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See the latest news, innovation updates, trial results, grower stories and more from Agricen. 
Illinois Farmer Sees Consistent Corn & Soybean Increase with Titan XC
November 17, 2021 — Posted By Agricen

When Illinois farmer Benjamin Rice first heard about Titan XC, he thought it sounded too good to be true. But he was trying to find a way to increase the efficiency of the dry fertilizer he was spreading on his farm, so he decided to take it to the field and try it.

Benjamin took two different 80-acre fields, split them in half, and spread the north half of each field with Titan XC-treated dry fertilizer and the south half with untreated dry fertilizer in the fall. He also took two different 40-acre fields and did the same, but spread the treated and untreated dry fertilizer in the spring.

He wanted to commit multiple years to the trial to see if Titan XC consistently worked. For three years, he repeated the side by side trials on the same fields.

“We’re on a corn and beans crop rotation. After the first year I saw a yield increase consistently on the side of the field treated with Titan XC,” he says. “After all three years, both spread in the fall or spread in the spring, my field averages made 6.8 bushel better on corn and 2.6 bushel better on beans.”

Benjamin was also conscious of costs, and wanted to make sure he was really getting value from the Titan XC when applied to his MAP and potash.

“I knew that Titan XC was going to be an additional cost,” he says.

On the parts of the field where he spread Titan XC-treated fertilizer, he pulled back on his fertilizer by 10 percent to offset the cost of the Titan.

The results showed him just how well Titan XC can help drive dry fertilizer efficiency.

“Every field, every application where there was Titan XC, it had 10 percent less MAP and potash spread and yet we consistently, every time, made more corn and beans where we used Titan XC,” he says. “After I saw that on my farm, I will never spread another acre without Titan XC.”

You can hear him talk about his experience in his own words by watching the video below or on our YouTube channel.

Learn more about Titan XC and dry fertilizer efficiency by downloading our fall fertilizer booklet.

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[Hoosier Ag Today] Maximizing Your Dry Fertilizer Investment
November 4, 2021 — Posted By Agricen

Hoosier Ag Today-1Agricen’s Scott Lay recently spoke with Hoosier Ag Today about how growers can maximize their dry fertilizer investment with Titan XC.

Hoosier Ag Today: One of the first decisions for farmers regarding next year's crop results relate to dry fertilizer. With fertilizer prices surging, growers are trying to find ways to maximize their investment. Lay says that's where Titan XC comes into play.
Scott: In terms of benefit, what we're looking for is the ability of the product to enhance the mineralization, or breakdown, of dry fertilizer prills so that come next spring when the crop goes in the ground, we have greater nutrient availability to that growing crop, which will lead to a more consistent yield response at the end of the year.
Hoosier Ag Today: Lay says that across third-party trials and university results, Titan XC's average yield response over untreated fertilizer is 10.2 bushels per acre in corn and 4.6 bushels per acre in soybeans. Even with fertilizer prices rising, Lay believes that type of response is worth the investment.
Scott:  It's not what you spend, it's what you get for what you spend that matters. Titan has been on the market for ten years, and we have nearly 50 million acres of commercial experience and results to draw on.  What we've found is that we get a more consistent yield result and a better ROI with Titan XC, and we're able to increase the availability of nutrients by nearly 20 percent in that first year. If you can enhance the value or benefit of those dry fertilizer dollars invested by 20 percent, we think that's a pretty sound investment.

This radio segment was edited for length and clarity. You can listen to the full interview below or on Agricen's YouTube channel.

Learn more about Titan XC by downloading the Titan XC Fall Fertilizer Booklet.

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Titan XC on Fall Fertilizer: Minimal Investment, Maximum Efficiency
October 27, 2021 — Posted By Agricen

Titan Dry FertilizerWhen faced with higher fertilizer prices, many who apply fall fertilizer will wonder if reducing their fertilizer rates makes sense in light of current farm economics.

It's practical to fertilize this fall to meet the anticipated needs of next year's crop, taking into consideration local recommendations based on soil tests. Reducing fertilizer rates can potentially increase an existing problem, namely the limited availability of nutrients from applied fertilizer in the first season after application. Only about 10-30% of applied P and 20-60% of applied K is typically recovered, or used by the growing crop, in that first season.

To get the most utilization out of dry fertilizers, many farms turn to Titan XC as a tool to maximize fertilizer efficiency without requiring a big investment. This is important whether a full rate or reduced rate of fertilizer is applied.

In the corn trial below from Nutrien's Hopkinsville, KY research farm, treating dry fertilizer with Titan XC (1 pint/ton) led to a yield increase of 6 bushels or more compared to untreated fertilizer. This was true whether the fertilizer was applied at the full rate (300 lbs/acres) or the reduced rate (270 lbs/acre). 

Titan - corn_KYYou can see this data and more by watching our short Titan XC video.

Titan XC is a valuable tool for increasing nutrient efficiency. By speeding up nutrient release from P and K fertilizers, it can play a key role in the uptake of applied nutrients, helping growers be more efficient with their fertilizer application while also optimizing yield.

