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See the latest news, innovation updates, trial results, grower stories and more from Agricen. 
Enhancing Wheat Performance with TERRAMAR on Your Farm
June 10, 2024 — Posted By Agricen

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

05-24 Terramar-Wheat-Feekes 9

In a Wisconsin field trial, TERRAMAR was applied at 1 quart/acre with fungicide at the Feekes 9 growth stage (flag leaf). The addition of TERRAMAR to the grower's standard wheat fungicide program led to a +3.62 bu/a yield advantage compared to the fungicide alone, with an ROI of 2:1.

(If a flag leaf fungicide application is not being made, TERRAMAR is also compatible with herbicide applications made at Feekes 8.)

HEAD SCAB SPRAY/FEEKES 10.5.1 FUNGICIDE APPLICATION

05-24-Terramar-Wheat-head scab 2 plots

In a field trial in Michigan, adding TERRAMAR to the grower's head scab fungicide application led to a yield advantage that ranged from +3/9 bu/a (Plot 1, ROI of 2:1) to +12.8 bu/a (Plot 2, ROI of 7:1).

05-24-Terramar-Wheat-Head Scab Spray IN

In an Indiana trial, the yield advantage when TERRAMAR was applied with a wheat head scab fungicide was +9.41 bu/a, with an ROI of 5:1 compared to the fungicide alone. 

05-24-Terramar-Wheat-Head Scab Spray OH

In Ohio, a yield advantage of +12.0 bu/a was seen when TERRAMAR was added to a wheat head scab fungicide application, with an ROI of 7:1 compared to the fungicide alone. 

FEEKES 8, 9 & 10.5.1 (3 APPLICATIONS)

05-24-Terramar-Wheat-3 Apps-PA

Lastly, a Pennsylvania field trial in wheat showed an +18.0 bu/a yield advantage when TERRAMAR was applied at 1 pint/acre at three time points: First with herbicide at Feekes 8, and then with fungicides at Feekes 9 (flag leaf) and Feekes 10.5.1 (head scab spray). The ROI in this trial was 9:1.

SUMMARY

Whether applied to wheat or another row crop, a foliar application of TERRAMAR offers a flexible and cost-effective way to enhance plant health and improve yield.

*ROI calculations assume wheat at $6/bushel.

View more wheat results by downloading the TERRAMAR Midwest wheat study.

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[Corn Trial] Lower Canopy Temperatures & Greater Nutrient Uptake with TERRAMAR
May 20, 2024 — Posted By Agricen

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.Terramar-tissue-samples-1200px

Fig. 1. Percent increase in micro- and macronutrients in corn tissue with TERRAMAR treatment versus untreated. Samples taken 10 days after foliar application of TERRAMAR.

Leaf canopy temperature was also notably reduced in corn that had been sprayed with TERRAMAR compared to the untreated corn (Fig. 2). Lower leaf temperatures indicate that the plants were under less stress and were therefore able to more efficiently perform physiologic functions such as transpiration and photosynthesis.

Terramar-tissue-temp-1200pxFig. 2. Tissue temperature in the leaf canopy of corn plants treated with TERRAMAR versus untreated. Temperatures taken using thermal camera 10 days after foliar application of TERRAMAR.

At harvest, the TERRAMAR treatment was associated with a yield advantage of +11.2 bushels/acre compared to the untreated corn (165.8 bu/a vs 154.6 bu/a, respectively).

These results are in line with prior research demonstrating TERRAMAR’s consistency in reducing stress from abiotic factors (e.g., heat, drought, salinity, wind, hail and wet environments) at any given time in the growing season following a foliar application.

While stress mitigation significantly contributes to the product’s performance, more recent research indicates that a foliar application of TERRAMAR also increases nutrient uptake (documented by leaf tissue tests in both stressed and non-stressed environments), nitrate assimilation, carbon fixation, and photosynthetic capacity. These benefits add value by providing more efficient nutrient uptake during the crop’s critical demand windows.

Every growing season creates a different set of challenges, but some things remain constant. Globally, 50% to 70% of crop yield is lost to abiotic stress factors. Taking measures to reduce the impact of abiotic stress and increase nutrient uptake throughout the growing season with new technologies like TERRAMAR provides growers a fighting chance to add more to their bottom line across a range of crops.

Learn more about TERRAMAR by accessing the Minnesota corn trial bulletin. 

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[Interview] Addressing Weather-Induced Crop Stress
May 13, 2024 — Posted By Agricen

Wity-radio-down on farmAs 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.

Dennis - WITY Radio: How and when is this product applied?

