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See the latest news, innovation updates, trial results, grower stories and more from Agricen. 
Lifelong Friendship Leads to Advice a Grower Continues to Count On
November 6, 2023 — Posted By Agricen

Jason Jaggers Illinois - Doing More with LessJason Jaggers is a third-generation corn and soybean farmer in Wyanet, Illinois. When it comes to getting advice from his Nutrien Ag Solutions agronomist, Chad Taylor, he knows he has someone he can count on. Chad is not only his agronomist, but also his childhood friend. 

"Chad and I grew up together. Now he's my Nutrien agronomist. If he brings a product to me, he knows it better perform," says Jason. "He's also a grower himself, so he understands that."

Two of the products that Chad has introduced to Jason are Titan XC and Extract PBA. They are biocatalyst technologies that help growers "do more with less" by enhancing nutrient use efficiency. 

"As he's brought Titan, Extract and multiple other products to the table, they've all performed very, very well," says Jason. 

In the fall, Titan XC on dry fertilizer is a particularly important part of the equation. 

"If you're making a fall application of fertilizer, it needs Titan XC," say Chad. "Titan brings multiple levels of benefit...being able to take a grower's fertilizer dollar and increase it by upwards of 20 percent."

On Chad's recommendation, Jason has used Titan XC on his fall dry fertilizer for the past decade.

"We've used it for probably the last 10 years in the fall," says Jason. "We tried it on a couple of farms the first year and instantly saw good results. Now I use it on 100 percent of my acres."

Titan XC fall fertilizerGetting ready to spread Titan XC-treated dry fertilizer.

Extract PBA is another product that Chad commonly recommends for corn and soybean producers. He has seen some outstanding results.

"I had a couple of growers say 'I can't raise beans on this farm.' We started utilizing Extract on the solution for corn years and on the residue for bean years. Now they're like, 'Wow, I never thought I would take 80+ bushel beans off this farm.' It's just been a tremendous turnaround in farm production," explains Chad.

On Jason's farm, Extract PBA is being used as a residue management tool on his corn stubble prior to planting soybeans.  

"We're going to apply it on standing corn stalks that are going to go to soybeans next spring just to try to break down the massive amount of residue that we have," Jason says. "It seems that the residue is tying up more and more nutrients, so we're trying to get it to breakdown to get them into the soil profile for next spring."

One of the newer products that Chad is able to bring to the table for his grower customers is Accomplish MAX, which is designed for use with liquid starter fertilizer programs and combines the nutrient availability technology found in products like Titan XC and Extract PBA with a marine-based technology for stress mitigation.

"Everyone who's used it that I've talked to is seeing results. The stress mitigation factor of the kelp extract paired with the Accomplish technology has been a tremendous fit. Now you are getting a healthier, stronger seedling that's encountering less stress— whether it be from cold weather, starter fertilizer salt or salinity within the soil profile," Chad says. "There couldn't be a better coupling of what a new planted seedling needs trying to get up and out of the ground fast and uniform."

You can watch the video below, here or on our YouTube channel, to hear more from Chad and Jason.

Learn more about Accomplish MAX, Extract PBA and Titan XC by downloading the Frequently Asked Questions booklet.

Download the Booklet

 

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Canadian Grower Impressed by Root Growth with Titan XC Technology
August 16, 2022 — Posted By Agricen

Titan XC technology for dry fertilizer is available in several countries around the world, including in Canada, where it is sold under the brand name Atlas XC.

While attending a recent farm expo in Canada, Agricen’s Steve Sexton spoke with Kurtis Wandler, a grower from Western Saskatchewan, about his experience with Atlas XC.

Kurtis started out by trialing Atlas XC in peas several years ago, and he now uses it across his entire farm.

“We started out just putting it on peas the first year. We did a trial that year, half and half,” says Kurtis. “The next year, between the folks and I, we split the acres in half on a trial, and for the last two years, we’ve been doing all Atlas.”

Grower Kurtis Wandler SK Atlas XCKurtis Wandler, Grower from Western Saskatchewan, Canada

One of the big benefits Kurtis has seen with using Atlas XC-treated dry fertilizer has been improved root growth in his crops.

“We see tremendous root growth and breakdown of the fertilizer we’re putting down,” he says. “You can just tell from the trials we’ve done on some of the stands how Atlas has helped improve the crop and break through some of the conditions that we’ve had with the environment.”

“Even last year with the drought we had, you could tell that the roots were there,” he adds. “We ran out of moisture, but you could tell with the roots. They’re just going to keeping fighting for that moisture.”

