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See the latest news, innovation updates, trial results, grower stories and more from Agricen. 
February 3, 2020 — Posted By Agricen

spreading manureAlthough animal manures can be a rich source of nutrients for crops, the nutrients found in themwhether from swine, beef cattle, dairy cows or poultry–are not always in a form that is readily available for crop uptake.

Phosphorus is a good example. With its negative charge, phosphorus easily binds to positively charged micronutrients, such as those found in animal rations or dairy cow footbath solutions. Once bound, it remains in a form that is unavailable to the plant until transformed through natural processes (e.g., weather, soil microbes) or agronomic management. As a result, growers who have been applying animal manures may see high levels of unavailable phosphorus on their soil tests (indicated by a high Bray P2 value), but a deficit of plant-available phosphorus (low/lagging Bray P1).

Extract PBA, which helps to convert P2 to P1, is one of the agronomic tools available to help growers be more efficient with their nutrient applications by making phosphorus and other nutrients found in manures, crops residues and the soil more readily available for crop uptake.

The concentrated biochemistry in Extract PBA not only helps to break down organic matter, but it can also separate positively charged (+) cations (e.g., calcium, magnesium, aluminum, iron, zinc, copper) from negatively charged (-) anions (e.g., phosphate, nitrate, sulfate, chlorides). As a result, the nutritive value of manure treated with this biocatalyst increases, as seen in the swine manure study below.

Extract Swine Manure - Iowa

By giving crops greater access to plant-available forms of phosphorus and other important nutrients found in manures, Extract PBA can help growers improve their nutrient use efficiency and help crops better reach their yield potential, as seen in these and other trials. Extract PBA can also help protect against nutrient loss to the environment by promoting greater nutrient uptake by the crop. This flexible tool can be broadcast with manures or used as a manure pit treatment prior to pumping. In strips where manure has already been applied, it can be sprayed with pre-emergent or burndown chemistries.

Learn more about using Extract PBA with manures or litters by viewing a featured study.

View Featured Studies

 

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October 10, 2019 — Posted By Agricen

extract fallowWet conditions in the spring can create major planting challenges for growers. In 2019, an estimated 19.4 million acres were left unplanted in the Corn Belt due to flooding and excess moisture in the fields. 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 Powered by Accomplish® (Extract PBA) to overcome the potential impact of fallow syndrome. Extract PBA 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 PBA this fall to overcome phosphorus deficiency in fallow fields and help prevent fallow syndrome. This soil-applied biocatalyst is designed to improve soil health and effectively increase the release of nutrients from the soil. In fallow soil conditions, Extract PBA 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 PBA 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 PBA 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.


Watch our latest on-demand webinar to learn more about what fallow syndrome is, how it can impact yield opportunities, and how Extract PBA can help address the risk of fallow syndrome on prevent plant acres.

Watch the Fallow Syndrome Webinar

 

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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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August 8, 2019 — Posted By Agricen

Soybean with cover cropCover crops provide many benefits that can improve the health of soil, water, and the following crop. However, they can also pose some drawbacks. In the spring at planting, cover crop skeletons can interfere with seed to soil contact. They can also stress the seedling by interfering with access to sunlight, requiring the planted crop to stretch so that it can reach above the cover crop canopy.

Extract PBA provides an efficient way to manage cover crop skeletons so that growers can avoid these issues and give the coming crop a nutritional boost. These Nutrien Ag Solutions trials conducted in Ohio show how an application of Extract PBA can break down cover crop skeletons to release nutrients for the following crop. 

Learn more about Extract PBA

fall_extract_3_soybean.png

In the picture above, Extract PBA was applied in the fall at 1 gallon/acre. In the spring prior to emergence, the treated part of the field had better planting conditions with more available nutrients compared to the untreated part of the field. This translated into healthier soybean plants during the growing season.

In the picture below, Extract PBA was applied in the summer at 2 gallons/acre. Once again, this side by side trial shows healthier, more robust soybean plants in the Extract PBA-treated part of the field compared to no treatment.fall_extract_7_cover_crop_soybean.png

You can learn more about Extract PBA by watching one of our on-demand webinars or reading an Extract PBA publication.

Watch an Extract PBA Webinar

 

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March 5, 2019 — Posted By Agricen

Biocatalyst FAQ BookletAccomplish MAX, Extract PBA and Titan XC are  biocatalyst technologies available from Loveland Products through Nutrien Ag Solutions.

Powered by a naturally derived biochemical technology, these products are designed to increase nutrient availability from applied fertilizers, promote nutrient mineralization in the soil to increase existing nutrient availability, and support root growth through biochemical interactions with the plant and soil.

You can learn more about these products for agriculture by downloading our booklet, "Biocatalyst Technology: Frequently Asked Questions."

