutions location or downloading the Titan XC booklet to see how you can increase nutrient availability and improve plant performance.

Download the Titan XC Booklet

 

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Increase in Corn Yield, Nutrient Uptake with Fall-Applied Titan XC
July 15, 2019 — Posted By Agricen

Whether growers spread dry fertilizer in the fall or spring, Titan XC can help ensure that more of their applied nutrients are used by the crop to maximize yield potential.

In this Minnesota field trial, treating the grower's fall-applied dry fertilizer blend (13-60-70-20S) with Titan XC at 1 pint/ton led to an 11.22 bushel/acre corn yield increase compared to no treatment.

Download the Titan XC Booklet

Titan XC Corn-Glencoe MNTtan yield map MN
Prior to harvest, tissue samples showed greater uptake of key nutrients by the plant when Titan XC was used.

"We saw a 17% increase in phosphorus and potassium and a 7-8.5% increase in sulfur, zinc and boron in the plant with Titan XC," noted Mike Amundson, location manager for the MN/SD Division of Nutrien Ag Solutions, which operated the trial. 

Learn more about Titan XC by downloading the Titan XC product booklet. 

Download the Titan XC Booklet

 

 

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