Atlas XC can be applied to dry fertilizers such as MAP, potash or elemental sulfur to help improve nutrient availability, so that the crop has access to more of the applied nutrients in the season they are applied, and even beyond.

When Shelby LaRose, Proprietary Representative from Nutrien Ag Solutions’ South Saskatchewan – East location, trialed Atlas XC in yellow peas on her farm, she saw both her yield and her soil phosphorus levels go up.

“The last five seasons of Atlas XC have shown me a lot,” she says. “One of those things is that no matter the crop, if you are putting down MAP, potash or elemental sulfur, you can benefit from Atlas XC. It not only increases yield, but also increases soil-available phosphorus year over year.”

Contact your local Nutrien Ag Solutions representative for more information about Atlas XC (Canada) or Titan XC (USA). You can also learn more by downloading the Titan XC educator.

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Why Corn Growers Like Accomplish Technology for Soil Health
August 2, 2022 — Posted By Agricen

Soil health is the foundation of a successful crop. In our short video, The Plant Is Secondary, growers talk about their approach to improving their soil and keeping it healthy, including the role that Accomplish biocatalyst technology plays. 

"If your soil's healthy, obviously your crop's going to do what it needs to do," says Heath Cutrell, who farms in Virginia and across the state line into North Carolina.

Iowa farmer Kelly Garrett adds, "If we could take care of the biology of the soil, the plant is secondary. It's what happens when we do a good job with the biology." 

The corn growers in the video have seen firsthand how Accomplish technology can help with healthier soils and better nutrient availability for their crops. 

"Because of the Accomplish we're feeding the microbes, we're pushing that microbial activity and the mineralization, and we've giving ourselves nutrients," Don Stall, who farms in Michigan, says. "My soil tests have climbed and that's due to that fodder breaking down and returning that nutrient to us. It's a big deal."

"Over the years, we've got high phosphorus levels from manure applications. Even though we have such high P levels in the soil, we just can't get it into the plant. [Our dealer] said 'Here's a product, Accomplish, try that,' and right off the bat we were 0.1, 0.15 higher on our tissue samples. So year after year, we started running a little bit more, and the more we were running, the less commercial fertilizer we would have to buy," Indiana grower Kevin Kalb notes.

University of Illinois' Dr. Fred Below also weighs in.

"What I like to think of a product like Accomplish as is that it's trying to capture the essence of the value that's in that manure," he says. "They called it a fertilizer catalyst because one thing it does is it helps make immobile nutrients more available. There is a whole, vast source of nutrients in the soil, and if we can make some of those more available, that has a real value."

You can watch the video below.

See more by browsing our YouTube channel or by watching our film, Last Stand. 

Watch Last Stand

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Striving for Record Corn Yields
December 8, 2021 — Posted By Agricen

How high can corn yield go? In our short video, "Striving for Record Corn Yields," you'll see how some corn growers try to test the limits and push for record-setting yields.

"I wish I could tell you that high yield is a recipe, like following the cookbook. By gosh, it isn't that way. High yield...it is an art form," says Dr. Fred Below of the University of Illinois in the video. 

The growers featured in the video faced multiple obstacles during filming in 2020 — from hurricanes and tropical storms in the East to a derecho that flattened crops and caused billions of dollars worth of damage across the Midwest. 

"We had a tremendous crop out there. The storm just took part of it," says Iowa farmer Kelly Garrett, whose farm was in the path of the 2020 derecho that made records as the most destructive and costliest thunderstorm disaster in U.S. history.

"We had a hurricane come in here the other day. Raise a good corn crop and then it's sad to come in here and watch it laying on the ground the way it is, broke off," says Heath Cutrell, who farms in Virginia and North Carolina.

In addition to Kelly and Heath, the video features growers Don Stall (Michigan) and Kevin Kalb (Indiana). These farmers all have had winning entries in the NCGA Corn Yield Contest in recent years. Agricen's product technologies, including Accomplish, Extract PBA and Titan XC, have been part of their winning programs.

"You have to use products that work if you want to be chasing these kind of yields," says Kevin.

See their stories below.

You can also hear more from each grower by watching the full version of Last Stand, also available on our YouTube channel.

Watch Last Stand

 

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Agricen Presents Last Stand, a New Film about Farming
October 12, 2021 — Posted By Agricen

Last Stand Movie PosterFarmers have a story to tell, and we wanted to capture it. During the 2020 growing season, Agricen hired a film crew to document the experiences of growers from four different farm operations in the United States. The result is Last Stand, a movie that follows some of America's top farmers as they try to grow the highest yields possible in a season full of challenges. The film can be watched by visiting LastStand.ag.

