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See the latest news, innovation updates, trial results, grower stories and more from Agricen. 
September 24, 2020 — Posted By Agricen

Dry fertilizer dapGrowers make nutrient management decisions all season long. This includes the period just before and after harvest, when they need to decide whether a fall dry fertilizer application makes sense.

 

Growers who do decide to make a fall application face a significant challenge when it comes to dry fertilizer efficiency. This is because applied phosphorus and potassium fertilizers can be easily tied up by the soil chemistry. Even with the best program, only an estimated 10-30% of applied phosphorus and 20-60% of applied potassium will be available to their crop in the spring. This level of inefficiency is not good for the grower or the crop.  

 

One way growers can better ensure that they are getting more out of the nutrition they apply is by treating their dry fertilizer with Titan XC, a biocatalyst technology that is specifically formulated to increase nutrient availability from dry fertilizers. This can have a positive impact on a grower’s yield, as seen in the summary of corn, soybean and wheat trials from 2010-2019 below.

Titan Meta AnalysisProven on millions of acres across the country, Titan XC helps growers address the challenges related to dry fertilizer efficiency. Here's what some growers are saying:

 

Kelly"Every pound of potash that we put on, we also apply Titan XC with it...The biochemistry of Titan is the best choice for us to help solubilize the potassium and help get it into the corn plant." - Kelly Garrett, Iowa. Hear more from Kelly.

 

Matt"I use Titan XC on my fertilizer since noticing a better root system and color on my crops versus the untreated fertilized acres." - Matt Minnix, Indiana. Hear more from Matt.

 

Allen"I really like the biochemistry that Titan XC offers because I love the fact that I'm getting more out of my fertilizer and putting money in my pocket." - Allen Ehrman, Nebraska. Hear more from Allen. 

 

An application of Titan XC on fall dry fertilizer is a great investment in the next season. Ask for it on your dry fertilizer today!

 

Learn more about using Titan XC to maximize the efficiency of dry fertilizer applications by downloading our booklet, "How to Get Better First-Year Nutrient Recovery Out of Fall Dry Fertilizer Applications."

 

Download the Booklet

 

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January 23, 2019 — Posted By Agricen

wheat after harvestBroken O Ranch in Augusta, Montana, is a farming operation that grows wheat, barley, alfalfa, flax, canola and chickpeas on about 12,000 irrigated acres.

A big concern at the ranch is how to handle crop residue without burning it. Most states around Montana have banned all burning of residue. Dale Clark, the farm manager at Broken O Ranch, feels that it's only a matter of time before the practice is banned in Montana as well. But he also has bigger issues with the practice.

Burning residue not only takes time and labor, but it also adversely affects the availability of soil moisture because the ground becomes harder after burning," says Dale. "More than that, it negatively impacts nutrient availability. Nutrients are lost when ash is blown by the wind and redeposited or carried off.”

"At Broken O, we’ve been looking for a sustainable solution that we can implement right now,” he says.

Broken O Ranch Montana

A fall view from the farm shop at Broken O Ranch

Striving for a residue management system that dovetails with his no-till approach to farming, Dale tried EXTRACT PBA in the fall of 2017 after a large harvest, applying it on three circles of straw (one durum wheat, one spring wheat and one malt barley). Dale's durum wheat and malt barley yields that year topped 120 bu/acre, while his spring wheat reached 95-100 bu/a. On a dry matter basis, the straw in the durum wheat field alone was approximately 6 tons/acre.

With the goal of breaking down the large amount of residue from his harvest and recycling carbon and nutrients back into the soil profile*, Dale applied EXTRACT PBA at a rate of 1 gal/acre with 2 gallons of UAN 32% through a center pivot with 1-inch of moisture.

Learn more about Extract PBA

In the spring at planting, Dale's no-till drills were able to make it through the durum residue successfully. Root balls from the previous crop broke apart, and the residue was decomposed enough to allow for planting. In the spring wheat field, excessively large windrows had been created by the combine at harvest. The concentration of residue into large windrows unfortunately proved too big a challenge for the rate of EXTRACT PBA that was used, and the field was burned. The field of barley straw was also burned due to excessive residue from the large crop.

Residue management is critical for soil health, soil moisture management, and nutrient management, all of which can lead to more sustainable crop yields. Previously, Dale’s main option for residue management at Broken O Ranch was to burn the residue. He now feels like he has another option—EXTRACT PBA—which allowed him to spare one field from being burned. This not only saved time and labor, but also had soil and plant health benefits.

Dale will continue to experiment with higher rates of EXTRACT PBA to sustainably break down his large amounts of residue and mineralize nutrients produced by his high-yielding crops.  