Scott - Agricen: TERRAMAR is designed for post-emergent foliar application throughout the growing season. It can go out early in the vegetative stages with a post-emergent herbicide in advance of the stresses that will present themselves to the crop. Then, as we get into the reproductive stages where a fungicide is often applied for the purpose of minimizing the impact of disease, a dose of TERRAMAR at that time will carry on for at least two to four weeks to minimize the impact of weather-induced stress.

We can measure this by canopy temperature. Last year, we did a number of trials across Indiana, Michigan and Minnesota to quantify the impact of TERRAMAR on canopy temperature in both corn and soybeans. Throughout the course of a July day, we saw that the canopy temperature of plants treated with TERRAMAR was 3°F to 5°F lower compared to untreated.

If you can lower the canopy temperature, that plant will be more efficient in reproducing and filling.

Dennis - WITY Radio: That's the key, Scott, because we always think about drought as a big stressor of crops, but we also get those hot nights where the temperature doesn't drop much below 75°F. That plant needs all the help it can get to stay out of stress, or we're losing bushels.

Scott - Agricen: That is absolutely correct. Heat happens in every zip code and every crop, every year. If we can moderate the temperature of the canopy, we're minimizing the impact of heat. It's not a replacement for a 60° F night. But if we can minimize the impact of those warm July and August evenings and give that plant a better chance to photosynthesize and to transpire water and nutrients, again that correlates very nicely to better yield potential.

Dennis - WITY Radio: What's the ROI that we can expect?

Scott - Agricen: In third-party university trials and farmer-conducted side by sides, we’ve found that the average response is 7 to 10 bushels in corn, 4 to 7 bushels in soybeans and 5 to 8 bushels in wheat. All told, regardless of crop, the average is a 3 or 4:1 return on investment. So for every dollar invested in TERRAMAR, a farmer could expect a $3 to $4 return as a result of an increased yield result.

TERRAMAR is available from Nutrien Ag Solutions.

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

 

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[Trial] Impressive Yield Results with Accomplish MAX in Irrigated Corn
April 12, 2023 — Posted By Agricen

In an irrigated corn trial conducted in Benzie county, Michigan in 2022, adding Accomplish MAX to the grower's standard practice (GSP) starter fertilizer led to impressive yield results. 

Accomplish MAX was added to the GSP starter fertilizer at two different rates (1 pint/acre and 1 quart/acre, the recommended rate) and then compared to the GSP alone. The GSP 2x2 starter fertilizer blend consisted of UAN 28% (7.5 gal/acre), ammonium thiosulfate (ATS, 3 gal/acre), 10-34-0 (7.25 gal/acre), and Pro Zinc 10+ (0.25 gal/acre). The grower's fertility program also included a dry fertilizer broadcast application of 46-0-0 (300 lbs/acre) plus 0-0-60 (100 lbs/acre) applied over corn stubble. The field was no-till, corn on corn.

Adding Accomplish MAX at either rate provided both a yield advantage and a return on investment (ROI) for the grower.

AccomplishMAX-irrigated-corn

At harvest, the average corn yield with the GSP starter fertilizer alone was 165.0 bu/acre.

Where Accomplish MAX had been added at the 1 pint rate to the GSP, the average corn yield was 176.0 bu/acre, for a yield advantage of +11.9 bu/acre equating to an ROI of 6:1 compared to the GSP.

Most impressively, where Accomplish MAX was added to the GSP at the recommended 1 quart rate, the average corn yield was 185.8 bu/acre, for a yield advantage of +20.8 bu/acre over the GSP alone. At the time this trial was conducted, that yield advantage equated to a grower ROI of 12:1.

At planting, row crops are up against environmental challenges that include cold temperatures, fertilizer salts and more. Accomplish MAX can be used with liquid in-furrow starter fertilizers to help crops better tolerate these stresses while also increasing nutrient uptake, so that growers can help their crops live up to their full potential while also pushing their yields to the next level.

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

Download the Accomplish MAX Product Booklet

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Improvement in Sugar Beet Quality with Foliar-Applied Maritime
August 18, 2022 — Posted By Agricen

Sugar beetSugar beets are a major source of the world's sugar, and the higher the sugar yield and concentration per plant, the better. In a replicated trial, researchers evaluated the ability of Maritime to improve sugar concentration in beets when applied to the crop a few weeks before harvest. A kelp-based product, Maritime is designed to provide plant health benefits such as improved nutrient uptake and greater ability to tolerate abiotic stress.

Conducted during the 2021 growing season in Brown City, Michigan, the on-farm trial was overseen by Sugarbeet Advancement, a partnership between Michigan State University, Michigan Sugar Company, sugar beet producers, and agribusiness.

Maritime was applied twice at two different rates toward the end of the growing season. Both were foliar applications made with a leaf spot fungicide. The first application was made in late July at a rate of 2 quarts/acre, with the second application made in late August at 1 quart/acre.