“While you can never predict what the growing season will be like, the 2020 season certainly did manage to throw many surprises into the mix. Excessive rain and hurricanes, the historic derecho in Iowa and across the upper Midwest – and that’s just the weather,” says Michael Totora, president and CEO of Agricen. “We think this is an important film that not only gives viewers a unique glimpse into the lives of the featured farmers, but also into the lives of farmers across the U.S. in 2020.”

The farmers featured in the film have a passion for farming and produced some of the highest corn yields in the nation in recent years. They also have the humor, grit and resilience to help them succeed at the job.

In Last Stand, you’ll meet:

    • Don Stall – A former Marine, Don still reflects on the lessons he learned in the Marine Corps to help him face the challenges of being a farmer. Don farms in Michigan.
    • Kelly Garrett – Kelly farms with his father and three sons in Iowa, where they work cattle and grow corn, soybeans and winter wheat.
    • Heath Cutrell – Heath is a third-generation corn, soybean and wheat grower farming in Virginia and across the state line in North Carolina.
    • Kevin and Shawn Kalb – Kevin and Shawn farm with their children in Southern Indiana, where they produce corn, soybeans and turkeys, and can often be found smashing state and national corn yield records.
    • Dr. Fred Below & Connor Sible – Dr. Below and PhD student Connor Sible are from the Crop Physiology Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where they research factors influencing corn and soybean productivity.

Last-Stand-grower-collage

Pictured above are top producers Don Stall (top L), Kelly Garrett (top R), Heath Cutrell (bottom L) and Kevin and Shawn Kalb (bottom R).

Another factor that ties the growers together is that they have used Agricen's product technologies in their high-yielding programs.

“Several years ago, we noticed that a number of growers with top corn yields at the state and national levels used our product technologies in their production programs,” says Totora. “With Last Stand, we set out to dig into that, but it quickly became much more. Their stories, as captured in the film, are deeply personal, yet also familiar to farmers everywhere.”

Last Stand, filmed by agriculture documentary veterans Light Work Productions, is the second long-form film about farming developed by Agricen. Agricen’s previous film about agriculture, Prove It to Me, which followed five farmers from Arkansas and Iowa during the 2015 growing season, is also available to view.

Explore the Last Stand trailers or visit laststand.ag to watch the full film. 

Watch Last Stand

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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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Accomplish LM Proves Worth to Idaho Corn Growing Champions
November 29, 2018 — Posted By Agricen

corn sunDavid and Nicole Hults are second-generation Idaho farmers. David’s parents, Joseph and Kay, first moved to Idaho in 1971, farming just 160 acres with a Massey Ferguson Tractor and an 8’ disk. The family’s acres, equipment and practices have grown and changed significantly since then.

Today, in partnership with David’s parents, David and Nicole grow corn, alfalfa and potatoes on about 5,000 acres of land. The family also has a number of NCGA Corn Yield Contest wins under their belt—in part because of their willingness to test and adopt new approaches to maximizing production.

Adopting New Technologies to Reach Corn Yield Goals

David always fertilizes with a 300 bushel per acre corn yield goal, and his personal best is 307 bushels per acre.

Some of his current practices include spreading dairy manure at 10-20 tons per acre, depending on his soil’s nutrient analysis. Additional nitrogen is applied as liquid UAN through the center pivot as needed. The soils are tested every year, and the fields are rotated on the same schedule.

David said the NCGA Corn Yield Contest encourages entrants to adopt new technologies to increase plant health, standability and crop yields. In 2015, David’s agronomist at Nutrien Ag Solutions, Chris Smith, introduced the Hults family to Accomplish LM as an additive or catalyst to their existing in-furrow starter program to increase phosphorus availability and plant health.

hults farm

The Hults Farm

After adding Accomplish LM at 2 liters per acre to their starter program, the Hults family noticed faster, more even corn germination. Plants also kept growing at a faster rate with a darker, greener color—followed by increased yields and grain test weight at the end of the season compared to their corn crops grown without Accomplish LM. 

