Wheat growers commonly apply fungicides to their crops to optimize plant health and yield. Typical application timings include early April after the flag leaves emerge (Feekes growth stage 9) and at heading shortly after (head scab application/Feekes growth stage 10.5.1). TERRAMAR can be utilized in the same pass as a wheat fungicide during any application timing, offering another stress-fighting and yield-enhancing tool to optimize crop yield potential.

What benefits can TERRAMAR add to a wheat fungicide application?

• TERRAMAR minimizes the impact of weather-related stresses (e.g., cold and dry conditions) to help maintain normal physiological functions. 
  
  
• TERRAMAR increases nutrient uptake and photosynthetic capacity at a critical time of yield determination.

Nutrien Ag Solutions has conducted multiple field trials in which TERRAMAR was applied at different stages of wheat growth with a fungicide. As seen in the examples below, consistent yield responses and a positive return on investment (ROI)* were observed across the different timings, whether one or multiple applications of TERRAMAR were made with the grower’s standard practice (GSP). 

FLAG LEAF/FEEKES 9 FUNGICIDE APPLICATION

By Jeremiah Butler, Agricen

Early in the summer of 2023, widespread nutrient deficiencies were observed in the Corn Belt, particularly potassium (K) deficiency in corn. Due in large part to drier-than-average early season growing conditions, abiotic stress—or stress from environmental conditions—was more prevalent, impacting crop physiological development and reducing nutrient uptake during a critical phase.

Beginning in mid-June, a number of crop consultants were reporting an interesting phenomenon. Corn fields treated with a foliar application of TERRAMAR in the V3-V7 growth stage visually appeared to be healthier and were not exhibiting the same level of K deficiency symptoms as untreated corn.

As a result of these observations, trials were conducted on later-planted corn in Minnesota and Michigan, and on a soybean field in Indiana to evaluate the impact of a V4 application of TERRAMAR on nutrient uptake and abiotic stress reduction. Corn nutrient demand significantly increases after the V4 window to produce a healthy, high-yielding crop.

In the Minnesota trial, a foliar application of TERRAMAR (1 quart/acre) was made at V4, followed by rigorous tissue sampling to determine nutrient uptake levels of treated versus untreated plants. A total of 135 tissue samples were taken at the V9 growth stage (10 days after application) hourly over a 12-hour period (7 am to 7 pm). In addition, leaf surface temperature readings of treated and untreated plants were taken to evaluate canopy temperatures. Higher ambient air temperatures during the trial period were an indication that the corn crop was experiencing moderate heat stress.

Compared to the untreated corn, TERRAMAR increased the uptake of the majority of nutrients into the corn leaf tissue (Fig. 1). Potassium uptake was particularly notable, showing a 38% increase compared to the untreated corn.

As growers finish putting this year’s crop in the ground, Agricen’s Scott Lay spoke with WITY Radio’s Dennis Michelsen about TERRAMAR, a foliar product designed to help crops increase nutrient uptake and better tolerate weather-induced stress.

Dennis - WITY Radio:It’s impossible to predict the weather long term, but we know that something will always put our crop under stress every growing season. Would it be fair to say that the main reason a producer would want to add TERRAMAR to their lineup is to reduce stress?

Scott - Agricen: That is the essence of it. Weather-induced stress is one of the greatest yield robbers that farmers face. Up until this point, short of going to church on Sunday and praying for more moderate temperatures and rain, there's not been a heck of a lot we could do to address stress.

TERRAMAR was new to the row crop market last year, during which nearly 2M acres were treated. It does two things. One, it has a biologically extracted kelp component that minimizes the effects of weather-related stress, such as heat, drought or early season cold. Secondly, it has a biologically extracted carbon component that stimulates the plant to pull in more nutrients to aid in chlorophyll production and photosynthetic capacity, as well as increase carbon fixation in the plant. In this way, TERRAMAR provides a one-two punch that equals a better chance for yield at harvest time.

Many agricultural areas across the United States are facing weather-related challenges, but there are still opportunities to make the most out of what Mother Nature is dishing out.

Terramar, a new product for row crops, is formulated to help crops stand up to abiotic stresses (such as heat and dry conditions) while also increasing nutrient uptake for better plant growth.

The photos below document the performance of Terramar applications made on corn, soybeans and wheat earlier this season, and they show some very strong visual results.

With another opportunity to apply Terramar now here (this time with fungicide or plant nutrition products on reproductive-stage corn and soybeans), we wanted to share these images as a reminder of the potential in this year's crop.

Here are the top 10 Terramar field pictures of 2023, so far:

Growers know all too well that hot and dry conditions can contribute to yield loss in corn and soybean crops, especially when these stresses last for a prolonged period of time. Terramar gives growers the opportunity to mitigate the effects of these weather-related stresses so that their crops can hold on to their yield potential.

There are two key opportunities for making a Terramar application on corn and soybeans.
The first opportunity to apply Terramar is with the early post herbicide pass, typically at the V4-V5 growth stage in both crops. The second opportunity—one that is approaching soon—is with a fungicide or foliar plant nutrition pass on corn and soybeans. For those who have already applied Terramar earlier in the season, a two-pass program (first at the early vegetative growth stage, then at the reproductive stages) may be beneficial, particularly if crops are under prolonged stress.

In corn and soybeans, the window for applying Terramar with fungicide or plant nutrition products is:

• Corn - V10 (early season) through R3 (tar spot)
• Soybeans - Pre-bloom through R3

All Terramar applications made at reproductive stages should be at a minimum rate of 1 quart/acre. Applications can be made by airplane, helicopter or a ground rig.

Below are two examples of recent trials in which Terramar was applied at reproductive stages in corn and soybeans, leading to yield increases compared to the grower's standard practice.

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."

We are proud to announce that our farming film, Last Stand, and three related short videos took home Telly Awards this year. The Telly Awards honor excellence in video and television across all screens.

Last Stand, a movie about the joys and challenges of being a farmer that was filmed during the 2020 growing season, was recognized with both a Silver and a Bronze Telly. It is available to watch as both a short, 20-minute version and an in-depth, hour-long film.

The other Telly Winners were the short videos Religious Experience, You'd Never Go Without It, and The Whole World Can Benefit, which can be viewed below. All of the winning videos were produced by the team at Light Work Productions.

Religious Experience

Silver Winner: Non-broadcast - Lifestyle Category

Evan Matlock, a farmer from Greenfield, Indiana, first started using Titan XC on his farm about five years ago. In his first year of testing it, he applied Titan XC-treated dry fertilizer on a partial field of soybeans and a partial field of corn. There was an obvious difference between the parts of the field where Titan XC had and had not been applied.

“You could see it visually and we saw it on aerial imagery throughout the year,” he says. “When we took it to harvest, the corn stood out about 4.8 bushels better (with Titan XC) and the soybeans were 2.8 bushels better.”

With those results, Evan had a feeling that Titan XC might be a product he wanted to implement on a broader scale at the farm. That next year, he tested Titan XC-treated dry fertilizer on about half of his acres.

“The next year, we continued to see a yield increase,” he says.

Five years later, he uses Titan XC-treated fertilizer on every acre at Matlock Farms.

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.

Farmers 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.”