The booklet explains:

  • What the products are, how they work and when to use them

  • How biocatalyst technology can help growers increase nutrient use efficiency and get more out of their fertilizer investment

Download the Biocatalyst Technology FAQ

 

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January 23, 2019 — Posted By Agricen

wheat after harvestBroken O Ranch in Augusta, Montana, is a farming operation that grows wheat, barley, alfalfa, flax, canola and chickpeas on about 12,000 irrigated acres.

A big concern at the ranch is how to handle crop residue without burning it. Most states around Montana have banned all burning of residue. Dale Clark, the farm manager at Broken O Ranch, feels that it's only a matter of time before the practice is banned in Montana as well. But he also has bigger issues with the practice.

Burning residue not only takes time and labor, but it also adversely affects the availability of soil moisture because the ground becomes harder after burning," says Dale. "More than that, it negatively impacts nutrient availability. Nutrients are lost when ash is blown by the wind and redeposited or carried off.”

"At Broken O, we’ve been looking for a sustainable solution that we can implement right now,” he says.

Broken O Ranch Montana

A fall view from the farm shop at Broken O Ranch

Striving for a residue management system that dovetails with his no-till approach to farming, Dale tried EXTRACT PBA in the fall of 2017 after a large harvest, applying it on three circles of straw (one durum wheat, one spring wheat and one malt barley). Dale's durum wheat and malt barley yields that year topped 120 bu/acre, while his spring wheat reached 95-100 bu/a. On a dry matter basis, the straw in the durum wheat field alone was approximately 6 tons/acre.

With the goal of breaking down the large amount of residue from his harvest and recycling carbon and nutrients back into the soil profile*, Dale applied EXTRACT PBA at a rate of 1 gal/acre with 2 gallons of UAN 32% through a center pivot with 1-inch of moisture.

Learn more about Extract PBA

In the spring at planting, Dale's no-till drills were able to make it through the durum residue successfully. Root balls from the previous crop broke apart, and the residue was decomposed enough to allow for planting. In the spring wheat field, excessively large windrows had been created by the combine at harvest. The concentration of residue into large windrows unfortunately proved too big a challenge for the rate of EXTRACT PBA that was used, and the field was burned. The field of barley straw was also burned due to excessive residue from the large crop.

Residue management is critical for soil health, soil moisture management, and nutrient management, all of which can lead to more sustainable crop yields. Previously, Dale’s main option for residue management at Broken O Ranch was to burn the residue. He now feels like he has another option—EXTRACT PBA—which allowed him to spare one field from being burned. This not only saved time and labor, but also had soil and plant health benefits.

Dale will continue to experiment with higher rates of EXTRACT PBA to sustainably break down his large amounts of residue and mineralize nutrients produced by his high-yielding crops.  

Learn more about EXTRACT PBA by downloading the EXTRACT PBA booklet.

Download the Booklet

*Typically, one ton of wheat straw contains 9-12 lbs of nitrogen, 3-4 lbs of phosphorus (P2O5) and 25-45 lbs of potassium (K20). The nitrogen and phosphorus in cereal grain residue is in an organic form that is not available for plants to use as fertilizer. It must be broken down into inorganic plant-available forms: NH4+ (ammonium) and HPO4 (hydrogen phosphate), respectively.

In previous wheat residue trials where cereal grain yield topped 100 bu/acre, an application of the biocatalyst technology in Extract PBA at 3 qts/acre led to a statistically significant increase in crop yield (at .05) when applied with 1 or 2 gallons of UAN 32 %.

 

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January 14, 2019 — Posted By Agricen

By Stephen Sexton (@AgricenLifer), Agricen

Yellow seedlings are a familiar sight for many corn growers. On continuous corn acres, the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio can be more than double the optimal ratio* for crop residue decomposition due to the buildup of organic matter from multiple years of corn-on-corn rotations. Even if a grower has applied nitrogen during the previous fall or around spring planting, soil microbes can out-compete seedling corn plants for nitrogen when excess carbon is present. The microbes use the nitrogen as a food source, immobilizing it as they work to degrade crop residues; the seedling corn plants, meanwhile, turn yellow due to a lack of available nitrogen.

One effective way to solve the problem of yellow corn seedlings in corn-on-corn rotations is to lower soil C:N ratios by baling corn stalks for winter cow feed. Unfortunately, this is really only practical if one has cows—and most row crop farmers do not. In addition, complete removal of corn residue also takes away a significant amount of the N, P and K that comprises corn stover (Table 1).

