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See the latest news, innovation updates, trial results, grower stories and more from Agricen. 
Biologically Sourced Tools in Plant Nutrition Need a New Appraisal
August 28, 2014 — Posted By Agricen

For thousands of years, the world regarded the act of growing a plant in the soil as a biological process. But—as in all systems—the need for scalability to meet growing demands called for new, more efficient technologies to improve food production.

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The agricultural advancements of the post–World War II era were nothing short of transformational in the scheme of human affairs.

Around the world, food production skyrocketed, owing to improved seed varieties, modernized irrigation, better control of plant diseases and pests, efficiencies created by broad availability and use of chemical fertilizers, and evangelists like Dr. Norman Borlaug, who promoted these practices to help the world feed itself.

As the agricultural practices of the Green Revolution swept the world, the contribution of biological elements to crop production received significantly less attention.

The Next Green Revolution

In more recent years, we have realized that the gains achieved through the tools of the Green Revolution are not limitless.

We have also realized that the intensity of agricultural production has some significant, long-term impacts on soil, air and water resources. This has prompted a renewed interest in the biological elements of crop production, including the use of soil management practices such as conservation tillage and organic matter augmentation, meant to improve the conditions of the soil and the organisms that it harbors. They have also led to the development of new biological and biochemical plant nutrition technologies, ones that are firmly rooted in science, and that can be incorporated into current growing practices to enhance agricultural sustainability and increase yields.

However, until recently, agronomists and other researchers have largely dismissed the possibility that biologically sourced tools could contribute significantly to feeding a growing population.

In our next blog post, we’ll ask “Why?” We’ll also explore the challenges of developing biologically sourced tools.

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This is Part 3 of our five-part series (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5) about sustainable growing practices. To learn more about Agricen and our contributions to sustainable growing practices, subscribe to our blog.

 

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Sustainable Growing Practices Make Economic and Environmental Sense
August 20, 2014 — Posted By Agricen

Simply intensifying current agricultural practices— whether by farming more land, using more irrigation or using more fertilizer—won’t be enough to sufficiently augment crop yields to meet future food needs.

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Instead, the next wave of agricultural productivity will have to incorporate new technologies. It will have to do so in a sustainable way by using production practices that meet human needs while reducing environmental impacts. This means using practices that make both environmental and economic sense for growers.

Agricultural sustainability does not need to come at the cost of economic sustainability.

While consumer and industry pressures for sustainable food production will increase, broad behavioral change—including rapid adoption of new practices—will be driven by grower economics.

In a sense, the starting point is economic sustainability—where growers will find ways to reduce input costs, sustain or increase output value and simultaneously improve the environmental sustainability of what they do.

Agricultural and economic sustainability are possible, and even go hand in hand.

In our next blog post, we’ll look at biologically sourced tools for agricultural production and how they might be essential for the next Green Revolution.

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This is Part 2 of our five-part series (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5) about sustainable growing practices. To learn more about Agricen and our contributions to sustainable growing practices, subscribe to our blog.

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A Growing Need for Food and Resources
August 11, 2014 — Posted By Agricen

Policymakers, growers, non-profits and industry today devote an enormous amount of time planning and innovating new ways to improve crop yields so that we will be able to meet future food needs for a growing world population.

At the same time, growers are faced with increasing demands to incorporate more sustainable practices. These demands come from wide-ranging interests––from consumers and advocacy groups, to regulators and large companies that are increasingly evaluating sustainability practices among their produce suppliers.

An Increasing Population Means an Increasing Need for Food and Resources

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Figure 1. Crop production will need to significantly increase to meet the future food demands of a growing world population.

Industry Calls for Efficient Nutrient Use

Industry is also calling for efficient nutrient use, in the form of enhanced efficiency fertilizers that allow growers to increase yields while reducing inputs.

We are already making progress. A report from Field to Market shows that production agriculture has become increasingly efficient. For example, per bushel of corn productivity (crop yield per acre) increased by 64 percent from 1980 to 2011, while land use per bushel, soil loss and energy use all decreased by 30 percent or more. 

Making Progress, But There’s Still More Work to Do


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Figure 2. Over the past 30 years, corn yields have increased, while agricultural energy use, land use per bushel and soil loss have decreased. However, more production and efficiency gains are still needed to meet future food needs.