At harvest, there was a significant increase in both recoverable white sugar per ton (RWST, 7 reps) and percent sugar (5 reps) in sugar beets that received the Maritime application compared to beets that were not treated with Maritime (p <0.05 for both measurements).

sugar beets - maritime

The sugar beets (variety C-G675) had been planted in early April in loamy soil. The previous crop had been corn, which was plowed. After freezing temperatures early and a dry spring, there was good weather for the remainder of the growing season. Harvest was in late September.

The fertilizer program in this trial was 200 pounds/acre of potash applied in the fall, 300 pounds/acre of 33-0-0 applied pre-plant, and 10 gallons/acre each of 10-34-0 and UAN 28% with 2 qts/acre of manganese and 1 qt/acre of boron applied 2x2.

Learn more about Maritime by downloading the Maritime booklet.

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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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Agricen's Farming Films Win Multiple Telly Awards
June 15, 2022 — Posted By Agricen

Last-Stand-1We 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."

You'd Never Go Without It

Silver Winner: Non-broadcast - Sales Category

How do you grow a crop that's bigger, greener and healthier? In this video, growers who have produced some of the highest U.S. corn yields in recent years discuss their approach to farming and why they use Accomplish and Titan technologies in their crop production programs. "Putting Accomplish in furrow, we do that on every acre of corn and soybeans. The roots with Accomplish and without, if you saw that, you'd never go without it," says Iowa farmer Kelly Garrett. The video also features growers Don Stall, Heath Cutrell and Kevin Kalb, and the University of Illinois' Dr. Fred Below and Connor Sible. "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," says Dr. Below.

The Whole World Can Benefit

Bronze Winner: Non-broadcast - Sustainability Category

By better managing fertilizer inputs, growers can better take care of the land and water while also adding to higher yield and return on investment. In this video, you'll hear how Accomplish and Titan help growers increase their yields in an environmentally friendly and cost effective way. "Tissue samples don't lie, all the way up to the yield. Accomplish has been helping free up the phosphorus. It's a big win on our farm," says Indiana farmer Kevin Kalb. The video also features Iowa grower Kelly Garrett, Connor Sible and Dr. Fred Below of the University of Illinois and Nutrien Ag Solutions crop consultant Scott Brinkman. "We're out here trying to protect the water system, because it's the water I drink at night," says Scott.

Watch more videos from Agricen by visiting our YouTube channel or our Featured Videos page.

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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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Agricen's Product Technology Part of Top Corn Growers' Wins
February 3, 2021 — Posted By Agricen

Last season, Agricen's product technology helped some of the highest-yielding corn growers in America take home a winning title in the National Corn Growers Association's 2020 National Corn Yield Contest.

A total of 6 national and 20 state winners used at least one product containing Agricen's biocatalyst technology in 2020. Among them were Don Stall of Charlotte, Michigan, who was the top-yielding grower overall in the contest, Kevin, Shawn, Nikia and Rhylan Kalb of Dubois, Indiana, who took national wins across three categories, and Leonard Truszkowski of Stewartsville, New Jersey, who also placed nationally.

NCGA_social-01

The biocatalyst-based products represented in the top growers' programs were Accomplish LM, Titan XC, Extract PBA, Prologue, Levitate and NexBlu. All are exclusively available from Loveland Products though Nutrien Ag Solutions.

Grower Don Stall came in first place, nationally, in the Conventional Irrigated category with a yield of 476.9052 bu/acre, which was also the overall highest yield in the 2020 contest.

"Titan and Accomplish...turn nutrients into an available, soluble form so we can take them up," says Don. "It obviously works. You can see it, when you run the combine across the field and you weigh it. The results speak for themselves."

The Corn Belt's first place national winner in the Conventional Non-Irrigated Category was Kevin Kalb, with a yield of 385.4405 bu/acre.

"When I talk about raising, potentially, the biggest crop we have, I need to get as much phosphorus as I can into the plant. Titan makes that possible," Kevin says.

Kevin's wife, Shawn Kalb, also took home a first place national win in the No-Till Non-Irrigated category in the Corn Belt (329.0569 bu/acre), while Kevin and Shawn's children, Rhylan and Nikia, each placed second nationally in the Conventional Non-Irrigated (345.9045 bu/acre) and Strip, Min, Mulch, Ridge-Till Non-Irrigated (323.7572 bu/acre) categories in the Corn Belt states, respectively.

If you are interested in more details about these and other growers who have had winning corn yields in the NCGA contest, you can read about them in these posts:

Wishing everyone great success in the coming season!

You can learn more about the biocatalyst technology that is helping top corn growers achieve big yields by watching our film, Last Stand, or downloading our FAQ.

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