That same year, David had the top two NCGA entries in Idaho in the No-Till/Strip Till Irrigated category (267.45 and 263.92 bu/a, respectively). In 2016, David and his family again saw success with their program in the contest, with Nicole placing first and David placing second among Idahoans in No-Till/Strip-Till Irrigated (253.83 and 246.34 bu/a, respectively) and Joe placing second in Irrigated (289.66 bu/a). And in 2017, David placed second and Joe placed third among Idaho entrants in the No-Till/Strip Till Irrigated category (266.52 and 265.76 bu/a, respectively), while Nicole placed first and Kay placed second among Idaho entrants in the Irrigated category (292.73 and 291.98 bu/a, respectively).

Each of the Hults is competing again with entries for the 2018 season and with Accomplish LM as part of their program. We hope to see their name among the winners!

(UPDATE: The Hults family took winning places again in the 2018 and 2019 contests!)

Learn more about Accomplish LM by downloading the Accomplish LM product booklet.

Download the Accomplish LM Booklet

 

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Titan XC Helps Bring in Big Yields in 2017 Corn Yield Contest
July 25, 2018 — Posted By Agricen

national-corn-growersOur final winner profile from the 2017 National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) corn yield contest features Jeannie and Wally Linneweber of Vincennes, Indiana. With a yield of 347.5 bushels per acre, Jeannie earned second place nationwide in the AA non-irrigated corn category. She and Wally used Titan XC as part of their winning program.

Jeannie Linneweber: 2nd Place — AA Non-Irrigated Corn

Location: Vincennes, IN

Yield:  347.5 bu/acre

Hybrid: Pioneer

Products Used: Titan XC

Serviced by: Jeff Houchin, Branch Manager, Nutrien Ag Solutions, Decker, IN and John Wheatley, Nutrien Ag Solutions, Oaktown, IN 

Jeannie-and-Wally-L-Corn-Yield-Contest-Titan-XC

Jeannie and Wally Linneweber of Vincennes, Indiana. Jeannie came in second place nationally in the AA non-irrigated corn category.

Jeannie and Wally Linneweber farm on the same land where Wally's mother and several other generations of his family were born. The Linnewebers grow a variety of row crops, typically corn, soybeans, milo (grain sorghum) and wheat. They also raise hogs on a contract basis in ten hog finishing buildings on their property.

The couple is no stranger to the NCGA corn yield contest. In 2007 and 2015, they placed first nationwide. The couple placed second in 2009 and, in 2017, Jeannie took second place nationally for AA non-irrigated corn. 

Linneweber Farms

The entrance to Linneweber Farms.

"It's a great experience to participate in the contest," said Wally. "We know the seed companies personally, especially Pioneer Seed, and we have the privilege to test new genetics as they're made available first."

The field they planted for the 2017 NCGA contest has been corn on corn for 30 years. They credit some of their success in the contest to the hog manure that they obtain from their finishing buildings and use as a fertilizer. Another part of their winning program in 2017 was Titan XC, which they used on their dry fertilizer for the first time after having it recommended by their crop advisors from Nutrien Ag Solutions. 

As for trying Titan XC, Wally says, "So far, so good!"

 Wheatley-Houchin-Indiana-Nutrien Ag Solutions

John Wheatley, Nutrien Ag Solutions, Oaktown, Indiana (left) and Jeff Houchin, Branch Manager, Nutrien Ag Solutions, Decker, Indiana (right). 

Jeannie and Wally began the 2017 NCGA contest as entrants in the no-till non-irrigated category, but ended up competing in the AA non-irrigated category after heavy, pounding rains forced them to replant about 600 acres of corn in mid-May of that year. Interestingly, the corn they did not tear out at replanting yielded 150 bushels less than the corn they did replant.

In 2018, the couple will reduce their acres of corn planted due to prices, with more acreage devoted to soybeans. They also plan to compete in the NCGA corn yield contest again.

We wish them and all of the other growers the best of luck!

To find out more about the other winners who used a biocatalyst product like Titan XC, you can read our profile of Don Stall, national winner of the irrigated corn category, or Kevin and Shawn Kalb, who won two non-irrigated corn categories. 

You can also learn more about Titan XC by downloading the Titan XC booklet.

Download the Titan XC Booklet

 

 

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Accomplish LM Helps Couple Win Two Corn Yield Contest Categories
July 19, 2018 — Posted By Agricen

national-corn-growersToday, we feature Kevin and Shawn Kalb of Dubois, Indiana, a husband and wife team who used Accomplish LM as part of their programs to win two non-irrigated categories in the 2017 National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) corn yield contest. With a yield of 386.16 bushels per acre, Kevin placed first nationwide in the AA non-irrigated corn category, while Shawn's yield of 354.13 bushels per acre put her in first place for AA no-till/strip-till non-irrigated corn. 