Learn more by visiting the Titan XC Hub.

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[WITY Radio] Sometimes the Answer Is Not More Fertilizer
October 4, 2021 — Posted By Agricen
Wity-radio-down on farm

With growers soon to be making dry fertilizer applications after harvest, Agricen’s Scott Lay spoke with Dennis Michelsen on WITY Radio about getting the most efficiency out of dry fertilizer and the role of Titan XC.

Dennis – WITY Radio: It’s not always what you put on your field when it comes to fertility, it’s how those nutrients are used. Can you explain why Titan XC helps you get more out of the nutrients that you’re using on your field?
Scott: Nutrients are a fuel that a crop needs. We all recognize that. But we’ve also come to the realization that sometimes the answer is not more fertilizer. As it relates to Titan XC, essentially what we are doing is employing this technology to increase the breakdown or mineralization of the P and K nutrients that we spread in fall, so that more is available to the crop next year when it needs it. That ultimately leads to very consistent results in terms of early season plant vigor, which leads to better yields.
Dennis – WITY Radio: When I’ve talked to a lot of the experts, they keep telling me that today’s hybrids are going to require a change in how we do business if we want to unlock those high yields. Titan XC might be one part of that answer.
Scott: I think you’ve characterized it accurately. It’s not one thing, but a systems approach, of which plant fertility is a part. We’ve worked with Dr. Fred Below of the University of Illinois since 2011 in evaluating this technology. We’ve had very consistent results from Dr. Below’s trials, which we’ve been able to amplify over nearly 50 million acres across the U.S. over the last 10 years. We are very confident of the consistency of results that folks are going to see.
Dennis – WITY Radio: What sort of return on investment and what sort of boost in yields have you seen in those trials?
Scott:  Over the course of 10 years—and this is university trials, third-party research trials and our internal split field trials on real farms—the average yield increase in corn is just above 10 bushels. As we look at soybeans, it's about 4 bushels. The ROI is obviously dependent upon the price of the commodity, but generally it’s about $6-8 return for every dollar invested.
Dennis – WITY Radio: One of the experts I’ve talked to is Dr. Below. He’s talking about how it’s really important to understand the fertility of your soil, and that these new hybrids with huge yields are really extracting those nutrients out at a much different rate than we’re used to.
Scott: That’s very true. This fall, if corn yields are going to be 220-250 bushel per acre averages in some areas, when you sit down and do the math, that’s a significant removal rate of phosphorus and potash. Step one, certainly, is ensuring we’re applying adequate levels of fertility. Step two—once you’ve spread those nutrients, what are you doing to enhance the availability of those nutrients? Just because you applied 400 pounds of P and K this fall, it doesn’t mean that all 400 pounds will be available to the 2022 crop. Over time, Titan XC works in concert with the biological systems in the soil to provide more nutrients into that plant at critical times that will maximize yield.

This interview was edited for length and clarity. You can listen to the full interview below or on Agricen's YouTube channel.

Learn more about Titan XC by downloading the Titan XC Fall Fertilizer Booklet.

Download the Booklet

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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.

Get the Titan XC Booklet

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Ohio Growers Excel in Wheat Yield Contest with Titan XC & Extract PBA
June 28, 2021 — Posted By Agricen

Quigley Ohio Wheat 2020Cathy and Martin Quigley struck gold in the 2020 Ohio Wheat Yield Contest, coming in first in their district with a yield of 93.34 bushels per acre. 

What were the keys to Quigleys' success? First, selecting the right wheat variety, the right planting date and the right rate was important. The Quigleys, who live in Clinton county, used Dyna-Gro 9862, a soft red winter wheat, which they planted October 7, 2019.

Having an effective and efficient fertility program was another key to their success. Agricen’s biocatalyst technology was an integral part of the Quigleys' fertilizer program, with Titan XC applied at 1 pint per ton to their fall fertilizer blend and Extract PBA applied at spring topdress in a "weed and feed" application with UAN and broadleaf chemistry.

Mike Hacker, a Dyna-Gro Seed specialist and Nutrien Ag Solutions crop consultant based in Southern Ohio, assisted the Quigleys with the selection of their wheat variety and with recommendations for their fertility program. 

Treating dry fertilizer with Titan XC is a sound agronomic practice that can provide a long-term benefit to farm productivity. Titan XC utilizes unique biochemistry to increase nutrient availability and enhance dry fertilizer efficiency. With Titan XC on dry fertilizer in the fall or spring, more of a grower's applied nutrients will be available to the crop to help drive yield.

Extract PBA, with an analysis of 6-0-0-13S, is a biocatalyst that is formulated to maximize nutrient release from crop residues and the soil. Growers can tank mix Extract PBA with herbicides for spring burndown applications, use it with liquid fertilizers to enhance spring broadcast applications, or spray it on crop residues in the fall to enhance nutrient release.

Agricen and Dyna-Gro Seed are proud to be associated with Cathy and Martin, helping them achieve the top wheat yield for Ohio's District 9 in 2020!

