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See the latest news, innovation updates, trial results, grower stories and more from Agricen. 
[Video] Building Sustainable Agriculture Programs
July 18, 2017 — Posted By Agricen

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. 

Watch the video to learn more, and to see how Accomplish LM is helping:

 
 
 
 
 
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Working together with state and local government, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, and others, farmers in the area are testing and implementing conservation and nutrient reduction practices to protect the lake from nitrate runoff.

As part of their efforts, Jeff Frank and some other local growers are also using Accomplish LM and similar biocatalyst products to help them build even more sustainability into their agricultural practices, while also helping them remain productive.

"When you think about what you're putting on the field, you have to think about the future," Jeff says. "What I liked about Accomplish was that it was friendly to the environment."

Watch the film "Prove It to Me" to see Jeff on his farm and hear more about his experiences.

"The root system is the best nutrient removal system we have on the planet," says Gregg Schmitz of Crop Production Services. "As we get healthier plants, the roots will be more efficient and deliver more available nutrients to the plant during the course of the year. Customers that have been using the Accomplish biochemistry technology have seen nice yield responses and gotten good ROI since we introduced it."

Find out more about how Accomplish LM helps growers build sustainable agriculture programs by accessing our Growing for the Future booklet.

 Access the Booklet

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Accomplish LM Addresses Challenges for California Almond Growers
February 27, 2014 — Posted By Agricen

It requires a lot of fertilizer and water to maintain a healthy almond tree throughout the year and to prepare for–and optimize–production the following year. Those requirements present some very specific challenges.

One of the most important issues is water scarcity. California is now in the midst of one of the worst droughts in the state’s history, leading some almond farmers to let their trees dry up, or even have them torn out of the ground. Another issue—although one that might feel less pressing given the current water problems—is the implementation of fertilizer regulations in California, which means that some growers will need to make changes to their fertility practices.

Almond growers have little choice except to find the most effective way to deal with both of these issues, and I am working with many California growers to incorporate Accomplish LM into their fertilizer programs to help mitigate both concerns.

Using Accomplish LM, growers can utilize fertilizer inputs more effectively and efficiently (as seen in this study of the base product technology), as well as improve their water efficiency (in a Wasco, CA irrigation response study, water got into the soil profile faster, went deeper, and stayed longer with Accomplish LM).

Accomplish LM can also boost almond yields. In a recent almond trial in Merced County, California, adding Accomplish LM to an almond fertility program increased the harvest by 212-303 lbs. per acre (Figure 1).

Almond Trial- Merced County, CA (2013)

almond_chart

Figure 1. Yield increase with Accomplish LM in a California almond fertility program. The grower’s standard practice was compost applied at 5 tons/acre. Accomplish LM was applied at 4 quarts/acre, and 7% zinc was applied at 1 gallon/acre.

Even though it may seem like almonds are everywhere in California, there are a few problems that must be effectively addressed to protect the current crop and ensure an abundant future for California almonds. Accomplish LM helps growers more efficiently utilize fertilizer and water—two very important inputs—and typically delivers a positive impact on yields. It is also very easy to use: you can simply add it to your current fertilizer mix. For California almond growers, Accomplish LM can play a key part in addressing today’s needs while also preparing for tomorrow.

Almond-Trees-Accomplish-LM

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UNT/AMS Collaboration Identifies New Bacterial Group
June 26, 2012 — Posted By AMSPressMaster

asm2012Researchers from the University of North Texas (UNT) recently presented data at the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology from a study done in collaboration with Agricen.

Using molecular analysis techniques, the team identified a potentially novel bacterial species among the community of beneficial microorganisms from which Agricen derives its biochemical products. The previously unrecognized species appears to be related to a yet-to-be isolated bacterial group, known as the polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAOs), which have the ability to remove excess phosphate from wastewater. This new finding may have the potential to improve wastewater purification processes, thereby helping to prevent deleterious plant and algal blooms caused by excessive phosphate in lakes or other bodies of water.

You can read the full abstract, “Detection and Phylogenetic Analysis of Uncultured Rhodocyclaceae Closely Related to the Phosphate Accumulating Bacteria,” here.

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Agricen Presents Data on Nitrogen Use Efficiency at ASA-CSSA-SSSA Joint Meeting
October 14, 2011 — Posted By Agricen

Low-angle view of corn fieldAgricen presented data on SoilBuilder at the 2011 ASA, CSSA and SSSA International Annual Meetings. SoilBuilder is Agricen’s base biochemical fertilizer catalyst technology for the agriculture industry.

In a 3-year field study conducted at Arise Research and Discovery (Martinsville, IL), SoilBuilder reduced nitrate leaching from soil applications of urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) – in addition to improving nitrogen use efficiency and corn yields – when incorporated into an integrated nutrient management program on corn. The data was discussed during an oral presentation: Increased Nitrogen Use Efficiency and Reduced Nitrate Leaching Using SoilBuilder AF in an Integrated Nutrient Management Program on Corn (Abstract #387-3).

Data from a separate study on SoilBuilder, conducted by researchers from Auburn University, was also presented: Microbial Inoculants as Tools for Reducing Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Soil (Oral presentation; Abstract #288-4).

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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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