Kevin Kalb: 1st Place — AA Non-Irrigated Corn

Shawn Kalb: 1st Place — AA No-Till / Strip-Till Non-Irrigated Corn

Location: Dubois, IN

Yield:  386.16 bu/acre (Kevin) & 354.13 bu/acre (Shawn)

Hybrid: Dekalb

Products Used: Accomplish LM

Serviced by: Scott Brinkman, Branch Manager, Nutrien Ag Solutions, Jasper, IN

Kevin-Kalb-Corn-Yield-Contest-Accomplish-LM

Kevin Kalb, winner of the 2017 AA non-irrigated corn category, is pictured above holding the trophies awarded by Agricen to him and his wife, Shawn. Shawn (not pictured) won the AA no-till/strip-till category.

Kevin and Shawn Kalb are fourth-generation farmers who began their corn and soybean operation in 1997. All of their acreage is dryland, and their typical practices are conventional tillage corn-on-corn and no-till corn following soybeans. The biggest limiting factor they face in their area is high humidity during the growing season, especially during grain fill. Although high humidity is good for plants during the day, at night it causes them to retain heat. This can have a detrimental effect on yield. Ideally, humidity would be lower at night to allow the corn to respire and "cool off".  

Download the Accomplish LM Booklet

Despite this challenge, the husband and wife team have maintained an impressive track record since first entering the NCGA corn yield contest in 2008. In 2011, 2014, 2016 and 2017, their corn yields placed them first in the nation, and they took second place in 2009, 2015 and 2016. They've also ranked within the top three NCGA corn producers in the state of Indiana on two occasions. In the 2017 competition, Kevin took first place nationally for non-irrigated corn (conventional tillage), while Shawn earned first place in the nation for non-irrigated/no-till corn. This was despite a major rain event that caused them to have to replant most of their acres.

"We had heavy rain on April 28th last year, after all of our corn was planted. That event wiped out all but 28 acres of our corn stands," says Kevin. "We had to replant, but we couldn't do it until May 15th. The saving grace was that we had very cool weather in August, with only one night where the low was above 70 degrees Fahrenheit. That weather set the stage for excellent grain fill and very heavy test weights."

Kevin says they've changed their approach to planting in the last four to five years to ensure that their corn plants get off to a good start. 

"We don't plant by the calendar date. Instead we wait for 10 consecutive days of good weather before planting, as opposed to planting early and placing seeds in cold soil," he says. "The first 48-60 hours are critical for corn seedlings. 'Seedling chill' can occur if the young plants take their first drink and soil moisture is too cold." 

Over the years, the Kalb's fertilizer program has changed too, moving from anhydrous ammonia to dry fertilizer, then to their current fertility program, which is all liquid fertilizer. Part of that program also includes using Accomplish LM (2 quarts/acre) at planting in a 2x2 band with UAN and ammonium thiosulfate. 

"Scott Brinkman, who is a crop advisor and branch manager at Nutrien Ag Solutions in Jasper, Indiana, encouraged us to adopt Accomplish LM into our fertility program," says Kevin. "We use it because it helps process nutrients into plant available forms and positively impacts the root systems of corn seedlings, helping to provide them with a good start. It works." 

Scott Brinkman Nutrien Ag Solutions

Scott Brinkman, Crop Advisor & Branch Manager at Nutrien Ag Solutions in Jasper, Indiana.

Kevin has also seen the product's positive impact on nitrogen efficiency across the farm. The corn in the contest plot had a nitrogen efficiency of 0.6 units of N per bushel of corn, and nitrogen efficiency over the entire farm was 0.7 units of N per bushel of corn.

“Shawn and I are very happy with our current production program and the suppliers that provide the products we are using,” he adds. 

(UPDATE: Kevin and Shawn both took first place nationally again in 2018 in their respective categories, with yields of 388.07 bu/a [Kevin - AA Non-Irrigated] and 343.0 bu/a [Shawn - AA No-Till/Strip-Till Non-Irrigated]. Congrats to both of them!)

To find out more about the other winners who used biocatalyst products, you can read our profile of Don Stall, national winner of the irrigated corn category, or Jeannie and Wally Linneweber, who placed second in the AA non-irrigated corn category. 

You can also learn more about Accomplish LM by accessing our Accomplish LM booklet.

Download the Booklet

 

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Top Corn Producers Used Accomplish LM, Extract PBA & Titan XC
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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