Learn more about EXTRACT PBA by downloading the EXTRACT PBA booklet.

Download the Booklet

*Typically, one ton of wheat straw contains 9-12 lbs of nitrogen, 3-4 lbs of phosphorus (P2O5) and 25-45 lbs of potassium (K20). The nitrogen and phosphorus in cereal grain residue is in an organic form that is not available for plants to use as fertilizer. It must be broken down into inorganic plant-available forms: NH4+ (ammonium) and HPO4 (hydrogen phosphate), respectively.

In previous wheat residue trials where cereal grain yield topped 100 bu/acre, an application of the biocatalyst technology in Extract PBA at 3 qts/acre led to a statistically significant increase in crop yield (at .05) when applied with 1 or 2 gallons of UAN 32 %.

 

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November 13, 2018 — Posted By Agricen

Using Titan XC to improve nutrient release from dry fertilizer can make a big difference when it comes to wheat germination.

In this demonstration, seventeen MESZ fertilizer prills were mixed into field soil in each tray. Prior to mixing in the fertilizer, Titan XC was sprayed on prills in the treated tray. As you can see, wheat germination is significantly advanced in the tray on the right that received the Titan XC treatment. 

wheat-germination-titan-xc

You can also see a similar demo in this 10-day timelapse video, which shows a significant improvement in both wheat and corn germination with Titan XC.

Unique to Loveland Products and available from Nutrien Ag Solutions, Titan XC is powered by concentrated, naturally derived biochemistry that is created by Agricen through a proprietary fermentation process. With Titan XC technology on their dry fertilizers, growers can better ensure that their crop will make the best use of their P and K fertilizer investment.

Learn more about Titan XC by downloading the Titan XC product booklet

Download the Titan XC Booklet

 

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October 23, 2017 — Posted By Agricen

In this Kansas wheat trial, Titan XC provided a yield and ROI advantage when used with a banded dry fertilizer application.

Titan XC was applied at 1 pint per ton on MicroEssentials SZ (MESZ), which was placed in-furrow. Compared to the untreated MESZ, the Titan XC-treated MESZ raised wheat yields, with a 7 bu/a yield increase. With wheat prices estimated at $6.50/bu, the return on investment with Titan XC in this trial would be $43.62 per acre.

Titan-XC-Wheat-WaKeeney

Titan XC contains concentrated biochemistry that can help growers unlock the potential of their dry fertilizer program. By accelerating prill breakdown to expedite nutrient availability and uptake, Titan XC can turn dry fertilizer into a driver of performance on your farm.

Learn more about using Titan XC to maximize the efficiency of dry fertilizers by watching a webinar.

Watch the Webinar 

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September 12, 2017 — Posted By Agricen

After a fertilizer application, hungry crops must wait for nutrient mineralization to occur before the applied nutrients are available to use. To speed up and enhance this process, growers can utilize Extract PBA as a nutrient release tool to improve nutrient availability and uptake. As seen in this winter wheat trial, the result is noticeably better plant performance when compared to plants grown on untreated acres.

The trial, which was conducted in heavily manured fields in Ohio, looked at the effect of adding 1 gallon per acre of Extract PBA to a grower's existing fertilizer program of 28% UAN. Wheat plants in the untreated plot were planted on October 24, 2016, while plants in the Extract-treated plot were planted a month later, on November 25, 2016. Photos were taken in April 2017.

In the spring, wheat plants from the Extract-treated plot were much farther along than plants from the untreated plot, despite being a month behind on planting. 

extract_winter_wheat.jpg

This trial provides a visible demonstration of how early nutrient availability can enhance overall crop health and performance.

Learn more about the performance of Extract PBA in wheat fields by accessing our Extract wheat study

Download the Study

 

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December 14, 2016 — Posted By Agricen

In this trial from Attica, Indiana, Extract PBA brought in big returns on two crops in the same year.

Extract PBA was applied in the fall of 2015 on soybean stubble, and winter wheat was planted. At harvest, the crop planted where Extract was applied had an 8 bushel per acre yield advantage.

Download Extract PBA Product Booklet

11-16 extract wheat.png

In 2016, the grower planted double crop soybeans in the same field, again gaining a yield advantage (5 bushels per acre) where Extract PBA had been applied the previous year. The combined ROI to the grower was $69/acre 

11-16 extract soybeans.png

One of the major benefits of Extract PBA is that it increases nutrient mineralization in the soil. As seen in this trial, this can potentially have benefits that last more than one year. Plan on using Extract PBA in the fall or spring to maximize nutrient mineralization and help feed your crop.