However, although impressive, those gains alone will not meet the escalating demand for global human nutrition. We must do more to meet the demands of the world’s growing population.

In our next blog post, we’ll explore sustainable growing practices that make sense economically and help maintain the environment.

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This is Part 1 in our five-part series (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5) about sustainable growing practices. To learn more about Agricen and our contributions to sustainable growing practices, subscribe to our blog.

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A Bright Future for Agriculture, Despite Challenges
May 29, 2013 — Posted By Agricen

2050 InfographicMost experts estimate that the global population will exceed 9 billion people by the year 2050. That’s over 2 billion more people on the planet than there are today. Meeting the huge increase in global demand that comes with this population growth will put a tremendous strain on agricultural production. 

In fact, it is estimated that the agriculture industry will need to increase production by over 70% to meet this demand. This is no surprise when you consider all of the things agricultural products are used for: from food and clothing to fuels, plastics and many other everyday products.

Along with the world population, median income is also growing, especially in developing countries. Think about India, many African and South American countries and, especially, China. In all of these geographies, people are making more money, and so they are spending more on clothing, automobiles, and diets that increasingly include more meats, fruits, and vegetables, rather than traditional diets based on cereals and rice.

As population increases, more and more production acres are also getting planted. However, at least in developed countries like the United States and many Western European countries, growers will have to help meet food demand on 10-15% less arable land than is currently used for production today. At the same time, growers will have to face increased regulation at the local, state, and federal levels, as well as pressure from consumer and advocacy groups who want to influence how growers produce their crops.

Although some may see this as a negative environment in which to live and work, we see the future of agriculture as one of the brightest out of all the industries out there.

Is it even possible to more than double our production per acre? Absolutely! Look at corn production over the last 40 years. With the advent of corn hybridization, optimization of fertility practices, and use of biotechnology, we have more than doubled corn production per acre. More recently, we have increased national corn production per acre by an average of 16% in just six short years.

No one sector of the agricultural industry alone will be able to take production to the levels needed to meet future food demands. It will take a combined effort, ingenuity, and the focus of all agricultural sectors to help our growers meet these demands. New plant varieties, equipment, cultural practices, and innovative technologies will help us get there.

At Agricen, we are helping growers with biochemical-based technologies that help maximize nutrient availability and plant uptake. This, in turn, helps growers increase their yields and improve their crop quality, while also addressing environmental concerns. Our relationships with growers and partnerships with both Loveland Products and Nutrien Ag Solutions help us better understand the challenges that the agricultural industry faces every day. They also provide direction for our ongoing research and development efforts, which are focused on commercializing solutions to help the industry meet the demands of a growing global population.

Yes, the challenges are big, but we believe that we have the right tools, technologies and, most importantly, the right attitude to ensure that the future is a bright one.

 

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Reducing Nitrate Leaching to Improve Crop Yields & Protect Resources
September 13, 2011 — Posted By Agricen

Reducing a fertilizer’s leachable nitrates allows the fertilizer to act more efficiently. It also helps protect our water resources.

In a three-year lysimeter study, we evaluated the ability of SoilBuilder™, our base fertilizer catalyst platform, to increase corn yields by converting fertilizer nitrogen (N) into a less leachable form. The study was conducted at the field research facilities of Arise Research & Discovery, Inc., in Illinois.

SoilBuilder-treated fertilizer was compared to untreated fertilizer (control) over three growing seasons. Corn yield and nitrate leaching were evaluated. Each treated area (SoilBuilder vs. control) included four rows of field corn (row length: 30 ft; row spacing: 30 in; seed rate: 30,000/acre. The volume of leachable water and nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) concentrations in the water were determined six times during each season following pumping of the lysimeter wells.

In each of the three seasons, adding SoilBuilder to fertilizer increased yields over the control (Table 1). It was also associated with a significant reduction in nitrate leaching compared to the control (Table 2).

SoilBuilder - Fertilizer Increased Yields

The average rate of nitrate leaching during the 2008 growing season is shown in Figure 1.

Average rate of nitrate leaching

Overall, this field trial shows the ability of SoilBuilder to convert fertilizer nitrogen into a less leachable form that is more available for crop nutrition.

It is just one of the many projects we do at Agricen to demonstrate that our biologically sourced tools can effectively increase crop yields.

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