Table 1. Nutrient Removal Chart for 200 Bushel Corn Residue

residue_table1-1

A second option for making sure seedling corn has enough nitrogen is obvious enough: apply more nitrogen to meet the needs of both the soil microbe system and the seedling corn. A common approach in the Corn Belt is to broadcast 10-15 gallons of UAN 28% on corn residue after harvest, with the idea that the extra nitrogen will facilitate rapid decomposition of the corn residue.

But more nitrogen isn’t necessarily the best or only solution for row crop growers. Numerous field trials show that Accomplish technology, which is found in the product Extract PBA, can accelerate the breakdown of crop residues, even on no-till acres. The concentrated biochemistry in the product also effectively releases nutrients tied up in the stover—with resulting yield increases at harvest time.

Extract residue decomposition

Research conducted at the University of Illinois illustrates the value of residue management using Extract PBA in a corn on corn system. In that trial (below), both mechanical chopping and the addition of ammonium thiosulfate (AMS), a nitrogen source, tended to increase yield through improved residue management, but only through the addition of Extract PBA did corn yield begin to exceed statistically significant levels. 

U of Illinois Residue Management Trial Extract

The practice of using Extract PBA to increase nutrient efficiencies in high-residue fields is supported by data from numerous trials, such as the corn trial from Indiana below, where a residue management application of Extract PBA in corn on corn acres resulted in a +8.78 bu/a yield increase at harvest compared to untreated acres.

Extract corn on corn residue trial Indiana

Typically, residue applications with Extract PBA are made in October, when the ambient air and soil temperatures are cooling. The concentrated biochemistry in the product will continue to decompose corn residue even in cooler soil temperatures.

For any grower, it can be a challenge to optimize nutrient release from crop residue—and to get those nutrients mineralized in time for the growing season. But “more nitrogen” isn’t always the answer. Making Extract PBA part of your program is a cost-effective way to unlock the nutrients tied up in your stover, and keeps your seedling corn green.

*A C:N ratio of 20-30:1 is optimal.

Learn more about Extract PBA by downloading the Maximizing Nutrient Release from Crop Residue booklet.

Download the Booklet

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June 13, 2018 — Posted By Agricen

national-corn-growersWhen the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) announced the national winners of the 2017 NCGA corn yield contest earlier this year, four of these top corn producers had something big in common. It was their use of one or more biocatalyst technologies made by Agricen and available from Loveland Products. Over the next few weeks we will profile each of those top producers and talk about how they utilized Accomplish LM, Extract PBA or Titan XC as part of their winning program. This week, we start by featuring Don Stall of Charlotte, Michigan. With a yield of 407.22 bushels/acre, Don placed first in the nation for irrigated corn.

Don Stall: 1st Place — Irrigated Corn

Location: Charlotte, MI

Yield: 407.22 bu/acre - $743.04/acre ROI

Hybrid: Pioneer

Products Used: Accomplish LM, Titan XC and Extract PBA

Serviced by: Clay Martz, Branch Manager & Consulting Agronomist, Nutrien Ag Solutions - Woodbury, MI

2017 NCGA National Winner Irrigated Corn-Grower Don Stall (left)-CPS Clay Martz (right)

2017 Irrigated Corn Winner Don Stall (left) is pictured above with Clay Martz (right), Nutrien Ag Solutions Branch Manager.

Don Stall is a sixth-generation farmer who runs an operation near Charlotte, Michigan. A Marine Corps veteran, Don returned to farming in 1986 after spending six years in the service. Today, he lives one mile from his family's original homestead, which was founded after his ancestors migrated from Ohio to Michigan in 1836.

Since first entering the NCGA corn yield contest in 2004, Don has had some very impressive results. In addition to finishing in fourth place nationally several times, he has been the Michigan state winner eight times, including in the most recent competition.

Last year was a first for Don, however, when he won first place nationally in the Irrigated Category. With a corn yield of nearly 407.22 bushels per acre, he nudged just past defending category champion Randy Dowdy (406.06 bushels per acre) in the 2017 competition.

Meet Other NCGA 1st Place Winners

On the farm, Don uses a corn to beans to wheat rotation and minimum tillages practices, employing vertical tillage on corn to soybeans and a chisel plow in the fall so that corn can be planted the following spring. He describes his soil as heavy and "not very forgiving," with clay and sand loam types and a cation exchange capacity (CEC) ranging from 5-11 meq/100g.

As part of his 2017 winning progam, Don used Accomplish LM, Extract PBA and Titan XC, relying especially on the Titan XC technology to release nutrients from his potassium and MESZ fertilizers. First introduced to Titan about nine years ago by Clay Martz of Nutrien Ag Solutions of Woodbury, Michigan, Don hoped that Titan would make nutrients in dry fertilizer available at a faster pace to plants—and it proved to do just that.

Now I automatically treat dry fertilizer with Titan XC so that nutrients are made available when plants need them,” says Don.