Update: Martin and Cathy Quigley were the District 9 wheat yield champions again in the 2021 Ohio Wheat Yield Contest—taking both first and second place with both entries coming in at over 100 bushels per acre. In their winning program, they used Extract PBA on their previous season's crop residue and Titan XC on their wheat fertilizer blend.

Learn more about Titan XC and Extract PBA by downloading the Frequently Asked Questions 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.

Download the Booklet

 

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Titan XC Improves Potato Yields in Idaho Trials
December 8, 2020 — Posted By Agricen

potatoes close upAt Nutrien Ag Solutions' Snake River Division in Idaho, Josh Perotto and his team have been looking at the benefits of treating dry fertilizer with Titan XC in potato growing operations over the past two years.

In a split-farm trial harvested in 2020, the grower's potato yield was increased by +105.1 sacks per acre where his dry fertilizer had been treated with Titan XC to maximize prill breakdown and nutrient release, as compared to yield where untreated dry fertilizer had been spread. There were also fewer culls (unmarketable potatoes) where Titan XC had been used.

Titan - potatoes 01

Titan - potatoes 02 - Idaho

These potato yield results followed the team's findings from the 2019 season, where a split-field trial showed that potatoes grown with Titan XC-treated dry fertilizer outyielded the untreated dry fertilizer by +19 sacks per acre (572 cwt/acre with Titan XC vs 553 cwt/acre untreated).

Josh and his team also noted that they performed weekly tissue testing throughout the 2020 growing season and observed that potato plants grown with Titan XC-treated dry fertilizer showed a trend toward higher tissue phosphate levels compared to the untreated dry fertilizer. 

In Idaho, high lime, high pH soils mean that soil phosphate deficiencies are not uncommon. This is because applied phosphorus will react with calcium in the soil, which makes the phosphorus insoluble and unavailable. By applying Titan XC on dry fertilizer, growers can address this limitation and enhance the availability and uptake of phosphate and other nutrients from dry fertilizer. Titan XC accelerates the breakdown of treated dry fertilizer and helps facilitate mineralization – the conversion of organic nutrients into inorganic, plant soluble, plant available forms. With more nutrients available, more nutrients can be captured by the plant, which can lead to significant yield benefits.

Learn more about Titan XC by downloading the Titan XC 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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How Do Extract PBA & Titan XC Enhance Fall Crop Nutrition Programs?
October 13, 2020 — Posted By Agricen

Steve Sexton Crop ResidueAlready a busy period, harvest is also the time for growers to begin planning for next season's crop. Fall planning can be critical to having a less stressful planting season in the spring. Incorporating Titan XC and Extract PBA into fall plans is one way that growers can set themselves up for success in the season ahead.

Agricen's Stephen Sexton breaks down the benefits of these biocatalyst products and explains where they fit into fall programs.

Titan XC for Dry Fertilizer

Steve says that two key processes occur when Titan XC is applied to dry phosphorus and potassium fertilizer blends and spread in the fall.

First, he notes that the phosphorus and potassium prills are broken down much faster compared to waiting for Mother Nature.

"Remember that phosphorus and potassium fertilizers may have received multiple applications of petroleum-based or vegetable-based oils to reduce dust and maintain prill integrity," he says. "Oil applied to dry fertilizer can delay the breakdown of the prill when soil applied, since oil repels soil moisture. This is not the case when Titan XC is applied to the dry fertilizer."

Then, there are the benefits related to root growth. 

"In the spring, the biochemistry in Titan XC can signal to the plant that nutrition is nearby, which stimulates root growth and feeder tip roots or root hairs, which are the ports of entry for water and nutrition into the plant," says Steve.

Download the Titan XC Corn Bulletin

Extract PBA for Crop Residue, Manures & Poultry Litter

When it comes to crop residues, manures, and poultry litter, that's where the innovative mineralization technology in Extract PBA comes into play. 

"Extract PBA can be applied with burndown applications or alone on crop residues, manures, or litter to mineralize the organic nitrogen and phosphorus into inorganic, plant-available forms," Steve says. 

Plants do not use organic forms of nitrogen or phosphorus. Rather, they can only take up these nutrients when they are in inorganic, plant-available forms. The plant-available forms of nitrogen are nitrate (NO3) and ammonium (NH4+), while the plant-available forms of phosphorus are hydrogen phosphate (HPO4) and dihydrogen phosphate (H2PO4). 

"Both of these key macronutrients are mineralized, or converted from an organic form into a plant-available, inorganic form, by the biochemistry in Extract PBA," he explains.

See the Extract PBA Trial Summary

The Last Word

By contributing to increased nutrient availability and an improved root system, Titan XC on dry fertilizers and Extract PBA on crop residues, manures or litter can lead to enhanced nutrient uptake, better crop performance, and higher crop yields. 

Learn more about these biocatalyst technologies by downloading the Biocatalyst Technology Booklet.

Download the Booklet

 

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