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."
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Topics:
Grower Stories,
Videos,
Illinois,
North Carolina,
Michigan,
Iowa,
Corn,
Indiana,
Ag Biologicals & Biostimulants,
Virginia,
Accomplish MAX
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
American farmers talk about farming, family and what drives them every day. "I love farming. I still get up every morning excited to go outside and to do what I do. I don't think everybody can say that," says Heath Cutrell, who farms in Virginia and North Carolina. "The reward is the lifestyle," says Don Stall, who farms in Michigan. "I produce something that's tangible...and I see my efforts paying off. When you harvest and the yields are big, it's very satisfying."
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Topics:
Sustainability,
Corporate & Community,
Videos,
Soybeans,
North Carolina,
Michigan,
Iowa,
Corn,
Titan,
Indiana,
Accomplish LM,
Virginia
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.
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Topics:
Grower Stories,
Videos,
North Carolina,
Michigan,
Iowa,
Corn,
Titan,
Indiana,
Accomplish LM,
Ag Biologicals & Biostimulants,
Extract PBA,
Virginia,
Accomplish MAX
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.”
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Topics:
Grower Stories,
Corporate & Community,
Videos,
North Carolina,
Michigan,
Iowa,
Corn,
Titan,
Indiana,
Accomplish LM,
Extract PBA,
Virginia,
Accomplish MAX
Crop residue left on the soil surface after harvest can present both challenges and opportunities going into the next planting season. Potential tie-up of important nutrients, delayed nutrient recycling, and difficulty getting pre- and post-applied weed control coverage are some challenges growers may face. However, if crop residues are properly managed, there are great opportunities for nutrient release, improvement in soil organic matter, and soil moisture preservation.
Harvest and tillage equipment that mechanically break down residue are useful management tools, but adding a biochemical tool in the form of Extract PBA can also help growers manage and even benefit from surface crop residue, regardless of their tillage practices.
"Whether you want to release nutrients from the soil or break down your crop residue, Extract PBA does all the heavy lifting, delivering consistent ROI to the farmer," says Michael Bern, Nutrien Ag Solutions Location Manager in Galesberg, Illinois.
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Topics:
Crop Residue,
Iowa,
Corn,
Indiana,
Nebraska,
Extract PBA
In 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.
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Topics:
Minnesota,
North Carolina,
Texas,
Michigan,
Iowa,
Corn,
Titan,
Indiana,
Accomplish LM,
Missouri,
Ag Biologicals & Biostimulants,
Extract PBA,
Idaho,
NCGA
Many technologies and practices play a role in helping farmers protect soil and improve water quality. At Black Hawk Lake in Iowa, that's making a difference.
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Topics:
Sustainability,
Videos,
Iowa,
Accomplish LM,
Water Management
One of the key ways to positively impact soybean and corn yields is by optimizing nutrient availability to the growing crop throughout the season. A number of trials conducted across the Midwest show that an application of Extract PBA is an effective and consistent way to achieve this.
By helping to mineralize soil nutrients more effectively and getting more nutrition into soybean and corn crops, Extract PBA can enhance crop vigor and yields, as seen in the soybean and corn trials shown below.
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Topics:
Soybeans,
Iowa,
Corn,
Extract PBA
In Northern Ohio, Nutrien Ag Solutions conducted trials to evaluate the benefits of making a fall residue or spring pre-emerge application of Extract PBA (1 gallon per acre). In these trials, Extract was applied on corn stalks in fields where soybeans would be planted as the next crop. The data shows great potential for a growers' return on investment, with healthier plants and higher pod counts when Extract PBA was used.
In the trial results shown below, the plants from the treated areas have a more robust structure to support higher yields. Pod clusters are also tighter, with more per node compared to plants from untreated strips in the test plots.
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Topics:
Soybeans,
Ohio,
Crop Residue,
Iowa,
Extract PBA
If you've seen our farming film, Prove It to Me, you may be wondering, "What were the growers' yields?"
For the Iowa growers who were trialing Accomplish LM, corn yields increased by an average of about 5 bushels/acre when the Accomplish LM biocatalyst was added to the grower's standard fertilizer program. Individual grower results can be seen in the chart below, with yield bumps that range from +0.12 to +10.74 bushels/acre.
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Topics:
Iowa,
Corn,
Accomplish LM