Don Stall Farm Michigan

The Stall farm, located near Charlotte, Michigan. 

Don applies his treated dry fertilizer using variable rate technology (VRT) and says that most of the farm receives 60-70 lbs of treated fertilizer per acre, although some spots receive up to 300 lbs/acre. However, that volume is declining due to increasing soil fertility.

"Soil tests show that Don's soil nutrient levels have been maintained or even increased, with little or no increase in applied nutrients," notes Clay. "That's one of the things we have noticed since using biocatalyst products, which we implemented to improve nutrient availability from fertilizers, residue and the soil."

In the past, Don applied Accomplish LM on crop residue in the fall to facilitate nutrient release. He now uses Extract PBA in the fall, which is the newer residue management product, and has moved his Accomplish LM application to the spring, where he applies it with starter in a 2x2 band.

"Don’s achievements are from a total system program used for about nine years now," says Clay. "Everyone has the same opportunity and no two growers will follow the same program. Identifying when and how an application will work in your operation is key. Knowing your soils and reducing stress to the crop at all times are also critial."

Clay also remarked that having even corn emergence was an important part of Don's success.

"Even hours or a day will make a difference," states Clay. "Don’s harvested crop plants per acre consisted of 96.77 % of planted seeds. This alone was a substantial increase from 2016. What drove it? That's our secret!"

Don's goal for the 2018 NCGA corn yield contest is an ambitious 500 bushels per acre.

"We have more ideas and concepts to put into action," says Clay. "The plan is set and under way now."

(UPDATE: Don won the Irrigated corn category again in 2018 with a whopping 477.68 bu/a yield! Congrats, Don!)

To find out more about the other winners who used biocatalyst products, you can read our profile of Kevin and Shawn Kalb, who won two non-irrigated corn categories, or Jeannie and Wally Linneweber, who placed second in the AA non-irrigated corn category. 

You can also learn more about Accomplish LM, Extract PBA & Titan XC by accessing our Biocatalyst Technology booklet.

Download the Booklet

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May 15, 2018 — Posted By Agricen

Poultry manures and litters are an excellent source of crop nutrients—ones that can be more easily accessed by the crop when Extract PBA, which contains Accomplish nutrient release technology, is used. In the corn trials below, this biocatalyst technology maximized nutrient release from poultry manures so that more nutrients were available to the crop, leading to higher corn yields.  

In a trial conducted in Kentucky, Extract PBA was spread with UAN over turkey manure in the fall. Soil samples from the treated and untreated plots were taken in January, and showed an increase in the availability of many nutrients with the Extract PBA application. At harvest there was a 16.9 bu/acre corn yield increase where Extract PBA had been applied. 

corn - owensboro 1

corn - owensboro - soil 2Research by the University of Arkansas also shows that biocatalyst technology can improve corn yields in poultry manure applications. In these replicated corn trials, Accomplish was applied over fresh and pelletized poultry manure at broadcast in the spring. At harvest, the biocatalyst treatment was associated with a corn yield increase of 30.7 bu/acre where fresh poultry manure had been used and 32.8 bu/acre where pelletized manure had been applied. Both findings were statistically significant (P≤0.1).

poultry manure corn 1

 

poultry manure corn 2

For convenience of application, Extract PBA can be applied with burndown herbicides or with pre-emergent herbicides in a fertility program with poultry manure or litter.

Learn more about using biocatalyst technology to release nutrition from poultry manures and litters, swine manure, and cattle manure by viewing our manure studies.

View Manure Studies

 

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May 1, 2018 — Posted By Agricen

In a demonstration conducted by Nutrien Ag Solutions in Galesburg, Illinois, Extract PBA was sprayed in fall on a corn field post-harvest. In the following spring, stalks were pulled and split to examine the differences in residue breakdown between treated and untreated parts of the field.

As seen in the photo, the Extract-treated stalks were in a more advanced stage of decomposition than untreated stalks by early spring. 

Download the Extract Product Booklet

extract-corn-stalk-residue-illinoisExtract PBA was sprayed on Nov. 29, 2017. This photo shows corn stalks from treated and untreated parts of the field that were pulled and split on March 23, 2018. 

"I think this picture speaks volumes about product performance due to the fact that Extract PBA was sprayed when nozzles were almost freezing up, and the stalks were pulled when it was nearly freezing outside," says Michael Bern, the crop consultant who performed the demo. "It's a good illustration of how Extract works when the soil microbes technically haven’t even woken up from hibernation."

Extract PBA can be broadcast or applied though fertigation at 1 to 2 gallons/acre, with 1 gallon of UAN/acre recommended and a minimum spray volume of 10 gallons/acre. 

Learn more by downloading the Extract PBA product booklet.

Download the Booklet

 

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