Learn more by downloading the Extract PBA product booklet.

Download the Booklet 

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March 21, 2016 — Posted By Agricen

Burndown season is here, and that offers growers a great opportunity to benefit from an application of Extract PBA on each acre. 

Below is a photo taken in early March from an ongoing wheat trial in Hardin, Kentucky. As you can see, the plant on the rightwhere Extract PBA was applied with a pre-emerge herbicide–is better positioned to realize top-end yield potential.

Early_Extract_PBA_Kentucky_Wheat_Results.jpg

Extract PBA is an excellent tool for accelerating improving residue breakdown, nutrient release and nutrient mineralization. It can be tank mixed with herbicides, including glyphosate, and applied with spring burndown. It can also be broadcast with liquid fertilizers.

Position yourself for a great season by including Extract PBA in your pre-emerge program this spring.

Learn more about the benefits of Extract PBA by downloading the product booklet.

Access the Booklet

 

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November 18, 2014 — Posted By Agricen


snow_residueHere we discuss why your crop residue is valuable and how your farm can benefit from a post-harvest application of EXTRACT. 

Q: I mostly consider my residue to be a nuisance. Do I need to rethink that view?

A: Given where prices are, growers are really going to have to focus to make money next year. Residue can play an important role in helping to achieve that. Residue doesn't have to be just another obstacle to deal with when you're trying to get your crop planted. By releasing the nutrients locked up in your crop stubble, you get more ROI out of your original nutrient investment by benefitting next season's crop. We recommend that you rethink your residue as an important component of the planning process for next year's crop. 

Q: What is the value of my residue?

A: Here's a great example of the value of residue. If you're a corn producer, for every bushel of corn you grow, your residue contains an average of 0.45 lbs of N, 0.16 lbs of P, and 1.1 lbs of K. If you had a 200-bushel crop in 2014, that's an NPK value of 90-32-220. Think about how valuable those nutrients can be if you can release them in time for spring planting.

Q: With a big harvest, how should I deal with all of my post-harvest residue? What's a good way to speed residue breakdown and access the nutrients in my stubble?

A: Many growers turn to fall tillage or a fall nitrogen application to help them speed residue breakdown. Although tillage does a good job of physically breaking up the residue and increasing the surface area that microbes have to work on, it has little direct influence on the mineralization of nutrients trapped in residue. Nitrogen can provide some benefits, but lack of sufficient N is not the main limiting factor for residue breakdown–soil temperatures are, since microbial activity, which is what produces the biochemistry needed to break down crop residue, drastically drops off below 50 degrees F. This is why we recommend a post-harvest application of EXTRACT – which contains biochemistry that enhances residue breakdown, nutrient release and nutrient mineralization, even at lower temperatures – to help you capture the value of your residue. 

Learn more about the benefits of a residue application of EXTRACT by reading the our crop residue booklet.

Download the Booklet

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November 2, 2011 — Posted By Agricen

This summer, Agricen conducted a rhizobox study near our Texas headquarters to evaluate the effects of treating MicroEssentials® SZ, the Mosaic Company’s 12-40-0-10(S)-1(Zn) fertilizer, with Titan Powered by Accomplish (Titan PBA), a fertilizer catalyst from Loveland Products.

Corn, wheat and soybean seeds were planted in rhizoboxes in field soil with either MicroEssentials SZ fertilizer treated with Titan PBA (treated) or a standard monoammonium phosphate (MAP) 11-52-0 fertilizer (control). Root and shoot growth were observed over a four-week period. This was during a particularly hot time in the Texas summer, with temperatures regularly exceeding 100 degrees.

As you can see from the comparisons at Day 24, treated crops had noticeably better lateral root development and shoot growth compared to controls:


Corn

Improved lateral root development
Improved lateral root development at Day 24 for
treated vs. untreated.
 
Improved shoot growth
Improved shoot growth at Day 24 for treated vs.
untreated.

Wheat

Improved lateral root development (2)
Improved lateral root development at Day 24 for
treated vs. untreated.
 
Improved shoot growth (2)
Improved shoot growth at Day 24 for treated vs.
untreated.

Soybean

Improved lateral root development (3)
Improved lateral root development at Day 24 for
treated vs. untreated.
 
Improved shoot growth (3)
Improved shoot growth at Day 24 for treated vs.
untreated.

Plants in the treated boxes also had earlier lateral root development compared to controls throughout the four-week growing period. Watch the root growth day-by-day in our video, below:

Titan makes use of Agricen’s biologically sourced technology to increase fertilizer availability and improve overall plant health. 

Learn more by downloading the Titan product booklet.

Download the Titan XC Booklet

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