We are at the point in the year where things are slowing down around the farm and it is time to reflect on the season to remind ourselves what we learned. Over the last couple of weeks, the District Sales Managers and I have spent some time reflecting on what worked well in the field and the challenges we faced too. Here are the top 5 things we learned from 2024 growing season: #1 Split applying Nitrogen and Sulfur is a practice that should be embraced on a yearly basis when growing corn. Do you remember how the planting season started and what happened in the first 60 days after the planters started rolling? Our field conditions started out dry with some areas of the corn belt showing up on the drought map. Then mother nature blessed us with rain that never stopped in some areas making it difficult to finish planting. Growers that had split applied their Nitrogen and Sulfur were able to avoid nutrient loss from the rain but also apply the nutrients when the crop needed it most. In the end yield was better on split applied nitrogen fields compared to fields that had all the N applied in the fall or spring before planting. #2 For the past 2 seasons in the North region, we have seen the benefits of adding NACHURS Humi-Flex FA to the in-furrow starter fertilizer. NACHURS Humi-Flex FA is our fulvic acid and it is becoming a valuable component in our starter fertilizer for many reasons. We are using it to chelate the nutrients in the starter fertilizer especially phosphorus. Humi-Flex FA also buffers the soil pH to neutral in that nutrient band keeping nutrients available in fields that have less then optimal pH for crop growth. Finally, we use Humi-Flex FA to create a healthy soil microbiome that leads to more root mass and nutrient uptake. #3 Nutrient uptake charts for corn and soybeans have been a great tool for our team to help our customers visualize the crops nutrient needs based on timing during the growing season.
Wayne Becker, District Sales Manager & Agronomy Specialist Blending two NACHURS products (Triple Option® and Balance®) at a 1:1 ratio has proven to jump start soybeans and increase profitability. Many farmers would like to use in-furrow starter fertilizer with their beans but are uncertain of the benefits. When beans are first planted early growth is very important. • It is a race against time between soybeans and weeds, fighting for water, sunlight and nutrients. • The quicker a canopy is established, the less weeds are able to steal resources, which could affect yield potential. Traditional In-furrow fertilization of beans is usually not as easy to visually observe as when it is applied to corn or wheat. However, that does not mean that they are not extremely important. This treatment will provide early season fertility that will help the young crop remain strong and vibrant, enabling them to better deal with stresses like insects, drought or water logging. NACHURS liquid fertilizer has been providing the best in-furrow fertilizer treatments for 75+ years. With NACHURS in-furrow, producers have always been able to safely provide the traditional benefits without decreasing germination because of the fertilizer’s low-salt content and superior availability. New focus on plant and soil health has raised the bar even higher. The NACHURS Bio-K® line of fertilizers is the most available source of K on the market, yet it also promotes both soil and plant health. Because the Bio-K fertilizer is a carbon molecule combined with potassium, applying it in-furrow provides beneficial soil microbes with a food source. This enables microbes to increase nutrient availability – for all types of crops. Legumes use Rhizobia to “fix” their own nitrogen. NACHURS has developed a product specially designed to stimulate early development of these important soil microbes. It is called Balance®. We combine the rhizobia stimulating qualities of Balance with Triple Option which maximizes quantity of other nutrients. The result is improved potential for early season growth and greater profitability of soybeans
